MamaBabyBliss
Mum and mumpreneur Justina Perry put her advertising and marketing experience
to good use in creating and promoting her own company dedicated to the
wellbeing of mothers,babies and mothers-to-be: MamaBabyBliss.
Why I did it
Nothing changed my life as much as motherhood did. Becoming a mother
brought with it laughter, tears and, to an extent, shock, as I tried to
adjust to my new role, first as mother to two stepchildren and then to
my own children. I have never forgotten those early days. I felt there
was – and still is – a need to support and nurture mothers during this
early time. MamaBabyBliss was born out of this realisation after I had
Alana, my youngest daughter, although I would say my inspiration came
after I had my first, Natasha (12).
How I started
I started off by doing some research (asking all my friends who were
mums!) and wrote a scant business plan. Essentially, MamaBabyBliss is
dedicated to the wellbeing of mothers, babies and mothers-to-be. We nurture
them all through baby massage and baby yoga classes, as well as providing
a range of beautiful holistic prenatal and postnatal treatments for mums
and mums-to-be. We also run prenatal and postnatal yoga courses. To be
qualified to work in this area, I trained in baby massage, baby yoga and
holistic therapy. I loved working with babies and mums: it feels like
this is my true vocation. I was also very lucky to have met my wonderful
business partner Helena Bingham (a mum from my classes). She is a nutritionist
and yoga teacher and runs the yoga classes.
The challenges
I don’t think anyone realises how time-consuming creating a business
and turning it into a reality is. You need passion, drive and a vision
that you absolutely believe in because this is what keeps you going through
the moments of doubt or the inevitable setbacks. You also need to be willing
to work 24/7 when required but also to be careful to set your own boundaries
between work and family.
My work/life balance
My husband and our parents have been amazingly supportive. All my children
are brilliant too; they know how important MamaBabyBliss is to me and
they have been very involved in the development of the company. I run
ideas by them, take them to exhibitions, etc. I have learnt, though, that
when you are working from home, you need to be very disciplined with your
time and create a physical boundary between work and family, even if that
is as simple as closing the door to the home office and making sure the
computer is OFF! Our ritual is also that we try to have a sit-down family
dinner every day, where everyone shares their day.
Justina’s tips for success
- Find your idea and believe in it 200%. It’s your vision and belief
that is going to keep you going. - Talk to people but be careful of business ‘experts’ who might cause
you to doubt your own instincts. I have met people who tried to make
me compromise on the products and production because of the bottom line.
I refused because money isn’t everything to me, but quality and ethics
is (all my manufacturing and goods are sourced in the UK and I like
to support small businesses who aren’t always the cheapest!). - Don’t equate everything in terms of money. Doing something you love
is worth millions! - Trust your instincts and initiative!
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