This week meet Lyndall, a mom that not only juggles her family and business, but has TWO businesses she juggles, Kid’s Emporium Maternity and Brand Ed. She is also an advocate for breastfeeding, which is part of the target market of Kid’s Emporium Maternity.
- Tell us about yourself, a bit of background.
I am 36 years old, and a mum of four kids and a cat. We have been married for ten years and between my husband and I we run four businesses, we are what you would call serial entrepreneurs.
- What were you doing before you started this business?
I went into business after having my third baby. I used to work full time in marketing at Unilever SA. Although I adored the company I worked for and the job I had, I made the decision to open my own business in a bid to dictate my own work hours so I could prioritise my family. I also enjoy financial independence so being “unemployed” was not an option.
Is your business full time or part time and why?
I don’t think there is such a thing as a part time business. Part time jobs maybe, however when its your own money and resources invested in a venture you never stop thinking or working. I would thus say both my businesses are full time however, I have a primary business and a secondary one which I split my time 70/30.
- How do you juggle the responsibilities of being a mom with your work?
Being a mum in business means that you have to have support around you. That support structure needs to be believe in your vision for yourself and your family in order to make tough sacrifices. I have great parents and mother in law, as well as a full time nanny and maid. My husband is my partner in life and business so he “gets” the decisions I make. I don’t like outsourcing my mommy duties, so I tend to take on only as much as I can handle. I have early mornings and late nights, but prayer and support get me through.
Do you have a business plan? If so, can you share a bit about your strategy to make it successful?
My secondary business is a franchised concept so I flow with the vision of the franchise which is Kids emporium.
My primary business is BrandEd for which I have a long term strategy of growing into Africa, for now every decision I make, I keep this long term goal in mind.
- How do you get clients/ market yourself?
I market myself through social media, direct contact with customers and sometimes using LinkedIn to get to the right person in a company. Word of mouth and great service has been my biggest advertsiser thus far.
- What’s your biggest challenge right now?
My frustration is having a growing business and growing family. I want to be everything to everyone, which leads to me being hard on myself and taking little care of my own needs, I still need to learn how to prioritise myself.
- Did you need a lot of money to start off? And how long was it before you made a profit?
Intially when I bought a franchise yes I did need heavy investment, every big project requires differing amounts of investment, however a sucessful business runs with healthy cashflows, thus far I have been blessed.
- What makes your business unique from other brands?
My Kids Emporium Maternity business is fundamentally built on the niche market of breastfeeding as opposed to fashion forward maternity items. Being a breast feeding mum, this is a passion for me, and my practical clothing has made my breastfeeding journey a success.
BrandEd reaches LSM B and C traders – deep rural- this is in itself a specilaised offering with only a handful of service providers offering insights in this market.
- Share with us your social media links and website.
www.brand-ed.co.za
FaceBook: Kids Emporium Maternity
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