The Drive: What challenges have you overcome?
There aren’t enough hours in the day! That’s the biggest challenge, trying to squeeze everything in and making sure nothing is forgotten and that the TV isn’t babysitting the kids. We’ve become extremely good at balancing our time so that everything gets done and the kids aren’t missing out on having fun. There’s also the day-to-day challenges of running the business and the initial set-up, which is extremely daunting if you haven’t done it before. You really come to appreciate how much work goes into a successful business and how you’re constantly learning new skills to keep everything running smoothly.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The best thing about it is when you get your first sale and great feedback from complete strangers. It’s one thing to have your friends and family support you, but when someone you don’t know likes what you’re doing it’s a really great boost to keep you going through the harder parts.
We’ve also had the amazing opportunity to interview international metal legends Sepultura. Without Teeny Rockers, we never would have done something like that. It was way out of our comfort zone but such a great experience and the band were really friendly and supportive. They even put our interview up on their official website and liked our social media posts, so that was quite a buzz.
The downside would have to be the time and the investment. It takes a huge amount of work and can take a lot of money to get started, and if you’re selling a niche product it also takes a long time to get the word out to other like-minded people. At times it feels like you’ll never get anywhere with it, but if you push through and believe in what you’re doing then the benefits soon start to outweigh the costs.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We would like to expand our range to include older kids. We started with under 5s because our own kids were that age but we’ve had a lot of people request items for their own rockers who may not be quite so teeny anymore.
We’ve already had some international sales, but it would be neat to have more regular international customers. That comes with its own challenges of course, but we reckon we’re up for it!
Check out the whole range at the Teeny Rockers website, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news, offers and inspiration for your little rocker!
