2Inspire Busines Profile: Mamascarf - A discreet breastfeeding scarf

In this business profile interview we meet Keira O'Mara, inspirational inventor and founder of MamaScarf. 

Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?

A typical day will start by getting the children up and ready, then once they are out of the house my husband drops them off most mornings) will involve checking emails and actioning anything urgent, speaking to my fulfilment company who deal with all of my trade and website orders, maybe writing a blog post, doing some social media. I could be working on some packaging design or new product development. Every day is pretty varied really.


What made you start the business and how did you get started?

I had the idea for a discreet breastfeeding scarf when breastfeeding my baby boy. I was really self conscious about breastfeeding in public but found that with muslins or blankets he would get too hot, or they would fall off or be pulled off. I looked for a product to help, ideally something that would make it more comfortable too but I couldn't find one. I started to think about whether I could create one. I had been made redundant and after meeting someone who had successfully brought a maternity product to market, I decided to give it a go. I had no experience, a baby and had to find myself a job to ensure we had an income. Somehow I did it though and launched Mamascarf, it was a huge learning curve every step of the way, from product design to testing, packaging to retail, trademarks to trade fairs but after 8 months I left my new (full time!) job to focus on my boy and my business. We had to rely on my husband's income. This meant tightening our belts in a big way but it was the best decision. Four and a half years on and I have launched a further two products (Babasac and Snoodie) with more in development. Each product has been created as a direct result of my experience as a mum and extensive research with other parents.



What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?
Getting listed by major retailers including Mothercare, Boots and Asda and getting a European distributor to take on my products have felt like my greatest accomplishments.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

My biggest challenge was when I found my product had been copied twice and one company was even trading under my name illegally. Luckily I managed to get all copies removed from sale following a letter outlining all of my Intellectual Property but it was pretty stressful at the time.



What are your future plans for the business?

My future plans involve more new baby products and exporting to more countries. I am going to the US on a trade mission in October and am hoping to fully launch there following that.


If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

I would probably learn more before launching rather than learning as I went along. I would also launch at a trade show, with a prototype and be able to develop the product with buyer feedback.


Why is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?

When I started out, I never in a million years believed that I would achieve this but I have. I think that if you want something enough, don't give up on it, with hard work and determination you can make anything happen.


What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry? 

There are lots of mum (and dad) businesses within the baby industry, it's a great industry to be in and we all bring with us the experience of having been parents ourselves. If you have an idea for a niche product or service, or a way of doing something better, then start by doing some thorough market research to find out if your idea is viable.


What or who inspires you in business and why?

I am inspired by Laura Tennison, the founder of Jojo Maman Bebe. She started small with no experience, having spotted a gap in the market and now owns a multi million pound business. I am proud that they are one of my stockists.


What is your favourite inspirational quote?

If at first you don't succeed, try and try again! 






Contact details
info@mamascarf.co.uk

www.mamascarf.co.uk
(+44)121 366 0267 mobile (+44)7967 302698
Follow on FACEBOOK or Twitter

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2Inspire Business Profile: From Babies with Love

2Inspire Network meets the wonderfully inspiring mumpreneur Cecilia Crossley, founder of From Babies with Love. Read her superb interview and find out how she is growing her business into one that does more than makes profit...it makes a difference too!

Please tell us what a typical business day is for you

I’m not great in the morning without a cup of Earl Grey tea to kickstart the day!  But aside from this little ritual, no day running from babies with love is the same.  My husband and I help get our son ready for his day, then I go to my favourite coffee shop to begin work.  I normally have meetings around London or via skype – I’m really enjoying meeting like-minded business people, with whom I discuss opportunities to collaborate.  At the end of each day I pick and pack all our orders; we include complimentary gift cards with each delivery – so a lovely task is hand writing the loving messages people write when purchasing baby clothes. 

What made you start the business and how did you get started?

When I had my son, watching children’s charities’ adverts and reading articles about the hardship children face all around the world made me more determined than ever to do something.  I thought to myself: if I could buy a beautiful baby grow and know the profit helps a baby in need, why would I buy anywhere else?  The answer is I wouldn’t!

So I set up from babies with love selling beautiful organic baby clothes at www.frombabieswithlove.org. But instead of profits going to shareholders, 100% of its profit goes to orphaned and abandoned children.

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

Establishing a business whose mission is to support vulnerable children has been incredibly rewarding.  After just one year we’re already donating our profits to support six babies, across Africa, in India and Brazil.  Our profit supports them to live, be loved and cared for, in dedicated children’s villages run by our partner charity SOS Children.

One of the babies we support is little Mariama, who was a newborn baby when her mother sadly passed away and whose family was not in a position to look after her.  She was born in The Gambia – one of the poorest countries in the world. But her life changed when she was taken in by an SOS Children’s Village. Like all SOS children, within her village Mariama has a new, permanent home, where she will grow up safely, loved by her SOS mother, brothers and sisters, and will go to school.

from babies with love has set a precedent in the baby clothes market, it stands out from the crowd as an accredited Social Enterprise.  The UK is home to 68,000 social enterprises - business that, akin to charities, exist to make a positive difference.   But unlike their cousins in the charitable sector, social enterprises earn their income by selling goods and services, competing in the open market with private sector businesses.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

The Social Enterprise sector is exploding, outstripping ordinary small-medium size enterprises for growth.  But most people haven’t heard of the term, so a key challenge has been targeting our marketing in a way that captures our customers’ imagination and explains why we are different.  We often receive incredibly rewarding feedback from our customers – so I think we’re on the right path!

What are your future plans for the business?

We’ve had a brilliant first year and I’ve learned a lot. The next phase is to grow the business, to sell more baby clothes and to help more orphaned and abandoned babies.  To achieve this we’re taking steps to get our message out to an even wider audience. Our aim is for from babies with love to help hundreds of babies get better opportunities in life and for many thousands of people to enjoy giving or receiving beautiful organic baby clothes.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

When I was researching my business plan I read a few books about online marketing (ironic that I read books rather than online blogs!!), recruited an e-commerce expert on to my board and took some basic steps to take in to account SEO best practice.   They’ve been invaluable and I’ve learned a huge amount.  However, a year on, I know there is still so much to learn.  My challenge is to find an SEO company to work with in a way that’s affordable to my business. Looking back I wish I’d thought of this, and set up a supplier relationship, from the start.

Why is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?

Because, unfortunately, we live in an unequal society.  Thankfully there are more and more female role models for us to aspire to and learn from, but we must keep evolving attitudes that enable equal opportunities for all.

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?

The baby clothes market is very crowded, so having a unique selling point is really important.  But a great plus is that barriers to entry aren’t too high, so once you have a clearly defined angle to make you stand out from the crowd, getting started is easier than in many other industries.

What or who inspires you in business and why?

Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop.  Her creation of a successful business that works to address human rights and environmental issues is an inspiration.  The Body Shop was one of the first companies to bring ethical consumption to the mainstream, having a huge impact on corporate social responsibility and social enterprise as we know it today.

What is your favourite inspirational quote? 

A quote by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu:

“Watch your thoughts; they become words.  Watch your words; they become actions.  Watch your actions; they become habit.  Watch your habits they become character.  Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”

Contact details:

Website:          www.frombabieswithlove.org

Email:              sayhello@frombabieswithlove.org

Telephone:      020 7682 1461

Twitter:           @frombabies

Facebook:        www.facebook.com/frombabieswithlove