More than seven years ago, Gold Coast local Stephanie Pryor noticed a gap in the market for quality lunch bags. Strong enough to withstand both the fickle taste of kids as well as the action of the school yard.

“My kids didn’t want drab colours, and I wanted something that was going to last,” explains Steph. “I was on maternity leave from my IT job, and rather than returning to full time work I decided to give it a go.”

Flash forward seven years, the mum of three now owns and operates Montii Co – home to a diverse product range of long-lasting, everyday essentials such as lunch bags, water bottles and more.

“I wanted to create products that other families would love. Along the way, it’s expanded to solve other problems for mums and families.”

With a focus on practical and innovative designs, Montii Co is most acclaimed for its Insulated Lunch Bags with more than 200,000 units sold and a sea of rave reviews from parents.

Montii Co operates out of Coomera, where Steph and the team design the brand’s products and prints in-house. “It’s important to us to have full design control and to be able to touch, feel and test extensively.”

The Gold Coast locale lets products be constantly tested and improved – “I love the lifestyle here … Where better to test how products hold up against the Aussie heat than the Gold Coast?”

The success Montii Co has had with families across the globe has allowed Steph to foster the flexi-working lifestyle she envisioned when she first launched the business in 2017.

“Not only has it created a more flexible lifestyle for our family, but also for the other 30 families of our employees who work here,” reveals Steph. “I still pinch myself that our team has grown so quickly.”

Steph joins the increasing number of mum-owned and operated businesses throughout Queensland and beyond.

With an average team of four to five staff, mum-owned businesses generate income for over half a million Australians. In fact, the mum-owned market represents one-sixth of all small businesses.

The business wunderkind Jeune Label confirms the increasing success of solo operations as well. The childrenswear brand, run out of the Gold Coast, is founded, owned and managed by Else Woodward.

With a focus on high-quality outfits for little boys, Else has led her small business to great new heights over its just two years in operation.

Recently included in multiple issues of British Vogue, Else has also been nominated for two categories at this year’s AustMumpreneur Awards – with winners set to be announced next month. 

Much like Montii Co, the secret to Jeune Label’s success has been its ability to know what mums really want. 

“The inspiration for Jeune Label came from the small gents in my life – my sons. Shopping for them often left me underwhelmed and disappointed,” explains Else.

“I decided to close this gender gap in children’s fashion. My aim is to provide little boys with more clothing options that reflect their personalities.”

Along with the success of the e-commerce site, Jeune Label works with wholesalers across Australia and the US with distributors in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore and sight set on an expansion into the UK and Europe.

“Other boy mums see that I’m just a regular boy mum myself, navigating motherhood …”

“This authenticity and connection have been crucial in building trust and a loyal customer base.”

The comfort, durability, and style of Jeune Label’s collection was inspired by her family’s lifestyle living on the Gold Coast.

“Being outdoorsy-people ourselves, we couldn’t think of a better place to raise our three little boys.”

“All of our products are designed by myself here on the Gold Coast,” she adds. “Jeune Label’s collection is perfect for the everyday adventures of young boys.”

With both of these brands experiencing booms of success in just a few years, neither show any sign of slowing down. For Else, the drive to expand and grow Jeune Label comes down to the brand’s customer base.

“Our ultimate goal is to become a one-stop-shop for all things boy[s]… We want to ensure that we meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

Steph takes the same customer-focused approach as well, “We’re constantly improving products in the current range based on real feedback we get from our customers.”

Armed with the insight into what fellow families really want, businesses like these seem to stay surging ahead.