At a Glance
Bio The path that led her to this point
Before I started The Nursery, I was pursuing a career in Interior Design.
In 2013 I organised my sister’s baby shower and she suggested that I try to make a business out of what I had done.
Knowing the ridiculous hours I had put into making my sister’s baby shower what it was, I doubted that I could make it affordable for customers or profitable for me.
As my niece grew, I thought more about the ‘baby industry’ and how, as a customer, I was not catered for by any of the major players.
I was childless, yet attending a lot of baby showers, christenings and first birthday parties.
I spent countless hours in stores saying things like “How many 0’s would an 11 pound baby that is 52cm long be?” or “What is a good present for a christening if I’m not devoutly religious myself?” and “I have a first birthday party this week-end, what are one year olds into?”
I didn’t understand why no-one was addressing people like me who had a disposable income, yet were busy so needed help buying a gift.
People who weren’t necessarily looking for a bargain but rather something that would be useful to their friend and also beautiful.
The more I spoke to friends, the more I realised that it wasn’t just me who didn’t want to spend their free time in baby mega stores.
There were friends of grandparents-to-be, single men who were finding themselves at co-ed baby showers or wanting to support a colleague and stay-at-home mums who were flat out with their own new babies.
So, I decided to give it a go and see what happened!
I researched products, I spoke to my mummy friends about which products they loved and in 2014, The Nursery launched.
Q&A Insider advice & tips
What's been your greatest achievement to date?
Repeat orders. Knowing that The Nursery has become a ‘Go To’ store for customers is huge because it means that there was a need and it is being met by The Nursery.
What's been your biggest challenge so far?
Stock control.
Often, people look in their diary on a Monday and see that they have a baby shower that weekend. So if someone places an order, I want to get it out quickly which means I need stock to hand. I’ve had to get used to The Nursery taking over my home!
Best lesson you've learned along the way?
I would have started the website development earlier. I spent a lot of time researching products. Finding one amazing product would result in 10 more leads and it became addictive.
There was probably a point earlier in the process where I knew that I would be able to find everything and should have started engaging web developers for quotes.
A website, book or resource that has helped you in your business or inspired you and why?
Friends with babies have been my most valuable resource. Without realising it, I had been watching what they loved using for their babies for years!
I also subscribe to Zen Habits, Seth Godin, Women In Business, Life InStyle and Business Chicks for useful and applicable knowledge.
The best find from these blogs was Canva. It’s amazing and FREE!
Which person or brand do you most admire and why?
I admire Megan Morton, stylist extraordinaire. Through The School she has created a tribe of people whom all love coming together and learning for the shared experience that is ANY course at The School.
What advice would you give someone starting an independent business in your industry?
There is a lot more to being an online retailer than building a website. You will need to create regular content, become proficient and prolific in your use of social media and realise that you are now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Finish this sentence
Everything changed for me when…
I got my first order from someone I didn’t know!
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