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<\/p>\nJUST one year ago, a single mum was only able to afford\u00a0Christmas\u00a0dinner and a present for her son thanks to a donation from the\u00a0school.<\/p>\n
Yet 12 months on, she is running a\u00a0business, now with a turnover of \u00a3200,000.<\/p>\n
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Zo\u00eb\u00a0Chapman is the founder of\u00a0Kiddiwhizz, and inventor of the Whizzer, a small eco-friendly portable toilet. <\/p>\n
She\u2019s been working on the start-up for several years, but had a huge pivotal moment earlier this year, after appearing on\u00a0Dragon\u2019s Den\u00a0with her invention.<\/p>\n
She ended up getting a \u00a350,000 investment, with both\u00a0Steven Bartlett\u00a0and\u00a0Sara Davies\u00a0each putting in \u00a325,000 for a combined 25% share in the business.<\/p>\n
After filming with the popular BBC\u00a0TV\u00a0show, annual turnover went from around \u00a320,000 to more than \u00a3200,000 \u2013 almost overnight.<\/p>\n
Zo\u00eb\u00a0told The Sun: \u201cUntil recently, I was living off\u00a0food vouchers. I wouldn\u2019t have been able to afford last Christmas without help from my son\u2019s school. <\/p>\n "But this has been a big year of change.\u201d<\/p>\n The 39-year-old who lives in north-west\u00a0London, has a history of\u00a0homelessness.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the big reasons for this was the fact I have a number of health conditions,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had to\u00a0overcome a lot of issues in my journey, including bipolar, complex PTSD and\u00a0ADHD. <\/p>\n "These are conditions that keep me so isolated, and yet high-functioning.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0grew up in Camden Town, London, with her mum, dad and sister.<\/p>\n \u201cDad had been a musician, but gave up touring to settle down with mum,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cHe set up a recording studio, but it was tough going and we lived on the breadline. We were ultimately poorer than people on\u00a0benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0recalls her father working very long hours.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was determined to follow his passion, but that meant having to work seven days a week,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cWe lived in a one-bed flat, and my sister and I had beds built into the wardrobe. It was hard \u2013 really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n For the\u00a0entrepreneur, living in this way taught her to be resilient.<\/p>\n \u201cMum was creative, so we got by,\u201d she said. \u201cBut we were living off very little money.\u201d<\/p>\n By the age of 14, Zo\u00eb\u00a0had two jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cI spent the weekend cleaning toilets and picking up cigarette butts,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cI also had an after-school job working in a stationery store. <\/p>\n "I had to work this much to be able to earn money to buy school shoes and other basics.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0moved out of home aged 16, and lived in a hostel.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the time, I had no choice but to bunk on the train to get to school,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cBut against the odds, I did my GCSEs and got all grades B and C. I also got three A-levels.\u201d<\/p>\n She then went on to do a degree in Computer Science at Westminster\u00a0University, specialising in "information product design".<\/p>\n In the midst of her studies, Zo\u00eb\u2019s father had a stroke, so she took time out to run his business.<\/p>\n Once she eventually graduated, she got her first job working as a "security co-ordinator" at the London Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a massive leap for me,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cBy day I was in the City wearing a suit, and outside of work I had a very troubled home life \u2013 no-one knew. <\/p>\n "It was as though I was living parallel lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0had a son when she was 27.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d always been in abusive relationships, and then my son\u2019s dad walked out when I was just six weeks\u2019 pregnant,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cSo I became a single mum before my son had even come into the world. I\u2019ve had no childcare support since.\u201d<\/p>\n By the time Zo\u00eb\u2019s son was born, her dad\u2019s condition had declined.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI then found myself looking after both my baby and my dad. I was caring for two humans in nappies.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u2019s invention was borne out of her experiences.