When I find the time in between house guests, family travels, long days with bored children and the absence of school week routines, the summer holidays are a good time to think about those somewhat-ignored existential questions. In my case as a trailing spouse, I have been thinking of ways to create financial opportunities for myself, be it a career or a business.
The HGKL mamas and I often marvel at fellow mums who manage to make it happen for themselves so we thought we would seek inspiration and advice from these admirable women.
And so we present, our “Mumpreneur Series”– interviews of some of KL’s amazing Mummy Entrepreneurs who have found success through hard work and determination, while balancing all the other aspects of life.
What is Kooshboo?
Let’s hear it from our first Mumpreneur: Natasha of Kooshboo!
1. Can you give us a brief description of your business and when it started?
My sister and I started Kooshboo in April 2014. It is a homegrown clothing and accessories label for children made in Malaysia with 100% natural materials and boho chic in style.
2. What made you decide to turn your hobby or interest into a business?
I left my full-time job as an architect as soon as I started having children. Since then I have been a full-time mum and a part-time designer doing small architectural and interior design jobs. At the same time fashion design has always been a passion for me. Realizing that there was a gap in the market for an independent homegrown label for children’s clothes, I decided to take the plunge and pursue this dream of mine.
3. What challenges did you face getting your business started/going?
Online business is not as easy as it seems, especially for a new label like ours and for clothing industry as a whole where it is very competitive. As a result we have to set-up and attend to pop-up stores from time to time which can be tiring and challenging, but at the same time satisfying.
4. How do you balance your time between the other aspects of your life (e.g. like being a Mom) and being an entrepreneur?
I work mostly from home and so am able to attend to the children most of the time. I try to discipline myself to finish my work by 3 pm so that the afternoons are spent with the kids and doing other chores like cooking and tidying up!
5. What tips do you have for other hobbyists or creatives who are thinking about setting up their own business?
Spend enough time doing R&D (Research and Development) to really study the viability of the business both in terms of financials and sustainability. At the same time, don’t be too afraid to give it a shot – as they say “no pain, no gain”.
Written by Marite Irvine
2 Responses
This is going to be a great series!