Wild Dough was founded by Aussie mum Melissa Haque in 2018. She is on a mission to provide other parents with the tools, education and products to facilitate exciting sensory experiences for their children, whilst claiming some time back for themselves. This award-winning, long-lasting playdough is deliciously scented, free from toxins, and super soft for precious little hands. Here she talks to the Natural Parent Magazine about the inspiration behind Wild Dough and her desire to inspire fun, creative play.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
My daughter, Ruby, is my inspiration! It was right after I had my second child, Harvey, and life was chaos. I was in a constant battle of feeding and settling Harvey, all whilst trying to entertain Ruby. Playdough was my go-to activity to keep her busy and happy while I was preoccupied. The only problem was it was stiff and hard for her little hands. I remembered Mum used to make playdough for us as kids so I thought I would try too!
After I made it for Ruby, I started changing the recipe, trying to work out a way to make it softer and last longer. My daughter loved our new homemade playdough so much, and I loved it because I knew what ingredients had gone into it: they were safe, non-toxic and child-friendly. Plus, it was so soft, she could easily squash and roll it herself. Just like that, Wild Dough was born!
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
Once I developed Wild Dough, I knew that I had to start selling it to help out other mums, the way it had helped me out. I experimented with different colours and scents and worked on my recipe until it had the perfect mix of softness, pliability and long life.
I discovered a beautiful community of mums on Instagram to connect with and used social media to start raising awareness and building my brand. I then launched my online store, and 2 years later, here I am. Expanded from a home business into a warehouse with staff, over 50 stockists across Australia, thousands of loyal customers and now exporting to the USA.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
My biggest breakthrough was really understanding who it was I am selling to, and how my product can help them. From the start, I have been true to my core target in terms of where I sell Wild Dough and also who I am talking to. Being a parent is the core of this business. It is where it all began and it is where I want to stay – helping parents find those moments of peace amongst the chaos.
In 2019, we won gold in the Ausmumpreneur Handmade Business of the Year category which was amazing recognition for the extra hard work that goes into a handmade business.
Additionally, this has led me to grow Wild Dough quickly and a real milestone was that we now warehouse and sell locally in the USA. This year, I launched my 2nd online store servicing North America and am busy building the Wild Dough brand in the USA.
