The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
There are so many challenges with starting your own business that I had absolutely no idea about. It has been, and continues to be, a huge learning curve for me! One big challenge has been creating clothing to fit a variety of body shapes and sizes. One mistake was only offering sizes 6-16 to start with – it was so hard to know what sizes people would want, and the larger the size range, the more the manufacturer charges and there are minimum order quantities for every size. We are working to expand this range now which I am excited about, hopefully launching later this year. I am loving this rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, learnings and mistakes, and wouldn’t have it any other way.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Cons – One big one for me is that I find it hard to switch off. When you work for someone else, a lot of the time you can leave your work at work, and then have your life outside. With this business, because I am so excited about it, I find I am thinking up new ideas and trying to solve problems while I am at home…and frequently at 2am after I wake up to feed my youngest. Finding that balance is an ongoing challenge for me.
Pros – I love having this baby that is mine to shape and mould. It gives me a purpose and a creative outlet outside of being a mum, which for me is so needed in this intense phase of babies and toddlers and nappies and laundry.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I am so excited to expand our range to include more cold-weather garments and get creating on more fabric designs and silhouettes for mums and mums-to-be to wear and enjoy.
Visit the Rex and Isla website to check out their gorgeous range of clothing and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
