An Interview with Emma from Bibbles

Emma was kind enough to share with everyone her thoughts on being a Work At Home Mum and starting up her own business.

How did you become at Work At Home Mum {WAHM}?

When I took parental leave in 2008 for the birth of my daughter, I did not really give any thought to if or how or when I would return back to work. I suppose with the excitement of becoming a mum for the first time, I was quite happy to leave this decision for another time, another day. Six months later, I was given a lovely excuse to delay this decision yet again when I unexpectedly fell pregnant with my son (SUPRISE!). Unfortunately time really does fly when you are having fun and before I knew it, the return to work discussion was upon me.

It was at this point that I happened upon an article about ‘mumpreneurs’ and in the very next second my mind was made up. The goal? I was going to establish a successful online business to allow me the freedom to be a WAHM and the luxury to earn an income doing something I enjoy! (Of course, there was always the other option… another ”SURPRISE” but as much as I loved being a mum to two children under two years… I was still clinically sane enough to dismiss the thought of three under three instantly!)

What made you start blogging and why?

Have you ever read an article about a successful entrepreneur? You know the type, where they talk about how they started ‘from scratch’, just with a ‘little idea’ and ‘some determination’ and now they are reaping the $$$ rewards and loving the freedom and joy their business provides. They may also say something to the effect of ‘honestly, if I can do it, anyone can’. And have you ever read those words and thought, is that really true? Well, that is why I started to blog.

I wanted to share my journey from the very beginning, to answer that very question of doubt. Hopefully (fingers crossed) I will achieve my business goals and if I can do this despite being entrepreneurially-clueless and despite teething and toilet-training, smelly nappies and sleepless nights, crawling and colic, temperatures and tantrums… it will show that it is truly possible for anyone to achieve that dream with just a little idea and some determination.

How did you come up with a business idea?

Very early in my quest to become a WAHM, I was given some great advice to think about what I am good at and what I am passionate about and see if I can develop a business idea which combines the two. With this advice guiding me, I set out brainstorming any and every idea that came to mind. From here it was essentially a process of research (and talking incessantly through the pros and cons to my poor husband) and one-by-one the list narrowed down.

And with a little inspiration…

(Something like this!)

… I excitedly decided that I wanted to create beautiful baby bibs that actually fit properly: Not just a practicality but a must-have accessory!

What is Bibbles?

Bibbles is the name of my not-yet-existent business. The name was coined with bibs in mind (bibs+dribbles), as this was my initial inspiration, but the idea has now expanded from bibs to include smocks, aprons etc…. essentially anything that will allow your little one (and you!) to have gloriously messy fun and still look pretty!

What is your business goal?

I believe in dreaming big and consequently, I have more than one goal for the business (she says as she unravels ‘the list’):

- To have a reputation for providing delightful online customer service

- To create practical and beautiful products loved by mums and bubs alike (and dads too of course!)

- To be financially successful, sufficient to allow me to quit ‘the daily grind’ permanently

- To use my experience to help other parents with similar aspirations

Although I must confess that whilst I started out with dreams of grandeur, at this stage I would be happy to simply have Bibbles launched and open for business. I seriously underestimated the amount of brainstorming, research, planning, time, phone calls, googling, (and so on and so forth), that it takes to establish even a viable business idea, let alone an actual viable business. Clearly this is going to be a rather long journey and only emphasises the importance of comfortable shoes, oh, and having fun along the way of course.

Can you recommend any useful sites to parents that want to start a business?

There are so many websites out there for aspiring entrepreneurs that the problem will not be trying to find sites but rather trying to find the time to view them all. I have found that an easy way to identify a great site is by the quality and quantity of discussion on their forums and/or the resources they provide. My favourites include:

Skout

WAHM Network Australia

Small Business Victoria

How do you manage the work and family balance?

Hmmm… I am not sure if I have discovered the magic formula for this yet. I’d love to know it though! Anyone?

What I have discovered is that it is better to have allocated work time and allocated family time. Don’t be tempted to multi-task the two as this inevitably just leads to two jobs poorly done and frustration all round. Or in my case… an unfortunate incident involving cat biscuits mistaken for sultanas. Whoopsy-daisies!

What are three tips that you can give any parent wanting to run a business?

1. Network, network, network: There is so much to be learnt from others who have walked the same path and happily, I have found that other mumpreneurs have been only too happy to share their experience and expertise.

2. Invest only as much time and money as you can afford to lose: Whilst I am a true believer in hunting your dreams down, there is no joy in catching them if they have come at a great personal or financial cost.

3. Go for it! In the words of Steve Jobs (Apple CEO), “…the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t Settle… Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”