Big isn't always Beautiful....
Wow what a whirlwind it's been over the last 6 months as we have moved from what was a small hobby business to a small 'proper' Baby clothing business. What do I mean by proper, well it's a question I have thought a lot about....When you have to be always on - it is a privilege to be Small Business owner and with that comes responsibility. The responsibility to always deliver that experience you would expect yourself, that means you don't send something two days late because you're on holiday or because you've been busy. We are absolutely blessed that we have one of the highest repeat customer %'s when compared to similar businesses. I honestly believe that's because I built this business as a Mumpreneur who wanted everything to be perfect for my babies and now I want the same for anyone that buys from us :)
So why have I titled this Big isn't always Beautiful?! Well, it certainly isn't connected to my little ones as they were all 8lbs + (for me they were big babies!) and are my world, this is connected to manufacturing. Since setting up this business we have worked with over 9 different manufacturers. Many of which were large manufacturers who relatively speaking saw us as 'small' and not in a positive way; we would often be given low priority delivery slots, be frowned at when we kept asking to enhance quality on certain aspects and then the final straw... 'stop chasing perfection, it doesn't exist'. That may well be true but you should never stop chasing it as a Small Business owner as it helps you make purposeful choices e.g. we first started off with mass produced cotton and quickly moved to certified GOTS organic that is produced by someone we have grown to trust. Our new Baby clothing manufacturer is 'small' and because of that she cares therefore we have a mutual respect. If our business grows then her business grows and to do that we need to hold up quality in every aspect. We understand she may need to increase prices (another learn - cost of materials are soaring!!!) to maintain our expected levels of quality but rather than be compromised she will speak with us and we together find a way forward. It has never felt so empowering as a Small Business to know you are helping others...Whether it be the local post office, the small business that now produces our cards, the small manufacturer who is now like part of the Baby Beautiful Co. family or even our designer who again is an incredible small business artist. So what is the common thread that runs through everything I have talked about - SMALL ! Small matters, Small cares and most importantly Small does not want to let you down because they know what it means.
So next time you go to shop, source or even collaborate just remember small cares - why? Because it makes a difference! And even more, small can be beautiful and in this case Baby Beautiful :)
Hope you have enjoyed reading. Thank you to anyone and everyone who has supported this business, I can personally assure you I will never stop caring and myself and my small team will always strive to deliver the best experience.
Lots of Love
Hayley & Baby Beautiful Co. xx