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Our latest Success Story is yet another example of a savvy Mum finding inspiration through the journey of motherhood and turning her small idea into big business.
Meet Joanna Barclay. This is her story:
A couple of years ago, after relocating to Dubai from Hong Kong (a true expat !) I wanted to find a career which would allow me to work from home so I could spend time with my 2 children, but also to find a project that was not only enjoyable to start on, but something a little ‘different’, something where there was a niche in the market place. A girlfriend and I put our thinking caps on and after quite some time and a lot of ideas (which were thrown in the bin) later .... I happened to be looking in my daughters wardrobe and came across a beautiful bright pink cashmere hat that was given to her at her birth. It is one of the few items that I kept and is still so gorgeous, soft and remembered with such fondness. From there, we decided that that was it ! We would embark on building up a small brand focusing on baby wear which was not only of the highest quality but also in an array of really fun, exciting bright colours – very different to the ‘high street’ baby pinks and baby blues. The products were to be true keepsake pieces which could be handed down from generation to generation. And so, Babatude – Babies with Attitude – was born !
Since starting Babatude, we have come across and discovered that there are many more amazing, imaginative and daringly independent designers out there whose products are far too distinctive to be considered for the mainstream retailing industry. Designers who like us feel that the market is far too restrictive and predictable to cater for those who dare to be different!
So in May 2012 along came Babatude Boutique ! We decided to team up with some of these incredible artists and talent from all over the globe and offer our clients a wider selection of bespoke new discoveries from both ends of the price bracket.
It’s been a crazy, busy past 6 months as we have hand-picked and invited each individual designer to join our Boutique which takes an incredible amount of research (research, research and oh, more research !) to ensure that we have the cream-of-the crop on our site ! Unfortunately we haven’t been able to meet most of the artists purely due to the distance factor - if only I could do a field trip to see our wonderful brand, Mi Cielo in Hawaii ! - we have and continue to grown a terrific relationship with them, which really makes this role so enjoyable.
The hours are long and it is hard work and thank goodness for a Blackberry. It hasn’t always been easy to figure out the way forward to market our site (and believe me, I’m still learning !) I mean, who really knows about SEO, PPC, Affiliates and Analytics ??!
Whilst I wouldn’t say I’m a guru in any of those areas, I’ve certainly spent a lot of time on Google learning about them !! However as the site continues to grow each week, each month it all makes it worthwhile. Ah yes, and I still get to see the little monsters when they come back from school too !!
Joanna Barclay
Director,
Babatude Boutique
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Name: Joanna Barclay
Email: joanna@babatude.com
Website: www.babatude.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Babatude.Childrenswear
Tweets: https://twitter.com/#!/babatude1
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