The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
It wasn’t easy to find the right audience and get people to trust Babyque 100%. For that matter, I still get asked how purchasing via a website could be secure.
I lose many customers even today, as they are unsure of a new brand. Being an online store does not make it any easier either. It is tricky to explain product design and quality online, and for this reason, customers prefer to drop by and pay a visit instead.
Sometimes, my customers expect me to be around waiting for them throughout the day and many don’t arrive at all. I haven’t yet overcome this challenge, but hopefully someday, when Babyque is more widely recognised, this issue will dissolve by itself.
Finding the right suppliers overseas and selecting the right clothing for my business was another challenge altogether. Luckily enough, the clothing I have imported so far, has been of splendid quality.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Running your own business is like raising a baby. It demands sleepless nights, constant attention, discipline and responsibility. It can be emotionally draining and also cause financial hardships.
Just like raising a child, though, nothing else can feel more rewarding. You fully shape its development. You learn and you grow as a person all along. At the end of each day, you are always more experienced and more proud of yourself.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
My next goal is producing my own designs, here in New Zealand, that are 100% NZ made.
Check out the Babyque website to see their full range of children’s clothing, and join their Facebook and Instagram communities.
