The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Like many small business owners, especially if you’re also a mum, one of the biggest challenges has been self-doubt.
There are moments where you question everything – whether you’re doing enough, whether it’s worth it, whether anyone even sees what you’re creating.
Add to that the learning curve of digital art, running a business, understanding platforms, trends… it can feel overwhelming at times.
Another challenge has been time. There’s never quite enough of it. But instead of seeing that as a limitation, I’ve started seeing it as a filter. It forces me to focus on what really matters and sticking to my timelines.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros are deeply personal.
There’s something incredibly special about creating something from your own hands and knowing it’s become part of another family’s home.
It is such a privilege to know that another mum has loved something I created so much that she would hang it in her child’s room. That’s something I will never take for granted. I’m always humbled by it.
The con? There is no “off” switch. The ideas, the worries, the admin. It all lives in my head 24/7. But I wouldn’t swap it. I’d rather be tired from doing something I love than burned out from a job that never felt like mine.
Now, every Monday morning I actually look forward to picking up my digital pen. When I start drawing, everything else – every stress and worry – just slips away. I lose myself completely in the work. My coffee goes cold these days, not because I’m running after toddlers, but because I’m so deeply lost in creating.
But for me, the pros far outweigh the cons. Because this isn’t just a business; it’s something I’ve built with heart.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I’d love to keep growing slowly and steadily. I’ve just started adding educational posters that actually blend beautifully with the room themes instead of looking like school charts.
But more than anything, I want to hold onto that feeling.
The feeling I had when I created my daughter’s nursery. The feeling of calm, softness and “this feels right”.
If I can continue helping even a small number of mums create spaces that feel like that, I’ll consider that a success.
Visit the Tria Little Doodles website to find out more, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
