Mums in Business: Always Read the Label
Always Read the Label was founded by MumsClub member Daniella Poonawala, a baby signing teacher and mother of three young girls.
Daniella was inspired to set up her second business whilst in the middle of running her busy baby signing class.
Spending time with so many children left her becoming increasingly aware that more babies appeared to suffer from food allergies and intolerances.
During one of her classes, a couple of young children with food allergies had managed to get hold of items they were not allowed to eat. Because other parents were unaware of the dangers that the food posed to the children, they did not remove the offending items.
Daniella’s eureka moment came when she realised it would be great if there was a clear, fun way of making other parents aware of their child’s allergies.
Always Read the Label stocks a range of clever and fun products to help raise awareness of a child’s potentially deadly allergy whilst away from home.
“Other mums are SO willing to help because they’ve been through the same experiences”
The site also stocks a range of stylish accessories for the more fashion conscious teenager. Daniella’s own daughter suffers from an anaphylactic reaction to horse dander. This means it is vital for her to carry an EpiPen. Having searched the internet for products that her style aware daughter was happy to be seen with, Daniella realised there was a gap in the market and decided to fill it herself.
“I very much doubt I would have gone in to business if I hadn’t had my children” she says. “I was a Primary school teacher and I’m sure I would still be teaching in school if I hadn’t become a mum. I bought the TinyTalk baby signing franchise because I wanted to use my teaching skills but to fit around my family needs.”
“My online business only came about because my eldest daughter has multiple allergies and I couldn’t find what I needed for her. I knew nothing about allergies before she was diagnosed or e-commerce. As mums we have a great ability to adapt and develop skills to suit our needs.”
Though many mums struggle to work at home with children demanding their attention, Daniella manages well. “I’m lucky” she says. “I have been blessed with good sleepers! So lots of my work is done after 8.30pm when all is quiet. It’s the only time I can focus on the business in peace.
“I also let the children watch a film at the weekend so that gives me a good hour and half or so to get admin work done.”
“As mums we have a great ability to adapt and develop skills to suit our needs”
With two businesses to plan for she has to make the best use of her time available. Danniella explains how she manages this: “I plan my Baby Signing classes around nursery and school drop off and collection times and term dates. When my youngest was a baby she could come with me to classes so it was ideal.”
Daniella has some excellent tips for other would-be mumpreneurs:
“Use the knowledge and expertise of other mums in business. There are lots forums where you can ask questions and advice and other mums are SO willing to help because they’ve been through the same experiences.
“Trawl the internet for ideas and ways of developing your business yourself, it’s amazing the new knowledge skills you can pick up online. Don’t believe people who tell you it will cost you a fortune to build and manage your own website, advertise and promote your business or do your accounts! These are usually the people who are trying to sell you their services!! Start small and you can always plough your profits back into bigger and better things once you are up and running.
“Another valuable source of support and guidance is the local Business Link service. Lots of areas have this service which can give free or very cheap advice and training on all aspects of starting and running a business. I’ve just booked myself onto a course to learn all about doing your own P.R and writing a Press Release.”
From Always Read the label, this stylish EpiPen Hipster Pack in Camouflage, stores an EpiPen, antihistamine and other emergency necessities. £13 (P&P £2)
These “I’m allergic to eggs, nuts & dairy” badges and stickers are a handy and fun way of covering your child and their lunch boxes with this vital information. Each pack contains 2 badges and 12 stickers of the same design.
£5.50 (P&P £1)
As well as stocking a range of products to help parents manage their child’s condition, the website provides an excellent source of information and advice. Written by a parent who has experienced the effects of allergies and how to deal with them first hand, this is a valuable resource.