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MumsClub Name:
Real Name: Lucy Fitzgerald
Age (or age range): 31
Children’s ages: 2.5 and bump due in Feb 09
Business Name:Sleepytot Ltd www.sleepytot.com
Business Contact:Lucy Fitzgerald
What are the key features of the products or services that your business offers:
We design and sell a baby comforter with Velcro attachments on the paws so they open and close, which means you can add the extras your little one needs throughout the early years.
Why should customers and clients use your services?
We sell to the trade and direct to the consumer from our website. Sleepytot is the only comforter of its kind available on the market today. It’s truly unique - super soft and snuggly, plus it’s practical! From infancy it’s perfect to hold between parent and baby when feeding. As baby gets a little older it, pop a soother or teether onto Sleepytot's paws and little ones will love exploring the items on their comforter (a great way to encourage hand/eye co-ordination). You can attach Sleepytot to baby's car seat or buggy strap so they can stroke it when you're out and about.
When parents feel their little one is ready and that it's safe to leave baby with the comforter in their cot, add soothers or teethers at night time too – giving them extra comfort. This is perfect if you’re getting up a few times a night to replace the dummy. No more searching for the lost soother in the cot! As a toddler, little ones will love opening and closing Sleepytot's paws and looking for imaginative ways to use their comforter. And when your child no longer needs a dummy, Sleepytot will still be there to love and cuddle, making this important transition easier for everyone.
When & how did you start up in business?
I started the business in June 2007 but didn’t launch the product until September 2008. It took me that long to find a supplier, work through the samples and test the product.
How did you decide what business to go into, and what was your motivation?
I developed Sleepytot as an idea when my son was small and I had to keep getting up to find his dummy for him! After doing so four times a night for months on end, I had the idea of attaching it to his comforter using Velcro so he could get it easily. It worked. Within a few nights he learned how to find the dummy and we were all sleeping through the night. I didn’t think too much more about it until friends had me making them for their children – that was when I realised there was a market for the product. And then I went back to work and I missed my son so much that I knew I wanted to create a different life for us. I needed a career but I also wanted to have flexibility when caring for my small children. So I decided to start up Sleepytot!
What were the most challenging aspects to setting up?
Finance! Finding a supplier that I was confident would produce safe, quality stock every time. Bringing the business to life while working three days a week and juggling the housework, husband, toddler etc…
What has been your biggest business achievement?
I launched the business on 3 September 2008 and within a week we received a gold practical pre-school award and the following month Sleepytot was Highly Commended in the best debut product Baby and Child Recognition Awards. That felt like a huge achievement to me!
Have, or do you do anything out of the ordinary to benefit your business?
One thing we do is say to our online customers that if they want to “try before they buy”, to pop into their local baby/nursery shop and ask them to email us to request a sample. We then send a free sample for the customer to see. The benefit is that the customer might buy one, but it also raises awareness of the product with the trade and they may then place a trade order. So it seems costly but in terms of the cost of advertising to the trade (one campaign can cost £1000!), this is extremely effective. Plus the customer gets really good service from us and the shop so everyone’s happy. I’m not sure if this is out of the ordinary, but I don’t know of any other companies that do this…
What stage is your business at now & what are your plans for the future?
It’s such early days for us. It’s been eight weeks and we’ve already placed Sleepytot on the high street in the UK and Ireland. We want to build on this and expand into the larger stores! We’re also excited about the consumer interest we’ve had and we plan to grow this through SEO and clever PR. We will be introducing more Sleepytots – at the moment we just have one design which is the bunny, but 2009 will see a few other animals and colours. We’ve worked really hard on developing a fresh, modern brand so that we can develop other products under the Sleepytot brand.
How do you manage to juggle your business with family life? Has it been challenging?
Oh my goodness, yes! I left work in July when I was three months pregnant and decided to jump into the business with both feet. Not having my income has meant no spare money for childcare so I just have to be VERY organised. I work early in the morning, late into the night and during nap times. Luckily my son is quite portable and loves to come with me down to the warehouse or the post office etc. I do have a cleaner (4 hours a week) and without that I think I’d fall apart. My husband is also great and takes time off work to care for our son when I’m at a trade show or press event. And he puts up with me working all the time too!
Has online networking, specifically with other mums, benefited your business?
I haven’t done any networking with other mums online so far but I feel it would benefit me to have people to share tips with and get advice etc. It’s such hard work starting up a business and it can be lonely and scary at times so it would be good to find and share support when needed!
What resources do you NOT have now that might make your life easier?
Money – always money!
What advice would you give another mum considering starting her own business?
Don’t do it if you want an easy life! Starting a business swallows your time and resources so you have to be prepared for that. But if you have something you really want to do, then run it past everyone you know, test the market in all the ways you possibly can, and if everyone thinks it’s a good idea, then why not go for it? Life is what you make of it.
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