A small, family-owned business located in Queensland, Australia, JUDASH & Co specialises in baby bedding and gorgeous essentials for your little ones. They are dedicated to creating luxury products that fill your home and nursery with personality. Their mother and daughter-in-law team share the same passion for providing something different to the baby marketplace that inspires your children and grandchildren’s growing imaginations. Here, Louisa Snelling talks to The Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind JUDASH & Co, how they started out in the beginning, the challenges they have overcome along the way, and their hopes and dreams for the future.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
It was interesting because inspiration to set up the business came quite naturally through a series of events and at a time when I was ready to change career paths and was about to become a grandmother for the first time.
After 20 years teaching in an industry I was so passionate about, it was almost as if “all of a sudden” I was ready to sell my performing arts business and head in a completely different direction. It felt crazy but there I was.
Determining that eCommerce was the place I wanted to be, I purchased some study and off I went learning and gleaning from as many in the industry as I could. Surrounded by massive change, I became a grandmother in the midst of it and then right in front of me, thanks to these two beautiful twin boys, was the inspiration I needed for the direction I would then take.
My heart had grown in ways I had not known before. My creative side needed an outlet, and I wanted to produce something that represented my love for what was new and with family being the core of our lives – something that would impact us all positively in the future.
I was looking for bed linen for the bassinets before the boys’ birth, which created a conflict in me. Why was there so much in the marketplace for girls and absolutely nothing (slight exaggeration on my part) for BOYS? OK, so not exactly true – there were trucks and cars, dinosaurs and sea animals, but none were on quality fabrics and everything seemed the same … it was so frustrating. It took me straight back 25 years earlier when my own boys were babies and how limited it was in both bedding and clothing for them. Sure, we have come a long way in the clothing department since then, but the evidence still suggests there’s more variety and option for a girl than a boy in both bed linens and clothing! So, with that in mind, I started the business, basically to fill a gap I believed was in the marketplace.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Lol, I think my frustration mixed with my passion were the fuel to move full steam ahead. I was on a mission to save the world from this unfairness (can you sense the drama in me?! Haha). Once I got underway with some real research, I calmed down and put the superhero costume away. I centred myself on working out what was really needed for an overcrowded market and how to balance that in a realistic business model.
I was aware, being a previous business owner, that one of the most important parts of a successful business is building strong foundations, which meant I had to dig deep to do the work and know the market. I really wanted to make sure I got things “right” and truth is, sometimes you just don’t. I made mistakes and sometimes those decisions cost me, but ultimately, they taught me, so there was A LOT of learning involved but I loved every moment of it – yes, the good and not so good.
I also became “consciously” aware to allow myself grace for everything I was doing. Starting out can be so daunting and at times overwhelming, but with that passion and fire inside of you, you learn to refocus and use that passion as a tool to move you forward.
It took time, about 18 months, to go from concept to development of our own brand and products, and honestly has been one of the biggest learning curves of my life, in a positive way!
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
I know I should be answering this one by saying sales or reach, something that relates to financial success or market wins, etc., but, if I’m to be totally honest, for me the biggest breakthrough is every time a shopper comments on our quality or designs. To me, that’s a breakthrough. You’ve created something from nothing and someone recognises it and loves it – well that just fans the fire in me and confirms we’re on the right path because producing something that’s making people happy, that’s the goal right there!
Branching out from the online space to include markets and brick and mortar sales channels were also breakthrough moments for us and again, opportunities for people to enjoy the physical products with “breakthrough” feedback.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
That’s such a great question. Balance, hmmm, I’m not sure there’s ever true balance between work and family when you’re a business owner.
The word balance means an even distribution, fairness to all sides, situations where all elements are equal, something that’s steady and does not fall. It’s extremely hard to balance it all and I personally don’t know that you can, using the definition above.
If we believe there’s this perfect “balance” between life and business, which sometimes isn’t a realistic expectation, we can potentially set ourselves up for discouragement, comparison and defeat, so I try to stay away from “balance” and simply implement healthy boundaries around what’s acceptable for our family and what’s not at the time.
Business is like the ebb and flow of the ocean, my own analogy: it comes in, it goes out and no two waves are the same, just similar.
Sometimes, you go harder, and you chase things that matter for that season and when the tide’s higher, a little calmer, you rest more, and you give attention elsewhere as needed.
I wonder sometimes if the key to success is allowing them to blend, continue creating personal boundaries but not in that rigid place of believing we can “attain” balance. It simply doesn’t work like that for most of us. I personally find it easier to just look at the season I’m in, understand where the tide is in that season and move the goal posts accordingly. Raising young children is demanding and it requires more of you than when they are teens for example, so it goes without saying there are boundaries you implement at different stages and those move with growth and time. The key is knowing our season and understanding where the tide is.
