Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
I am very fortunate to have a house with a large studio downstairs. It has everything I need to be able to cut, sew and run the business from home. It was the perfect way to still be around for the kids, to juggle cooking/housework etc in between work life. Also, I am a bit of a workaholic, so having work at home suits me perfectly, as I love to do the creative things late at night when everyone is in bed, and juggle things around as I need to.
I do get in trouble for ‘working too much’ which is something I really need to work on, but it is difficult when you’re trying to get something off the ground and budgets are tight.
Now my kids are older, I have started involving them in the business as ‘good practice’ for when they are job seekers. I give them part time work with a goal in sight that they are working towards – my son a scooter and my daughter an iPhone.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
The challenges never stop it seems! But I guess the ‘big’ ones for me were getting on top of the financial side of the business, as I am not naturally inclined with numbers being a creative person, and the other was finding inventive ways to make a ‘handmade’ product in a scalable way and still pay fair wages as per Australian industry standards. This one was definitely the biggest challenge because unless you know the hours of work that go into each product and calculate out wages accordingly, which the general population doesn’t, then really the only thing you have to compare it to is the toys you find in shops which are generally mass produced in China.
Now there is starting to become more awareness about how products are made and their impact on the environment etc, but I would say, that being competitive in price is still the biggest hurdle I have had to overcome, whilst upholding these values.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros of running your own business are that you can do things your own way, be creative, realise a vision, set your own values, challenge yourself, learn lessons, challenge yourself some more, feel proud, be unique, be a mentor to your kids, work from home, juggle your hours around your family life (to a degree!) meet inspiring people, grow as a person, overcome anxiety, and make your passion your business.
The cons are having to always be ‘on’ and never switching ‘off’, the hours of work day/night/weekends, the financial risk, having no sick or holiday pay (sometimes no ‘pay’ at all!), self-doubt, failing sometimes, having to be good at all aspects of running a business even though you’re not and many parts you really dislike or are not good at.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I am working on a Wish Pixie book that I am very passionate and excited about! I really envision the book bringing together the stories about the Wish Pixies and their world of positive belief. I know this will take some time, but I am determined to branch out from dolls into a whole ‘Pixie’ magical world that is all about imagination, play, positive thoughts and most importantly, developing self-confidence. As a kid who suffered from extreme anxiety, I really want this range to not just be beautiful and whimsical dolls, toys and room decor, but to offer comfort, guidance and positive thought habits that may help stabilise a child’s emotions through the often stressful events of just growing up. I will draw on the Pixie’s tag line, which is ‘believe in you’ – to make the book into a reality.
To view their full range of beautiful dolls and toys, visit the These Little Treasures website and follow their journey on Instagram and Facebook.
