Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Balance: such a tricky topic, isn’t it? I’m pretty good at balancing home life and business, as I’ve had to do this for many years. In addition to @barewarebub, I also work corporate full time, as well as raising our 3 precious small children, so it’s imperative that at times I delegate, delegate, delegate! I am fortunate to have two amazingly talented business partners (who love to stay behind the scenes) that I run bareware bub with; so between the three of us, we pretty much have all bases covered. That being said, I’m also not great at letting go of control, and have VERY specific ideals of how I want things to look and run; so that for me personally can be a challenge. Finding likeminded creative professionals who share the same passion for perfection (to strive for, as nothing is ever perfect!) has helped immeasurably, as it means that I can do the leg work and make a start, and then they can take over and finish / finesse. I think balance also rests where you know your strengths and non-strengths and learning to lean into your strengths and delegate the other areas.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
One of the biggest challenges getting a business off the ground in the midst of a pandemic was logistics. From product to packaging to website build and all the things! – there were delays and areas outside of our control at most stages of the process. I’m not always a patient person (OK, hardly ever when I’m passionate about something!), which at times leads to feelings of immense frustration, but it was on a call with our marketing strategist one evening that got me to rethink, take pause and focus on all the things we could control. After I made that decision, everything else seemed to flow and I didn’t feel quite the level of stress.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are that you’re in control and the buck stops with you. The cons are that you’re in control and the buck stops with you.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We’ve just been given endorsement from a major private maternity hospital in Melbourne Private and an obstetrics and gynaecology consulting group (shhh- announcement coming in hot soon!), a super cute new product I’ve been working on for a few months is mere weeks from launching, and we have a solid roadmap for future products; excitement is an understatement over here @barewarebub.
My dreams are that we continue making beautiful baby essentials driven by careful purpose and passion, with a strong focus on simplicity and sustainability. To continue to gain the trust of likeminded parents and gift givers who place importance on quality and the impact we have on our environment.
Visit the bareware bub website to browse their gorgeous range of products. You can also join their communities on Facebook and Instagram.
