Name:? Annie Legge
Age: 34
Children: Oscar, 2, and Zachary, 8 months
Business name: Coochi
Profit in first year: None – we do not expect to make a profit in the first two years.
How did the idea for your business come about?
I was in the bath with Oscar when he was six weeks old and asked my mum to come and help take Oscar out of the bath. She arrived with a towel between her teeth to try and prevent the splashing and keep her hands free! Mum suggested I should have a sort of apron for bathing babies like she remembered her mother using! I thought it was a brilliant idea and met Clare the very next day to discuss a possible new business venture!
How did you fund it?
By taking money from our flexi-mortgage
How do you manage your business with childcare commitments and running a home?
It has not been easy, and I have tried everything from a nursery to nannies! I now have a great arrangement whereby both children go out to a childminder for two days a week, and I have extra help at home for two mornings a week, which helps with everything from childcare to ironing and cleaning. I try to make sure every week is a balance where I get to do work, and to spend time with both children and my husband, and each on their own if I can. It is all about getting the right sort of help for you as a person, to help you manage work and a family and still enjoy life.
What is the best thing that has happened to you as an entrepreneur so far?
The very first sale to someone we didn’t know ? that was an amazing moment.? I think everything I have learnt has been amazing. I think I am a much stronger woman because of what I do, and strangely enough, I have had two children, and I feel more employable than I was before!
And the worst?
Discovering we had a competitor close on our heels. It has remained a bit of a nightmare, always watching our backs and trying to be one step ahead.? But it is the real world, and this is business, and perhaps it has made us stronger. We have had a few disasters with stock shortages, and problems with suppliers, which has been a really steep learning curve.
What would you do differently if you could turn the clock back?
I wouldn’t have started the business quite when I did, my first baby was only six weeks old – I haven’t had any maternity leave and have had two babies. There are days when I am just on the floor with exhaustion from the kids, let alone the work I have to do when they have gone to bed. But I know it has all been worth it, and I love my business and believe in it.
Any tips for mums who are considering setting up a business?
Make sure you know what life-work balance you want, and try to build the business around that. Don’t be frightened of asking for help to get you started, its surprising how many people love to help.