When one pair of kids leggings led to many pairs of kids leggings...
Please tell us a bit about the nature of your business...
We design and make baby and toddler clothing / bedding and footwear. We specialise in organic fabrics and make customer service and quality the focus of our business.
What inspired you to start your business?
I'm a trained fashion designer and fashion lecturer working in this field for over 11 years - it was when I had my second son Freddie I was completely uninspired by the offering of baby wear for boys on the high street - I went home and made Freddie some fun , comfortable Giraffe leggings and very soon after that friends were placing orders and I had set up an Etsy shop. Fast forward one year and both myself and my husband Dan had handed in our notice to our jobs to work full time on the business .
What was the most challenging aspect of building your business in the beginning?
Juggling the business with a young family and a full time teaching job was hard , we would put the children to bed and work on our dining room table until 2am and then pack it away again ready for the next day. It was exhausting.
If you were to launch your business again, would you do anything differently?
No , not at all. Every decision has been a good one for us and I have no regrets.
What keeps you motivated?
The feedback from our customers , they really love what we do and love to tell us! Feedback like this makes us want to just keep growing and doing better.
How do you balance work and family life?
We shut the door on work when the kids come home from school and don't work weekends. The school holidays are the hardest because we work from home and also have the boys here. We have to take it it turns to work / look after the children so we don't get as much work done as we would like.
What’s your proudest business moment?
Winning the Not on the High Street Customer Choice Award - we didn't expect to win and were in awe of some of the other businesses in our category.
What’s been your most successful form of marketing and/ or brand awareness?
Social media - instagram in particular!
Do you have any positive habits or routines that you feel have attributed to your success?
Respond to emails as quickly as possible, customer service is key. If you keep your customers happy they will come back.
What's your favourite business app/ tool/ book/ podcast etc?
My iPhone - I run my entire business from my phone. I use lots of apps which help like pic tap go , typorama and Facebook ad manager.
What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs just starting out?
Don't expect your business to blow up over night - it takes leg work , you will get out of your business what you put in. In the early days I didn't sleep, I worked every moment I could (it needs to be an obsession almost). Live and breathe it and you will see results.
If you want to get in touch or see more of Natalie's adventure, head over to her website or social media:
Instagram @fredandnoah
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