The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Honestly, every day is a challenge! There are some days that are definitely harder than others and you just wonder if it is even worth it. Building not only a business but a brand is a lot of work and I don’t think I really prepared myself for how much work it actually was.
I definitely was heading towards burnout around my 2nd year of business with so much going on in my personal life too – finding the motivation to keep going was hard. I joined an amazing coaching program which was for women only and was exactly what I needed. I met an amazing group of women who were along the same journey as me and we were there for each other in what can be a very lonely business journey!
Year 2 was also when an influx of wearable breast pump brands started popping up. It felt like a new brand would appear every 2nd day. Sales started to slow for a bit and I knew I had to start doing something different to stay relevant and really imprint my brand in a niche that was becoming overcrowded. That’s when I started an influencer program – which were mostly mums on Instagram that would reach out organically to do a brand collaboration. I had some really influential mums join our program and this definitely helped us keep our head above water. I am still a very small business but I believe in our products – there is definitely still a long journey ahead!
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Freedom and flexibility are definitely the biggest pros in running my own business. Being able to do school pick up and drop off and after school activities definitely wouldn’t have been possible if I was working a 9-5 job.
Still being a small business, having to wear 10 or more different hats is definitely the hardest. You are basically all roles: social media manager, customer service, bookkeeper, warehouse manager, pick packer, creative director! There is also a lot of uncertainty when you’re working on your own – every day you wonder if this is actually going anywhere or if I’m financially okay!
Hopes and dreams: What next?
Continuous growth – hopefully a little faster than we have been haha. But I would love for Tyhan to become a household name in the breast pump niche in Australia.
I am also working on introducing some new products that I’m really excited about and just continuing to support and create/develop products that mothers need.
Head over to the Tyhan website to find out more and check out their products. You can also connect with them on Instagram and TikTok.
