A Dundee entrepreneur will run a virtual Christmas market to help mums who run their own business.
Monika Gostic has recently set up the Dundee branch of Mums in Business, and the group’s first event will be a virtual market over the festive months.
She has two jobs, both running Fit Factory Dundee and a role as a scientist at Edinburgh University.
And Monika says it is important to highlight how much the coronavirus pandemic has affected working mums and wants to encourage people to buy local gifts this Christmas.
She said: “I am really excited about it.
“Mums in Business is an international organisation all about empowering mums and the idea behind it is to provide a local community for mums who run their own business to help them learn, network and promote.
© Gareth Jennings/DCT Media
“I have just recently taken on the role of network leader for Dundee because the city didn’t have a group until last week.
“I fell in love with Mums in Business’ vibe, and it really helped me get out of my comfort zone and I thought I could do it for other women as well.
“Because of the coronavirus outbreak we can’t have anything in person but I still wanted to do something to help local women not go bust over Christmas.
“We all know the big companies will survive coronavirus, but it is the small businesses that are struggling and it is mostly mums who have been affected.
“We are mostly the carers of our children and have the most responsibilities in the house.
“Before lockdown we could take our children to school or childcare so we could focus on our jobs but during lockdown women were left swamped with responsibilities.”
Monika said she wanted to help mums overcome obstacles while getting people to buy locally sourced gifts and spread a bit of Christmas cheer.
© Gareth Jennings/DCT Media
The virtual market will begin next month over the Facebook group ‘Tayside’s Virtual Christmas Market 2020’.
Monika added: “It will run just like a Christmas market and there will be freebies, raffles and games.
“We are going to go live on Zoom on November 25 – Zoom has options to go into different rooms and people can decide which room they want to go to and which businesses they want to hear from.
“People can go from room to room to browse just like they would go stall to stall.
“The businesses will get the opportunity to show off their products and sell them throughout December and get people buying local presents for their loved ones.
“This is the first event I am running and I am aiming to do one per month in the future.”
