This week we said goodbye to one of business' most formidable characters, Steve Jobs. A man who became synonymous with a brand he made one of the largest on the planet. Mumpreneurs at the Business Mums Summit acknowledged that like Mr Jobs and Apple, real success comes from surrounding yourself with the right people.

Last year the Business Mums Summit themes were all about marketing yourself. How can you use Twitter and Facebook better? How can you network? Whilst those were still hot topics this year, the words on everyone's lips were 'outsourcing', 'delegation' and 'partnership'. In a bid to appeal to a wide variety of women, from budding mumpreneurs to established business women, a common message from keynote speakers was to team up or farm out i.e. get some help or figure out what others can do for you, if you want to expand (that's if you want to expand of course). Spurred on by the statistics, £4b worth of business turnover is generated by companies run by mums, more than one key note speaker emphasised in their presentation 'mumpreneurs' matter in this economy. As Kate Garraway neatly put it, 'your country needs you ladies'. It seems the drive and passion of over-achieving mums is finally being taken seriously. We can have it all but strictly on our own terms.

It's this same drive and passion that Karen Skidmore, business coach and resident cheerleader, was determined to harness. Like a relentless puppy with a bone, her session was all about ensuring that the women in the room were thinking about the opportunities that come from an event such as the Business Mums Summit and leverage their delegate cost. She addressed the room at the end of the day asking us all if we had achieved our objectives, like a teacher asking us for our homework assignment. But she also asked if anyone hadn't managed to network with the right person and did some last minute matchmaking; web designers with nursery school operators, virtual assistants with web designers. It proved there is a partnership lurking in a room somewhere.

This was another lasting message from the day. Although we're out to make money essentially, it is possible to engage with a support network and skill swap to help you on your way. It's just possible you won't be able to push along your earnings path without it.

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