The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
I have been in the military my entire working life so prior to Go Mama I had no behind-the-scenes experience in fashion or business. It has been a steep learning curve so one of the challenges I have had to accept is the length of time it has taken to achieve some aspects of the business. Go Mama grew organically from a casual conversation about side hustles, so I didn’t start out with an allocated budget or robust business plan. To save money, I opted to learn most facets of the business by researching online in lieu of outsourcing. There have definitely been frustrating moments when I have been unable to figure out the e-commerce side in particular, but I am really proud of how far I have come and how much I have learnt in the process.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Running your own business can be such a rewarding experience – it is such a ‘pinch me’ moment seeing someone else wearing Go Mama clothing. It is also convenient that the business is home-based because it offers flexibility around family time. I love being hands-on with every aspect of the business from product design to order dispatch, and all the marketing in between.
At this stage, I work independently on Go Mama so that can limit the initiatives and business knowledge available. I like to bounce ideas off my husband; while maternity activewear might not be his area of expertise, he has a great creative mind and a background in military physical training so his input is always valued.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
The aim of Go Mama is to enhance the wellbeing of women on their motherhood journey and in doing so, I hope we can normalise the range of experiences through pregnancy and postpartum. Go Mama is a proud sponsor of The Mums Clique charity who are providing some amazing initiatives for women across New Zealand, and I’m excited to see this relationship develop. I also aspire to work with maternal mental health clinics to better understand the challenges women are facing and how Go Mama can best support them.
There are also plenty of new products in the pipeline and I would love to collaborate with maternity stockists by offering them a range of Go Mama‘s activewear, accessories and fitness equipment. Every day brings something new and different but I am enjoying the ride and really looking forward to seeing the brand grow to meet maternity activewear needs of all mamas.
Head to the Go Mama website to view their range of activewear and accessories. You can also join their communities on Facebook and Instagram.
