The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
By far the biggest challenge has been Covid-19 and the impacts on deliveries for our customers.
During the last few weeks before Christmas, the courier delays were stressful for our customers and for us. Instead of shipping via the overwhelmed couriers and risking those last-minute Connetix Tiles, Jellycat Bunnies or First Christmas outfits not making it under the tree in time, we offered a pickup or local delivery service for our Auckland Customers.
We hand delivered over 50 Christmas present orders in the weeks prior to Christmas. The kids all loved playing Santa.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The biggest pro for me is being able to watch my dream become a reality, from the initial logo design to launching the website, and now adding new products and brands for our customers to enjoy. The journey and accomplishment of creating a business from absolute zero is something every small business owner should be extremely proud of.
I absolutely adore chatting to mums who call for advice about sizing, the proud new grandmas buying a gift for their brand new grandbabies, and new dads who are confused by Witch Hazel and why their partners need it. All of this just makes my day.
The con is the isolation. In small business there are lots of decisions to make and sometimes they can be overwhelming. I love a collaborative team environment where I can bounce an idea around and see how it lands. More often than not, running your own business means making a call and backing yourself – if it doesn’t pan out, it can be really stressful and isolating.
This is why customer feedback is so important to me. I love to hear what our customers are looking for, what they like or dislike and how we can help them find a solution.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We have lots of exciting new brands and products lined up for the next 24 months. A big focus is the development of our baby skincare range, our baby accessories and our toys for little ones.
We are very excited to see Raspberry Lane continue to grow and deliver more options for our new parents, babies, toddlers and little kiddos.
Head over to the Raspberry Lane Boutique website to browse their gorgeous range, and follow their journey on Facebook and Instagram.
