The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Starting a small business venture in the current market conditions and the cost of living crisis might not have been the most opportune time to start. With consumers carefully allocating their spending, a significant portion of their income is directed towards essential household expenses and groceries. Nevertheless, this situation has presented us with a unique opportunity. It’s allowed us to discover our niche in the market and fine-tune our vision and ideas to better align with the way we operate our store.
The swap bag initiative has been both rewarding and challenging. We love that our customers can send up to 15 pieces of their kids’ quality clothing and get 15 x curated pieces in return. Lately, we’ve noticed an influx of smaller sizes being sent back while the demand for larger sizes keeps growing. It’s a sizing puzzle we’re working hard to solve!
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Running Full Circle NZ as a side business while juggling our jobs and family commitments definitely has its pros and cons. On the positive side, we appreciate the flexibility it offers, allowing us to work on our terms and around our existing schedules. When the shop does well, it can provide an extra stream of income that can be really rewarding and helpful for our families. We’re able to infuse our creative ideas into the business and enjoy the satisfaction of building something from scratch.
There have definitely been some challenges but we believe these are what make us learn and grow and push our business to the next level. There have been small moments with financial uncertainty that impact our personal finances and trying to keep it separate. Since our income isn’t guaranteed like a regular paycheque, we need to be mindful of the financial aspect. Managing all aspects of the business alongside our jobs and families can be a juggling act, and limited resources in terms of time and manpower can be a hurdle.
Despite these challenges, we’re determined to make it work. With our passion, a clear business plan, and a bit of creativity, we believe that Full Circle NZ can thrive as a successful side business that complements our existing responsibilities and commitments.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We would like to expand into Australia – hopefully by next year!
We would also like to increase the size range from 0-5 year olds to 0-10 year olds and consider offering a similar service for kids’ toys and books.
And our ultimate goal is to eventually have our own retail store in Auckland where customers can come in and buy, swap and shop for high quality, second-hand kids clothing from amazing brands all in the one place…. Watch this space!
Visit the Full Circle NZ website to find out more and to start your buy/swap/shop experience. You can email them at hello@fullcirclenz.com and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
