After realising she wasn’t feeling fulfilled in her previous role, Anita Allan decided on a change of career. Combining her passion for design with her love for children, it was the perfect opportunity for her to put her creativity and energy into something she really believed in. Bringing her ideas and planning together, and with the help of her husband’s support, she launched her exciting new brand e&b co., offering beautiful, contemporary baby items that are fun, functional and stylish. From gorgeous, playful bedding to play items and feeding essentials, their collections bring joy to families through their beautifully designed, quality baby products. Here, Anita talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind her business and her hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
While recovering from an injury earlier this year, I realised I didn’t want to keep doing what I had been doing and that I wanted a change in career: something I really believed in, something I loved, something that was me. I have always had a passion for design but had never thought about using it as a career option or in this sense. Once I started to explore my options, I knew where I wanted to put my creativity and energy. Baby products is a place that felt comfortable and completely me.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
The idea I originally started with was very different to where I am today. I am an ideas person and a creative thinker, and my ideas kept morphing as I started this journey. I can come up with lots of ideas and never actually execute any of them. There had been missed opportunities before and I didn’t want this to be the same. So, with the help of my husband, who keeps bringing me back to focusing on the task at hand, we did execute and launch our exciting new brand.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
Our aim and vison is to build a trusted, recognised brand, and we understand that this will take time and effort. I am being patient and refining along the way. We enjoy all the lovely positive feedback from customers and celebrate all the small wins.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
To be honest, I probably don’t do this very well, and it is something I am still working out. It’s not like a traditional 8-5 job. I am wearing multiple hats – website development, marketing, social media, customer service – all of which I have never done before, so it’s hard to turn off sometimes. It is only early days, and I am still figuring out a lot of things and how to do them, which takes time and research. I have great support from my family and that helps a lot.
