You are not your market

That's what I was told at an e-marketing seminar, and it's so true.

I'm coming to the conclusion that my children and my taste are both radically different to the rest of Australia!

So, some changes - most of the markets I do are mainly kids and people wandering around on a weekend, they don't carry a lot of cash. So I'm making up little things to add to the stall that cost less than $5, selling a few of those will probably be easier than nappies and also quicker to make!

The real life shop is a different market again. Some of the feedback from them was that people wanted more neutral nappies, which confused me because I'd given them mostly gender neutral prints. But after thinking about it I realised a lot of their customers aren't parents, they're pregnant. My nappies are one-size, so I tend to look at outers that suit older babies or toddlers, because they will only be little babies for a few months. But the people shopping there are preparing for their tiny little newborn, so they want sweet prints. I think I've got a solution, I have some solid knits in mint, mauve, apricot and lemon, the traditional 'we don't know what we're having' colours, and I'm going to make the bulk of the nappy from those but with the top and cover flap in a co-ordinating print. That should make them more appealing to parents-to-be, but still work once the babies grow out of the teddybear and rattle stage. I was planning on doing some nappies with the different fabrics anyway, it's just been moved up the priority list.

I was working on a cover next, seeing as I've introduced the fitteds and am using them myself. Much easier for people to have everything in one place and know that they will work together. However I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and admit that snappi nappies are just not popular and dust off the side snap design I was working on ages ago. Obviously other people don't have the same fitting issues we have, or have different things they look for in a nappy. I'm getting a bit sick of the "snappis are too complicated" idea. Personally I can do up a snappi in about 2 seconds flat on a wriggly bub, but getting velcro on properly or finding all the snaps takes me ages. But I don't say they're too complicated, I just accept that I'm not used to them and it will take longer. But, to quote the title, I am not my market and the customer is always right. My private opinion can remain unchanged, but as a business I'm going to have to listen, not tell people they're wrong.

To-do list

I can't believe it has taken me this long to get one of these going! So simple, but so powerful.
I started one a few days ago and have got so much done. Rather than thinking I don't have time to do anything or aimlessly surfing while feeding I have managed to get lots of the little ten minute jobs done. It's in the book with my sewing/marketing ideas and whenever I think of another thing I just add it on the end. Being able to tick things off feels really good, it makes me realise I am doing things even if I can't see them. And writing things down as I think of them means they actually get remembered and done.

I'd love to have a timetable and dedicated business time, but I can't see that happening soon, everyone else in my life is too unpredictable. So instead I'm keeping track of when I do things, even if it's 10 minutes to answer an email, and recording it. Just another way I can see that I am getting time, rather than resenting that "I never have time for my things!"

Being self-employed is backwards.

Bear with me while I try to explain what I mean. When I had a job there were deadlines and schedules, things were done as a result of something else. So for example I had a deadline to write reports, they were the result of the work done during the term. Or I'd have a deadline to get a unit finished, or if I was going for a job there would be a deadline on the application. And once the deadline had gone and the work was done it was over, sit back and relax.


WAHMing means I set my own deadline and put my own pressure, then sit back and hope. I've just spent a really intense week because I wanted to get my new fitted nappies up in my store, plus I wanted to re-open on WAHMania. So I've been working past midnight and I'm exhausted. But I don't have anything to show for it, and it isn't the end, it's the beginning. Now I have to see if any orders come out of it. Plus I can't sit back, I have to get on the advertising roundabout and tell everyone they're there. So blogging, forums, newsletters and I want to start writing articles as well.

So here's today's bit of advertising :)

The back of a painted bamboo velour fitted.

The front of one with a quilting cotton outer, showing the bamboo velour in the wet zone.

The fit of a natural velour on my toddler. She's having a ball being a model for me!

Another painted one just 'cos I like it.

How cute is this.

Some of our friends are having their first baby. They are the sort who restore their own cars, build hot rods and Granddad is a mechanic, so we made them a family set as a present. They're originally DH's friends and the ideas are mostly his, the execution mine (although he wouldn't buy me an embroidery machine so we got that done).

