Rachel Bloomfield

Happy Cat Kids

So when I first thought about writing this I was excited about sharing my story and then little doubts started to creep in…

what could I possibly say that could help others?!

My business is still very new and is by no means a roaring success. YET! But then I realised that that is exactly the point – mine is a story of truth; I’m not an overnight success and I don’t have thousands of customers. YET! And that is the reality of starting a business; it is hard work and a slow struggle of many ups and downs but my success is that I conquered the first hurdle – I took my idea and dived in to make it a reality and it’s really important to celebrate every step of success along the way.

So let me introduce myself – I’m Rachel, I’m a Mum of two and I run Happy Cat Kids Toy & Gift Store.

As a busy Mum myself I felt the frustrations of what seemed like endless hours scrolling through pages and pages of websites trying to find good quality gifts with both great play value and value for money so I decided to set up Happy Cat Kids to do the hard work for all those other busy parents out there . I searched and sourced all the best quality products at great prices and used my trusty assistants (my two lovely children, my nieces and nephews and my kids’ friends) to road test everything! Kids make the best product testers – they either love or hate stuff and let you know their reactions in no uncertain terms!

So that was my initial idea and I wondered if I had what it took to turn this into a reality. At the time my children were 7 and 2, my youngest was just starting at preschool doing a couple of mornings a week and I had been out of the traditional working world since before I’d had my daughter nearly 8 years ago. But I knew I wanted more from life and I wanted to be an inspiration for my children, to show them what you could do if you set your mind to something.

When and what was your lightbulb moment?

One of my biggest lightbulb moments at the start of my journey came from listening to a fantastic podcast called Side Hustle School. It was a revelation to me to realise that you could start a business really small and ‘test the waters’ so to speak without having to commit a massive amount of time or finances in to it. So that is exactly what I did – I chose some initial products, I built my own website, set up my social media channels and just got started! I truly believe that anyone can do this if you really want to try an idea. I kept my initial outlays really small so I knew that if the worst came to the worst and things didn’t work out I wouldn’t have lost a load of money in the process. You really can build your own website and you don’t need a massive amount of skills to do so, just an eye for how you want it to look and feel. You can use a web design package where you essentially just choose a style and then input your own text and images in to it. Personally I chose WIX and I really love it but there are plenty of others out there so have a play around and see which one works for you.

It was a revelation to me to realise that you could start a business really small and ‘test the waters’

So once I’d set up my site and started to post on social media etc. it was so exciting when I started to get sales and you could easily carry on in this way, making a few sales and running a little side business around another job or family life but for me, I realised recently that this is not just a side hustle anymore and I have much bigger dreams and goals. I’m inspired by the reactions I get from children – I’ve sold my toys and gifts at quite a few events now and I just love seeing the smiles on children’s faces when they receive something that I’ve personally selected so this thought has led me to a bigger goal – how can I get smiles on to the faces of children who may not have as much to smile about and whose families may not have enough money to buy birthday gifts for them? So I am motivated to make my business a success so that I can give gifts to these children thanks to the money that I bring in through my business. I think it’s important to be really clear about what your vision is for your business because then all your decisions are brought back to this ultimate goal.

Any tips?

I think the biggest tip I could give anyone is to truly know yourself and understand exactly where your skills lie. There will be parts of your business where you excel and they come naturally to you and other areas you may struggle with, so find other people to fill the skills that you don’t have. I know some of you may be thinking that you don’t have the money to pay other people but you don’t have to do it straight away – manage things yourself to begin with until you have taken enough money in to feel confident spending out. Or think about skills swapping – maybe you make beautiful children’s clothes but you’re rubbish on social media. Find someone who’s a social whizz and offer to make some clothes for their child in return for them giving you a lesson on social media. Some may say no but don’t let that put you off, just try asking someone else.

My other tip is to really put yourself out there – meet with and speak to people as much as you can. The world of social media can be absolutely fantastic but it also has the potential to be a bit faceless and at the end of the day people buy from and work with people they like so let people get to know you. This is the reason I always try to do videos and lives on my social pages because I want people to relate and interact with me.

So the million dollar question is can you run a business around all your responsibilities as a parent and for me I would say 100% yes but you need to be focussed, organised, and prepared to be flexible and compromise.

How are things now?

At the moment I only technically have two working days between the hours of 9.15 and 2.45 whilst my youngest is in preschool so I have to use those days smartly. I try to stick to the same schedule each week – Mondays are for thinking creatively, marketing ideas and planning my social media posts for the week and Tuesday are my admin days – entering invoices into my accounting software, logging sales, working on my website, etc. But I need to be flexible – if a child is sick or it’s school holidays I don’t get those dedicated days so on those weeks I may work a couple of evenings or do small bursts of work as and when my kids are occupied with something. Running a business like mine it isn’t possible to stick to those exact hours, when someone orders I will need to pack up and post the order regardless of whether it’s one of my ‘working days’, I also need to have a presence on social media every day but there are many ways of managing this so you can do things in short bursts in and around family time. I also try to be very clear with my kids and tell them when Mummy needs to do a bit of work so they understand I am working and not just playing about on my phone!! I also try to get them involved as much as I can too. My eldest especially loves to pack up orders, sort through stock deliveries or help me prep for events and I think they love being a part of it, it feels very exciting for them.

In conclusion?

Is it easy setting up and running a business? No. Can you get frustrated and have many setbacks along the way? Most definitely. But would I go back and do it all again if I had my time over? Absolutely. For me, running my own business has given me back a part of my identity that I had lost for a while when my children were young, it has built my confidence and given me something positive to focus my thinking on. Before I started my business I suffered a little with anxiety and looking back now I truly believe that this was because I had an active brain that I wasn’t stimulating so I overthought everything and fixated on every little detail. Now I’m so busy and my brain is constantly buzzing with different ideas for my business that I don’t have time or energy to sweat the small stuff!! One thing I am still learning is to remember to take time out for myself because running a business and a family is rewarding and satisfying but it can also be time consuming and at times exhausting!

So try and carve out a little regular time for yourself to do something non-business and non-Mummy related. At the moment I am getting up at 6.30 before the kids wake up just after 7. This allows me a little time to myself to have a cup of tea in peace before the craziness of the day begins but if your kids are super early risers and that wouldn’t work for you then think creatively and find some time elsewhere. If you’re a single parent then maybe find a friend who also has kids and offer to have each other’s kids. You have their kids for an hour one day and they have yours an hour another day. That gives you an hour every week to yourself without having to pay for childcare or worry about putting family out and if you’re a parent of young children then you know that a whole hour of uninterrupted time to yourself is like gold dust!!

So if you have an idea and you’re thinking of starting your own business I would say just go for it – start small, test your idea and learn and adapt as you go along!

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