When Lejla Hadzic became a mum, she discovered just how difficult it could be to find baby gifts that felt both thoughtful and truly memorable. Inspired by her own experience, she founded Ema and Boo, a luxury baby gifting brand dedicated to beautifully curated hampers and personalised keepsakes that families will treasure. What began as a home-based business has grown into a recognised online destination for luxury beautiful baby gifts across the UK. In this interview, Lejla shares the inspiration behind Ema and Boo, the challenges of balancing work and motherhood, and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The Passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Ema and Boo was born from my love of thoughtful gifting and my experience as a parent. When I became a mum, I realised how difficult it could be to find baby gifts that felt both beautiful and meaningful. I wanted to create a business that offered carefully curated gifts that parents would genuinely appreciate and remember.
What started as a small idea quickly became a passion. I loved the idea of helping family and friends celebrate new arrivals with gifts that felt personal, special and beautifully presented. Every hamper we create is designed with the same care and attention I would give if I were sending it to someone I love.
The Launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I started Ema and Boo from home with a small collection of baby gifts and a lot of determination. Like many small businesses, I began with limited resources and learned everything as I went along. I spent countless hours researching products, building the website, packing orders and promoting the business myself.
Over the years, Ema and Boo has grown from a small home-based business into a recognised online baby gifting brand. We now offer a wide range of luxury baby hampers, personalised gifts and thoughtful keepsakes for new parents and babies across the UK.
The Innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
One of the biggest breakthroughs was focusing on creating unique, luxury gift hampers rather than simply selling individual products. Customers were looking for beautifully presented gifts that could be sent directly to loved ones, and our hampers quickly became our signature offering.
Another important milestone was introducing personalised products, which allowed customers to create gifts that felt even more special and memorable. Being recognised as a finalist for Best Children’s Business in London was also a huge moment and a reminder of how far the business has come.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balancing work and family is probably one of the biggest challenges of running a business. As a mum of two, family will always come first, but running a business also requires a huge amount of time and commitment.
I’ve learned that there is no such thing as perfect balance. Some days family needs more attention, and other days the business does. The key for me is being flexible, staying organised and remembering why I started the business in the first place. Building a business around family life has allowed me to be present for important moments while also pursuing something I am passionate about.
The Drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Like many small business owners, I’ve faced numerous challenges over the years. From navigating economic uncertainty and rising costs to managing supply chain issues and adapting to changes in online retail, there have been plenty of obstacles along the way.
Building a brand from scratch has required resilience, patience and a willingness to keep learning. Every challenge has helped strengthen the business and taught me valuable lessons about adaptability and perseverance.
For Better or Worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The biggest advantage is the freedom to build something that reflects your own values and vision. I love being able to create products that bring joy to people during such a special time in their lives. Knowing that our gifts become part of cherished memories for families is incredibly rewarding.
The downside is that you never truly switch off. When you run your own business, you’re responsible for everything, from customer service and marketing to stock management and administration. It can be demanding, but the rewards make it worthwhile.
Hopes and Dreams: What next?
The future is incredibly exciting for Ema and Boo. We are currently expanding our luxury hamper range, introducing new personalised products and preparing to grow our wholesale offering.
Long-term, my dream is to continue growing the brand while maintaining the quality and personal touch that our customers love. Ultimately, I would love to see Ema and Boo become one of the UK’s leading names in luxury baby gifting and eventually open a physical retail space that customers can visit and experience in person.
Visit emaandboo.co.uk to find out more and to browse their collection. You can also connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