<\/p>\n \u201cAround the time I was trying to potty-train my son, I was constantly going to and from hospital pushing both a buggy and a wheelchair,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cI got fed up with carrying around a huge plastic toilet, but as my son had developed a hormone deficiency, I needed to find a toilet for him at a moment\u2019s notice. <\/p>\n After ditching the potty, I\u2019d struggle to try and manage the toileting with a takeaway cup from Caf\u00e9 Nero.\u201d<\/p>\n As Zo\u00eb\u2019s dad had a urinal\u00a0medical\u00a0condition, matters were made harder still.<\/p>\n \u201cI spent my time wishing there was something I could use which wouldn\u2019t leak,\u201d she said. \u201cAll this got me thinking.\u201d<\/p>\n By the start of the\u00a0pandemic, Zo\u00eb\u2019s invention was beginning to take shape. <\/p>\n She used her passion for design to invent the Whizzer.<\/p>\n \u201cDad had sadly passed away in 2015, and I was juggling the demands of trying to\u00a0home-school\u00a0an eight-year-old,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cBut by that point, I\u2019d designed my invention, the packaging, marketing and website, and given it a name \u2013 and was ready to take things further.\u201d<\/p>\n At this stage, Zo\u00eb\u00a0did a business course with Rebel Business School.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially I did this course online,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I ended up being so committed that I went on to do it in person. <\/p>\n "I needed the energy of being around the people teaching the course. <\/p>\n "Following that, I took part in various government-funded programmes with\u00a0mentors\u00a0guiding me with their knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n Since then, Zo\u00eb\u00a0has grown the business single-handedly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve essentially turned an invention that I once needed myself while caring for both my son and my paralysed dad into a business \u2013 \u00a0all from my one-bed flat,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve utilised free courses and self-taught myself everything I needed to know.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0is no stranger to hard work.<\/p>\n \u201cI work day and night, often up to 14 hours a day, seven days a week,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cI live and breathe the business.\u201d<\/p>\n After her appearance on Dragon\u2019s Den in February, things ramped up a huge amount for\u00a0Zo\u00eb.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was all very \u2018zero to hero,\u2019\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cPrior to appearing on the show, I knew I was capable of big things, and that my product was good. <\/p>\n "But nothing had quite prepared me for how things would change \u2013 almost overnight.\u201d<\/p>\n Sales skyrocketed, and\u00a0Zo\u00eb\u00a0found herself inundated with thousands of orders.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat surprised me was the demand for the \u2018adult Whizzer,\u2019\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cThis ended up out-selling the kids\u2019 version. <\/p>\n "It turns out I\u2019d come up with a product that a lot of\u00a0consumers\u00a0really needed and wanted.<\/p>\n "It\u2019s as though I\u2019d broken some taboo of adults having toilet issues that people were usually too embarrassed to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u2019s hours increased even further as she worked to meet the demand.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was chaos,\u201d she said. \u201cI was getting thousands of products manufactured and sent to my flat so that I could package them myself \u2013 and then send them, with love.\u201d<\/p>\n Last month (November 2023), Zo\u00eb\u00a0won "Great British Entrepreneur of the Year", which was a huge accolade.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI really hope this will be the start\u00a0of the support I\u2019ve been so desperate for but not yet had.\u201d<\/p>\n Right now, as she\u2019s the only staff member, she has no option but to do every job in the business.<\/p>\n \u201cI work around the clock,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cPeople assume you\u2019ve \u2018made it\u2019 after going on Dragons\u2019 Den, but the reality is, investment is a lengthy and complex journey. <\/p>\n "I\u2019ve not yet been able to take on any staff to support me. This means I\u2019m still undertaking all the roles, from IP protection to PR manager.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u2019s\u00a0also yet to fully reap the financial rewards of running a successful venture.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve\u00a0invested so much into the start-up, plus there\u2019s so much cost to running a product-based business,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cAs a result, I haven\u2019t paid myself more than \u00a3500 a month yet. I\u2019m currently just doing all I can to try and make ends meet.\u201d<\/p>\n The hope is now that more support will come her way.