Did I mention they're having a girl?

Size 00 mechanic's overalls

DH is a bit sick - yes, that is an Amorall badge on the bum.

The whole set. The front of the adult shirts say Mum and Dad, the backs have the 2 appliqued hotrods. I can just see Dad in a pink shirt!

My babies have gone ...

Well, they're gone. This is the first time my nappies have been out there for people to see without me there to explain or answer questions. I am relying on people working in a shop who have no idea about MCN to explain and sell them to future parents who also have no idea about MCN. After we left them there I was so nervous I was actually shaking. In line with my new positive spin I keep reassuring myself that they are running a business and they wouldn't have taken them if they didn't think they would sell. It definitely makes me feel like an amateur!

I spent the weekend creating packaging and I'm pretty impressed with how it worked. I didn't want to put them in plastic, that sort of defeats the purpose. This way they have all the information they need like care and materials, plus they have a little blurb like "real" (mass produced?) products, but people can still have a good look and play with them.

Front and back of the packaging.

The band is slotted to fit around the nappy.

I tried to give them a selection of different prints, mostly unisex. And hopefully the name is distinctive enough that people will look it up if they want something different.

My husband went back later (to pick up the plastic tub we forgot after browsing in the store) and they already had them up, so he got a photo of them on display for me. Now it's just time to hope ...

So much happening

I just re-read some of these and I really am out of date, so I'm making a resolution to try to blog more often again. This is thanks to my wonderful, incredibly supportive husband. I was getting very negative because I'm basically having to start all over again after pulling back when I was pregnant. He pulled me up and has been taking the girls while I sew or do markets and has been giving me ideas. He keeps telling me to use some of the hypbirthing things I did when I was pregnant, that was all about being positive. At first I didn't want to because it's actually hard work to turn around and find positives, it's much easier to just sink down. But in the end it's exhausting to be depressed, so here are the positives happening at the moment.

There's great feedback from my testers on the fitted nappies, they are ready to go and now I just have to sew some :)

I finally found a use for this bamboo! The widget "helped" me paint it ages ago but it wasn't right for what I wanted, now it works really well as the outer of some of the fitted nappies. This isn't actually one of the new fitteds, this is a special large one I made.

That reminds me, I've had some custom work designing a nappy for an adult, it was actually a lot of fun.

I've been doing markets while we are in the city, I've only sold enough to cover costs but have given out a heap of cards and done lots of advocacy. It's funny that the people who are most impressed are the Grandmothers - obviously all those years of using old-style nappies they can see the advantages! DH insisted I use one of these photos, even though I hate photos of myself.

I've got onto WAHMania about re-opening my store on there, I really need the exposure of being on a mall.

And possibly the biggest and most exciting news - I have a real life store that's taking my pockets on consignment! The manager was very enthusiastic and they are going to take some and see how they go, if they go well the store will start to order them from me. It will pay a lot less than selling them myself, but having large orders is way better than one or two at a time. And not having to do the actual selling makes it easier as well.

Hopefully I'll be writing again soon.

Very slack

OK I've been very slack, but I think I have a pretty good excuse. Our new little princess has arrived and I have been learning how to be a mum of two, one of whom doesn't nap. DD adores her new sister but is your typical enthusiastic toddler, if DD2 makes it to one she will be a tough little cookie.

It has given me a chance to try out the fitted nappies I have been playing around with and I've got them to tester stage, when they've been sent off I'm going to fiddle with covers. I made some beautiful covers for DD2 which are already too small! My gorgeous blue and green minkee! And I even made the small size rather than newborn, she's grown way too fast. I'm really enjoying the challenge of sewing different things again, it's just trying to find time to actually sew. I don't know how other people manage to keep established businesses going through these times, I'm lucky I only have one or two orders to deal with at a time.

I'm also playing around with the shop design. When I originally put it together I went "cute" because it was for babies, but there aren't many of them shopping. I'm putting together a more professional looking format, mainly the buttons and text because I don't have the skill to do much with the code.

Must go, my mistress is calling.