BALANCING the demands of family life, battling autoimmune diseases, and enduring constant pain, Bethany Chambers has triumphed with a double win at the Ausmumpreneur Awards.
The Merry Go Round Toys founder has proven herself a real-life superwoman, securing the Silver Social Enterprise Award and the major award for Disabled Business Excellence at the recent Ausmumpreneur Awards in Melbourne.
The awards are Australia’s leading community for mumpreneurs – mothers who craft a life of freedom, flexibility, success, and financial independence for themselves and their families.
These awards recognise the unique challenges of entrepreneurship and the delicate balance between nurturing a family and building a business.
Bethany expressed her humility in receiving the Silver Social Enterprise Award for Merry Go Round Toys, a venture that embraces the circular economy concept by giving products a second life for an affordable price.
“I am confident that the recognition is due to no one globally presently dealing with the sustainability of children’s toys,” she said.
“Certainly not in a community-centric and supportive manner such as Merry Go Round Toys does with our charity partners.”
However, Bethany shared that she was most proud of receiving the Major Award for Disabled Business Excellence, as it recognised the immense challenges of being a disabled founder.
“I have had to overcome continuous health challenges daily, all whilst developing a brand-new industry,” she said.
“To me, this award is recognition for all those times that I’ve had only two hours of sleep and in constant pain yet still determined to make a difference to our community.”
One of Bethany’s biggest challenges has been managing the physical demands of quality checks and the sanitation process, both essential to providing affordable, high-quality children’s toys.
To overcome this, she has now employed two fellow disabled individuals to assist with these critical tasks.
“As a disabled individual myself, I have experienced less than ideal employment conditions, which I am passionate about changing,” Bethany said.
“Being disabled can be isolating and lonely and I love that through our success we are able to make a real impact and connection.”
Looking ahead, Merry Go Round Toys is planning to expand its services to include toy rentals for both businesses and individuals.
Bethany explained that, for example, if you had family visiting from interstate, you could rent a toy pack for their stay.
Similarly, businesses needing to keep children occupied so adults could focus could benefit from toy packs that are rotated monthly or quarterly.