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to say how long I can continue without support, even though the business is valued close to \u00a31million \u2013 with an estimated growth of \u00a310million, based on forecasts,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m now hoping that three years of unpaid work will pay off. <\/p>\n "I\u2019ve got an enthusiastic team of incredible mums who are ready to go, wanting to take up roles in the business.\u201d<\/p>\n As things stand,\u00a0Zo\u00eb\u00a0is still living in a run-down flat.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a housing association property, and it\u2019s riddled with mould and damp,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019d love to be able to move on from here.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0also has big hopes for her life with her son, now 11.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m proud to be a single mum,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m determined to give him a very different upbringing from the one I had. <\/p>\n "My goal has always been to\u00a0ensure my son doesn\u2019t grow up in the poverty and turbulence that I did, and instead give him somewhere safe to live \u2013 and to never have to go without.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0is a big supporter of the\u00a0single mother\u00a0community.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to ensure these mums see the value in themselves and what to offer,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cAt the same time, it\u2019s my hope to be able to support parents more widely, as well as the\u00a0disabled\u00a0community. <\/p>\n "This is a product that can be used by anyone who needs it, including\u00a0autistic\u00a0children, the physically disabled \u2013 and many more.\u201d<\/p>\n We asked\u00a0Zo\u00eb\u00a0to share her top tips for anyone looking to set up their own business.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, you need to follow your passion,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cTo turn it into something that people want to support you with, you need a \u2018why.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n "Having a strong \u2018why\u2019 will drive you forward in those hard moments when you might think you can\u2019t carry on.\u201d<\/p>\n Zo\u00eb\u00a0says it\u2019s also vital to ensure you\u2019ve come up with a service or product that people will want to pay for.<\/p>\n She said:\u00a0\u201cMy\u00a0portable toilet is now not only helping families, but also adults. <\/p>\n "It\u2019s become a medical aid without the usual price tag attached. <\/p>\n "It is a disruptive product that has shown a clear need and traction.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the key character traits required, she adds, is resilience.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is essential,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cYou need to be willing to work day and night. That might mean little or no social life \u2013 for me it also means no\u00a0Whatsapp. <\/p>\n "You have to be prepared to work relentlessly.\u201d<\/p>\n At the same time,\u00a0Zo\u00eb\u00a0says a "can-do" attitude is key.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI\u2019ve grabbed every opportunity that has come along.\u201d<\/p>\n Finally, she urges any aspiring entrepreneur to believe in themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t let anything hold you back,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve overcome a lot of issues in my journey, including bipolar, complex\u00a0PTSD\u00a0and ADHD. <\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/RW-COMP-homeless-to-industry.jpg\")
<\/picture>CHANGE OF TRACK <\/span><\/p>\nI've gone from being homeless to wage of \u00a364k and owner of 5-bed house<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/crop-24433307.jpg\")
<\/picture>FIRE POWER <\/span><\/p>\nHow Gary Neville went from Old Trafford to Dragons Den with \u00a3400M development<\/h3>\n
Most read in Money<\/h2>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/NEW-OFF-PLATFORM-TEMPLATE-43.png\")
<\/picture>MONEY HELP <\/span><\/p>\nExact date of latest Cost of Living payment revealed as benefits to arrive early<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/2ja1hp6-government-cost-living-payment-865800034-1.jpg\")
<\/picture>CASH IN<\/span><\/p>\nExact date millions will get next cost of living payment worth \u00a3299 revealed<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/jr-martin-lewis.jpg\")
<\/picture>BIG SAVER <\/span><\/p>\nMartin Lewis shares ‘easy deal for everyone’ which cuts energy bills by \u00a3100s<\/h3>\n
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<\/picture>CONMAN JAILED <\/span><\/p>\nFraudster who sold TV’s Aggie MacKenzie house from hell caged for 7 years<\/h3>\n
Zo\u00eb<\/strong>\u2019s top tips<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Read more on The Sun<\/h2>\n
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