Tell us a little about the person behind the business? My name is Anneliese. I am a wife (to a very supportive and understanding hubby) and mum to two little ones aged 4 and 18 months.
And I have a fabric obsession! I am on maternity leave from my “real” job at the moment, but am hoping to turn Tutus and Muddy Shoes into a viable business so that this becomes my “real” job.
I love sport- any sports a good sport pretty much. I love Paris(mostly Sacre Couer) I love pottering around and I love to write lists.
And now a little about the business itself? Tutus and Muddy Shoes was born in the middle of the night while feeding my daughter. I have always done some sort of craft, but I felt this overwhelming urge to make tutus, dresses, skirts now that I had a little girl.
The Superhero line came quickly after that. Most of the items I sell are handmade by me, but I plan to expand to incorporate goods made by others so that I can try and get my work/life balance a little more even.
How did you come up with your business name? I wanted something that would suit girls and boys and tutus were the first thing I made, so it had to have that in it… The name itself came to me pretty quickly, then I set about searching the net and registers to make sure it wasnt already taken, thankfully it wasn’t.
What made you want to begin a WAH business and how did you get started? It sort of started by accident really. I made a few dresses for my daughter and had friends, family and even strangers comment and ask where I got them, so I decided to make a few and test the waters. I really wanted to prolong my maternity leave as long as possible, and be with the kids as much as I could, but I also knew we still needed that second income. I started with a little storefront on etsy and madeit.com.au and got a few sales through there as well as sales to friends and family. I did my first market at the end of last year and got a great reception and things have just moved from there.
What motivates you to keep your business going? Being able to be here with my kids and loving what I do motivates me. I love the feeling I get when I finish a custom item and hear the the customer and their child love it as much as I do.
Do you have a current best-selling product or service? It changes all the time. All of the dresses are always very popular and the long sleeved applique tops are very popular at the moment too.
How do you advertise your business and which methods have proven more successful? Facebook and word of mouth have been my most successful way of advertising. We also had our “She’ll be Apples” dress featured on the front cover of Peekaboo Magazine – an amazing Free glossy mag for mums and dads featuring gorgeous kids things.
How do you juggle your family and your WAH business? Any tips for other WAHPs? I find it harder than I thought it would be sometimes…. work easily creeps into “family time” I try and do most of my work when my daughter is sleeping during the day or after they have both gone to bed at night. My mother and mother in law are very helpful looking after the kids one day each week, so those are the days I can really focus on the business, and the kids get quality grandma/nanna time.
And finally, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start a WAH business? Believe in yourself, trust your instincts, try not to measure yourself against anyone else, its not a race – you dont have to have do everything today and again Believe!
Website: http://www.tutusandmuddyshoes.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tutusandmuddyshoes
If you have had the pleasure of dealing with Tutus and Muddy Shoes, please feel free to leave a review below.
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