Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
An itsy Ditsy teenie weanie business..
Baby’s teething pain led NI mum to create a range of jewellery and accessories with a bit more bite
Since most of the high street shops have been essentially shut for a year, I have found myself searching for businesses a little closer to home to spend my money in and I’m not alone. We are all doing our bit to support local more than ever and its wonderful – one of the good things to come out of the pandemic.
What I have found – and have been very impressed by – is the number of women who have set up a business from their own home, and often at one of the busiest times of their life – just after having a baby.
When we think of maternity leave we usually think of naps, play dates, coffee dates and more naps.
But for some women, they use the time to get their creative juices flowing again and make a business out of their craft/hobby
One such mum is Zoe Cunningham, from Moira, Co Down.
Now if you have kids, you will be well aware of how teething is one of the most difficult phases of a baby’s life, and it can be just as tough for parents.
Your little one is in pain and there is very little you can do to help them apart from having an endless supply of dry bibs to hand and the odd dab of calpol.
Mums and dads are only too aware of the constant gnawing of literally everything as their baby’s strive to soothe their gums.
But it can be hard to keep track of all the teething rings and toys – and keep them clean.
So while on her second maternity leave, Zoe, 39, started a business after she came up with a genius idea – a silicone teething necklace that SHE could wear and which was also stylish enough to keep on outside of the house.
She said: “As mums of young babies and children we often seem to sacrifice a bit of our own style and personality for more practical options, so my teething necklaces – which are made from silicone and beech wood – provide a stylish solution, while being safe and soothing for baby at the same time.
“I love that the necklaces give mums the chance to express themselves and their own style while also providing teething relief for babies and something to keep grabby little hands busy when feeding.”
And after receiving a phenomenal response, Zoe went on to design a range of wooden teethers and dummy clips. She said: “Over the past three years I have expanded my range to include my bestselling ‘Fable’ silicone and beech wood ring teether and other essentials such as dummy clips, dummies and my newly-launched weaning range.
“Safety and style are my key focus and I always aim to design and stock items in contemporary colours and designs that would appeal to mums wanting something a little bit different to what can often be found on the high street.
“Finding the perfect dummy clip design has been a real labour of love for me, creating something beautiful and stylish while making sure my designs meet all the relevant safety standards.”
And Zoe has some advice for any mums/ mums-to-be out there who are looking to start a business: “Just go for it!”
She said: “I left a 16-year career in the corporate world to start a new chapter building my business from home and spending more time with my kids. “It was a major decision for me but I can say hand on heart that there hasn’t been a single moment I have had second thoughts.
“I am the one woman designer, maker, packer, poster, marketer and everything else here at Ditsy Little and I juggle managing my growing business with school runs, homework, building Lego, making snacks and everything else that being a mum boss entails!
“It’s all about the juggle over here and involves a lot of late nights, early starts packing up orders before the kids wake up and feeling like I never get to the end of my to do list, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The small business world in Northern Ireland is a pretty amazing one, full of support, encouragement and like-minded people, many of them fellow mums, who are there if I ever need a rant or someone to bounce new ides off.
“In the absence of colleagues it’s a world of camaraderie, collaboration and community and one I’m immensely proud to be part of.
“So if you have that flicker of an idea, that little niggle that there might be more to life for you, that creative flame that just won’t go out... give it a go, what’s the worst that can happen? And trust me, your future self will thank you.”