Mums in Business: Petit Poppet, Bibble Dribble, Business Plus Baby
Petit Poppet
What started off as a way of raising money for charity, quickly grew into an unexpected business for Laura Summers.
As a new mum to her baby girl Ellen, Laura was often touched by the stories of mums who had lost their babies or experienced still birth.
Wanting to do something to raise awareness for the Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (Sands UK) Laura set up Petit Poppet, a ‘try before you buy’ baby sling loan service.
“The idea literally came to me whilst carrying my 12 week old daughter in a sling in the park. I was going on holiday and decided I would need a UV protective carrier. After already spending loads on baby equipment, I thought that if I bought one and loaned it out to other members of the community, once I regained my initial outlay, the rest of the money I raised could be donated to Sands.
“The response was overwhelming! As a result, I contacted Connecta Baby Carrier who made the sling I had in mind who generously offered to donate two carriers as it was such a good cause.
“From here I realised I could make something bigger so contacted all the sling companies I could find and had a fantastic response with donations and offers of support.
“I opened a facebook group which had over 100 member within 2 hours and all the slings were booked up for the next 6 months solid! The natural step from here was to become a retailer and so Petit Poppet was born!”
All the slings available for sale on the website are also available to hire. This is a fantastic way to make sure you buy the right baby sling for your baby and your body.
This fun Connecta Integra baby sling in Disco Dots is available for hire or purchase, with up to 15 per cent of the price going towards Sands.
£62
www.petitpoppet.co.uk/#/connecta-integra-disco-dots/4535923227
Bibble Dribble
Sarah is a successful Mumpreneur who set up and runs her online shop BibbleDribble.co.uk, selling original and funky slogan baby wear
When Sarah searched the internet looking for affordable slogan baby clothes for her own child, she found fantastic designs that she really liked, but the clothes came at high prices. With determination and a small amount of capital, Sarah decided to set up business creating her own clothes.
“I decided to research the art of vinyl printing and heat pressing and two months later, had two pieces of machinery sitting in my lounge ready to go. My plotter cutter used to cut the lettering and logos cost £750 and the heat press machine used to press the cut vinyl onto fabric, we hire at £50 a month. Then for a small fee I created my website and bought a few different coloured rolls of textile vinyl.”
Sarah’s business success is a testament to dedication and hard work. “I’ve lost count of the number of hours and days I spent creating my website but I was excited and determined to do it” she says.
“After a few months my partner and I had come up with over 50 original slogans to go onto our baby bibs and t-shirts and that was it! We took photos of all the printed bibs and loaded them onto the site and within days received our first order. We’ve never looked back since.”
Chopsy Baby loves the ‘Loading…Nappy’ T-Shirt
£7.99 (free p&p)
www.bibbledribble.co.uk
Business Plus Baby
It can be a daunting prospect going back to work once you have had a baby. For some parents it may prove to be impossible. When Helen Lindop was on maternity leave with her first child, she realised it wasn’t practical to go back to her full-time job as it required travelling. “ Plus, I didn’t want to leave my baby in a nursery full time” she says.
“I’d been self-employed before, but had no idea if I could do it again – this time working around a small child. I trawled the internet and bookshops for information, but couldn’t find quite what I wanted, so I’ve set up my own website to fill the gap.”
BusinessPlusBaby.com is the result of of Mumpreneur Helen’s research. Collating all the information that she herself had needed as a self-employed mother, Helen created an important online resource for other parents looking to make the leap into self-employment.
For advice on everything from setting up a pre-school music group to getting tax and finance in order, Helen’s website carries it.
For more information, visit: www.businessplusbaby.com