The new dating app for mums
Being a mum can be lonely at times. But fear not, mums and friends Sarah Hesz and Katie Massie-Taylor have launched a new app for mums to meet other local mummy mates. It's called Mush and you just have to be on it. Here's what they had to say about it...
Hi ladies. Tell me all about you both...
I (Katie, originally from Marlow) have two little ones, Tilly, three, and Lyla, one, and Sarah has Rosie, three, and Leo, one. We both live in Barnes in London and have long-suffering better halves who work in sport and advertising respectively.
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Tell me about your new app. Is it like a dating app but for mums?
It is indeed a dating app for mums! But with less one-night stands we hope! Mush is a totally free app that connects you with local, like-minded mums with kids the same age. You can see which of your connections is free to play right now too, which makes it really handy when you are a mum of small (and unpredictable) children. It's also really handy for when you move location, or when you have a second baby (or a first). To be honest, if you are a mum of little people in any circumstances, you need to be on this!
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Have you always been interested in doing this?
We always wanted to have our own business, but didn't think the inspiration would eventually come at the stage of our lives when we were so sleep deprived! Sarah and I met in a rainy playground when we had four children under two between us. We hadn't had an adult conversation all day and for various circumstances (me through moving back from the US, and Sarah because she
had beaten all her first-time mum mates to a second), we didn't have anyone to call to hang out with. We swapped numbers, and after a few weeks, realised we had friends in common, lived a few streets away and had kids the same age. It occurred to us that there should be an app that makes these connections for you. It is not acceptable in this day and age that a mum feels lonely or unsupported
for a minute, let alone the 10 weeks or so we had struggled (we have since heard from Mush users that some mums have been living this loneliness for months
and more!)
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How important are friendships when you become a mum?
Wow, I cannot stress the importance enough. I never realised quite what becoming a mum entailed, and how alone you can feel. With small kids, who spend a lot of their time whinging at you, stopping you from sleeping and sending you on impromptu walks around the block just to get them to sleep, the need
to reference your experience against someone going through the same thing is
not only reassuring, but makes it fun! You need to laugh at all the funny things together, not just try to rehash the experience to your weary husband as he walks through the door from work. Mums have had all of their sensibilities stripped bare too – we are an honest and practical bunch who say things how they are. Not quite like the friends you grow up with where you are always looking back. Kids keep you in the present, responding to the now.
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What prompted you to decide to take it that bit further and start
your own business?
We were prompted by the realisation that we would soon have to return to our old jobs. The thought of leaving our small kids for long days at work was like the spark to the firework! We started to hash out the basics around a kitchen table, and started speaking to more and more people. We got positive feedback, so then began the long journey to find investors and start building an app.
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What did you do before?
Sarah worked in the new business divisions of various advertising agencies for 10 years. I was an ex-city broker who had quoted numbers for a living!
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Did you have to do any business courses or training for your business?
We didn't, but we have had to learn a lot about starting a business. Everything from the legals to the admin, to investment and the product. It has been a steep learning curve. We started with nothing but a pretty-looking pitch deck and some opportune approaches to people in the know.
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Have you made any friends through it?
Yes! We have both been on various Mush dates, which were awesome! My husband jokes that I have gone to an awful lot of trouble to meet some local mates. Which I suppose is true! If this helps other mums to find local mates, it has all been worth it.
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Why should all mums be on it?
It is rare that a mum will say that she has too many local friends. For some who have gone back to work, have older kids and a diary packed to bursting, Mush may not be for them! Except you can always do with those connections right round the corner, for any emergency or to share local news. For new mums, or mums with small children, this is an absolute must. 80% of new mums can feel lonely – Mush will make you realise how many people are around the corner, potential mum mates who are able to share a cuppa and a giggle with you at a time of need. Not forgetting we all know how happy kids make happy mums –finding playdates for your kids is just as helpful!
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Anything we don't know about you?
Sarah is a vegetarian who has the most impressive CV of anyone I know. I love all things pink or pasta.
What do you like to do on weekends with your family?
We have just bought a trailer for a bike so we go off and explore Richmond Park with a picnic, which is amazing, whilst the girls squabble in their 'trolley'. In an ideal world we would live on a beach and splash in the water every day. Sarah loves having barbecues and running (not at the same time).
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Who is your idol?
All mums who hold it together and look like they are staying above water, despite all the frantic kicking going on underwater.
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Watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2ZE7B5DZaA
Download mush on App Store https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mushuk.mushapp
Visit www.letsmush.com
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