4. My hubby. He is such a beautiful and incredible support, encouraging me to listen to my intuition and trust my gut in all I do. He recently opened up the conversation of wanting to share the care of our son between us both and this has created such a profound shift in not only their relationship, but opened up more doors for us in our family. It made me realise that we don’t ever have to be locked into any one way. It’s so lovely to break out of a conditioned ‘mold’ of how our lives should be to forge our own way that suits our family!
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Gosh, my own doubt. When weeks have gone by and no hamper orders come in and my mind has told me stories that it’s not working or that the business won’t make it. Then all of a sudden, many orders come in or I receive incredibly beautiful feedback from a mama for how grateful she was to receive a hamper. It very swiftly turns doubt to a knowing that although For The Mama is a very small business, the effort is worth it because it is serving mothers in the most nourishing and wholesome way.
Also the constant juggle of ‘present mothering’ vs new business owner and creative is a never-ending one. I’ve experienced times of complete overwhelm trying to get 5 hampers all ready and mailed out in time. I’ve felt the guilt of needing to ask my network for support with my son while I work, baking and crafting the hampers. Being on my phone and computer with the behind the scenes of For The Mama takes more time and focus than I would like, but I’m finally starting to streamline this process and have eventually figured out what I need to be able to find a semblance of balance to prevent overwhelm and burnout.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
I love that I get to find my own flow in my weeks, not dictated by anyone else. It’s taken a while, but I have finally found a flow in my week that works for me, with a few blocks of time that my son is cared for by family (hubby and grandparents). I am creative in a way that other work may not allow. I can be flexible with jobs in and around the needs of my baby and our family. It feels incredibly nourishing to craft and mail/deliver our beautiful hampers, and the networking I have done to open up doors is so beautiful. Starting For The Mama has certainly helped to create a greater sense of community in my world.
The big ‘con’ for me is the constant juggle of being a present mama with my son and running my business as it all blurs easily. Obviously the income is much more sporadic than a regular job and you have to ride the ebb and flow of the realities of being a new small business in a growth phase. What is beautiful though is that you find ways to expand that suit you – having a stall at the local markets and expos; networking and reaching out to other businesses where there is mutual benefit, etc. I can honestly say it’s definitely not easy, but most of the time, doing what I do makes me feel so good.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
This year I have taken a few new steps to get my hampers out there in the community – one of these is holding a stall at some local markets! We’re having a Birth Baby and Beyond Expo in our town of Coffs Harbour, NSW in late April and I’m part of the team bringing that together for the community.
Dare I say it, big picture vision is for 500 birthing mamas in Australia to receive a For The Mama Hamper on their doorstep in the next 12 months… it might be a bit out there, but let’s see what unfolds.
To find out more, connect with For The Mama Collective on Instagram and Facebook and for queries and orders, email rani.foreman@gmail.com.
