Natalie?s story differs because for one thing, she never set out to start a business – she just wanted a hobby. And with her son?s severe colic in his first few weeks of life, a business venture was not even on the radar, as she explains?
I’ve been running PreciousParcels.co.uk – an online shop selling handmade gifts and decorative treats ? since last year. I absolutely love my little business and I’m really excited about watching it grow. I’m delighted about the amount of great feedback I’ve had, regarding both my products and the website itself.
When pregnancy took a turn for the worst
After what had been a really enjoyable pregnancy, things just seemed to go wrong in the last month. I seemed to get everything I possibly could, from carpal tunnel syndrome and an awful pregnancy rash to eventually being diagnosed with pre-eclampsyia and being admitted to hospital.
After being in hospital for a week our little man finally arrived!
But George had severe colic for the first 16 weeks. He screamed for almost 24 hours a day and it was a very difficult time for all of us, but we were just grateful it was nothing more serious and we knew it was only a matter of time before it would ease.
Once the colic began to ease, everything changed and we started to enjoy being a family. Sure, we still had sleepless nights but we expected that. It was just the biggest comfort knowing George was no longer in pain. Since then he?s been a joy. I?m enjoying being a mum so much and not a day passes when he doesn?t make me cry with laughter.
Last year, I got the urge to take up a new hobby, but I wasn?t quite sure what I wanted to do. Since I was a full-time mum to George, I didn?t want to do too much during the day or start anything that would take me away from home. So, I decided to make a few decorative plaques for our house. I’ve always enjoyed making things and as I was at home it seemed like an ideal time to get creative.
Plus, I wanted to brighten up George?s nursery. So I sourced the materials and got to work! At this stage I wasn’t bothered about the price of the wood or the ribbons. I thought I’d only be making a couple of bits.
Carl, George’s father and my family really loved my items and suggested I put them on ebay to see if they would sell. This wasn?t what I had initially planned but still, a few extra pennies would have been welcome, so I decided to give it a try.
Surprise business boom
I remember checking my emails over the next few days, doubtful that anyone would even look at my creations, never mind buy them. Then about three days later I had an email saying: “Item sold?” I was dancing around the kitchen with excitement.
I grabbed the phone to ring Carl. I was perhaps a little too excited for someone who had just sold a ?4.95 plaque, but I was so pleased that someone had liked what I’d made enough to buy it.
Much to my surprise and delight I sold more than 300 items in the first 5 weeks!!
Carl would get home from work each night, and rather than ask if I’d had an order, he’d ask ?how many orders?, it was brilliant!
So there I was, no business plan, no systems in place and an unexpected, but exciting, demand for my work. I wasn’t sourcing the cheapest materials and I didn’t feel like I had a business identity. So the time came to sit down and plan exactly what I was going to do.
Could I really run a business and be a good mummy? Would the demand for my work be there after Christmas? And would I make reasonable profit? I actually realised that I’d been doing a pretty good job of fulfilling orders and looking after George since the very first sale, so yes -I could do it.
As for the demand being there after Christmas, I sat down and went through exactly what people had been ordering. There were a huge number of orders for new baby plaques and keepsakes, so unless the world suddenly stopped reproducing, people would still be buying new baby gifts.
Taking business seriously
I did a plan of how much everything would cost and ways I could save money. I knew the biggest expense would be a website, so I immediately decided I’d design it all myself. I’d been taught the basics some years back and although I was a little rusty I knew it was possible if I put my mind to it.
I looked around for a free shopping cart that would be easy to implement and had good reviews. I came across Mals-e.com the cart has been approved by Paypal so I knew it would do the trick!
There is so much information and support out there for anyone who is unsure how to go ahead with their venture. There are a number of business forums and free ?mumpreneurs? resources, which have answers to just about anything you would need to know, from registering as self-employed to implementing shipping costs on your website.
I also knew I could buy ready-cut wooden plaques off the internet or from most craft supply stores. But why pay someone else to cut it if I can do it myself and save a fortune. I started buying large sheets of MDF and got my dad to help me cut them all to size. Sounds like a real pain, but we were cutting 200 off at a time so it was worth it.
I even wanted to save money on ribbon, so I found a local supplier who agreed to sell to me at wholesale prices and with it being so close to home I’d save on postage, too.
So there it was, PreciousParcels.co.uk, an online gift shop selling all my handmade gifts and home decorations.
So now for a huge expensive advertising campaign to get me noticed… Not!! Once I’d realised the amount of interest my items were getting on ebay I started printing and sending compliment slips with every order which had a little bit of info about my “exciting new website soon to be launched”. Sure enough these customers started returning and the feedback has been fantastic. Word of mouth is no doubt one of the best forms of advertising. I have had so many customers who are friends or family of my very first visitors.
I’ve set up a Facebook page which allows me to send updates to fans. Friends of fans often take a look and so on. I also got in touch with my local newspaper and they published an article for me, which seemed to generate some business. The titled the article “Mum’s new business booms”, which still makes me smile.
I would advise anyone to look at all the free advertising opportunities out there before spending a penny on advertising. What have you got to lose? See how much interest you get and take it from there. You might be pleasantly surprised.
All mums should try this
My aim now is to encourage more mums to pursue their ideas. I thought it would be impossible to run a business and look after a baby, but the combination is fantastic. I don’t think I’ll ever lose the excitement I get from every new order and George is always by my side to have a little celebration with.
I work the business around my family life. As a full-time mum, George is without doubt my number one priority. If George is happy, I’m happy and it then gets reflected in my work.
I do the majority of work when George goes to bed at night, during the day when he’s napping and at weekends when Carl, George’s daddy, takes over the household chores.
It?s not everyone?s cup of tea, but it?s certainly right for me. I get to be creative, use my brain and most importantly, spend time with George.
