The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
I now understand the idea of waiting until your kids are at school before embarking on a business. That’s just not my story. I suspect I even started Wilga in defiance of motherhood taking over my identity. On this path I chose, three times around, I breastfed while serving customers, changed dirty nappies in the back doorway, dragged myself and baby to work after not enough sleep and was frequently spread too thin between the customers and my crying babies. This part was much easier than being pregnant though, as I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum which is an absolute nightmare state of being trapped in a body paralysed by nausea, not being able to do even the simplest things without vomiting uncontrollably. Working in the shop with a baby, I was actually just so relieved to no longer be pregnant.
My youngest child turning four felt like a wonderful milestone to me, as if the balancing act had reached tipping point and would now only get easier. When she joined her sister at school last year, I was elated that after fifteen years, daycare fees would no longer be sapping my finances and I would also have five glorious weekdays to myself. I was able to start purchasing larger amounts of fabric (my spare cash always goes on fabric) which finally enabled me to photograph and upload my designs to our online store before the fabric for them ran out. I had tried at least twice before, getting my friends to model for hours only to never upload the images. I also ditched doing “seasons” in favour of slow fashion, so our range is constantly evolving at a its own slower and more sustainable pace.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Ironically, the ideal of freedom is the reason I chose to start Wilga. Freedom to set my own hours, do my own thing creatively and to make all the decisions myself. But as they say with freedom comes resposibility and I have battled a constant state of admin overwhelm and financial disorganisation. Small business owners truly must do everything themselves despite their skills base, until they can afford to employ more help.
Fortunately, I have taken on a hyper-organised and multi-talented junior who has become my assistant. While I don’t hope to open the backlog of unopened emails, I am confident that our admin tasks will continue to settle into an organised routine and no opportunities will be missed.
Like so many business owners, I have worked unbelievably hard to establish my brand, and now hope to start reaping some rewards beyond being able to sew all day and buy fabric at whim.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I’m hopeful that Wilga has entered a new phase where we have an established, loyal customer base around Melbourne and a beautiful online store, and now we just have to focus on reaching out to new customers and continue making beautiful and practical clothing in our Kallista studio.
I would love to show my children the value of working hard to follow a dream, by making a solid income from Wilga. While I’m confident they have learned a lot about resilience and commitment from the process already, I would be overjoyed to reward them for all those hours at work with mum, by eventually affording to buy our own house. In the meantime, the most amazing thing I can do is to continue to be patient, appreciating the freedom of doing what I love, while keeping a distance from the inevitable stresses of running a business.
Head to the Wilga website to see their full range of beautiful clothing and accessories, and follow their journey on Facebook and Instagram.
