Coconut Luggage 

Jacinta Richmond

1/23 Coolum Terrace

Coolum Beach, Qld

Tel: 0409 143 041

www.coconutluggage.com

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Coconut Luggage

Coconut Luggage

Show Mummy the Money speaks with Jacinta Richmond from Coconut Luggage

Quick Profile

1.    What was your inspiration for the concept behind “Coconut Luggage”?

My daughter’s name is Leilani, which is Hawaiian in origin. As a consequence, I was always looking for products with a tropical print. When we were headed to Fiji for my sisters wedding, I couldn’t find tropical print luggage for Leilani to take, anywhere. This resulted in us going to Fiji with black suitcases, and returning to Melbourne to design tropical print luggage for the world to enjoy.

2.    Did you do any particular research into your business idea for Coconut Luggage, if so what research did you do?

Twelve months of research was undertaken from the point of idea conception to release to the public. Questionnaires, internet research, competitor research, marketing research, financial research, manufactures, shipping, legalities, every single thing was researched in depth.

3.    How did you go about finding the necessary contacts you need in business, such as who to design / manufacturer or supply your product, who to promote your business?

The internet is a wonderful thing, which is how I found a manufacturer. I’ve learnt a lot since then however, and would now choose to use an agent to do the negotiating and quality control etc… I would also suggest a visit to the Department on State Development in your city, they are a wealth of knowledge and contacts.

As for promoting the business, I do that myself.

4.    During your initial start up phase – did you find you needed to focus on specific areas of the business more so than others? If so what areas where these and why?

During the initial stages, my main focus was finance. First, how to raise the necessary funds without touching my savings (I ended up bank rolling 95% of the costs) and then with sales. I was obsessed with it, the hows and why’s and trying to find a sales agent. It took me a very long time to realize that I am the best sales person for my product, as I know it better than anyone else. I also learnt a great deal about how best to sell and launch a product without it consuming your life 24 hours a day. Things would be very different now, if I’d known all of that information earlier in the piece.

5.    Did you have any prior experience, which has contributed to the success of Coconut Luggage?

– If so, how did this experience help you establish Coconut Luggage?
– If not, did you need do anything in particularly to improve your skill set?
I have absolutely no background in luggage, manufacturing, or sales. This meant an insurmountable amount of research, and learning by experience. What I did have, however, was a great support team of friends who loved the concept and did all that they could in the research stages, and a family who were in awe of and loved the product when the first samples arrived. I also have a brain for business, travelled substantially, have an extensive background in marketing and a love of shopping, and these things have been invaluable.

6.    In the beginning, how did you go about making your first few sales,? How hard was this step in the initial growth of your business?

(i.e. did you host a product launch inviting possible customers/ retailers, or did you sell directly to your customers or did you display at trade fairs).
Those initial sales were the most thrilling part of the entire business. A stall at the Melbourne Travel expo, a sample set of luggage in each colour, and wholesale prices. Orders were taken over the weekend, with a deposit. The manufacturer was then contacted, an order placed, and deliveries made 8 weeks later. The response from the public was overwhelmingly positive, and that is why Coconut then went ahead. (Should the response have been dismal, all deposits would have been refunded, and Coconut would not have continued).

7.    Have there been any main challenges or obstacles you have had to deal with being a Mum in business?

My main challenges have come from being a single mum in business. Having moved from Melbourne to Queensland within weeks of initial orders being filled, I was then in a position without family support. As a result, there was no ‘baby sitting’ privileges, and financially, a babysitter or a nanny was out of the question. My daughter attended business meetings with me, (she was then 3), network events, and tagged along on sales calls and deliveries. It meant that trade fairs were out of the question, as I couldn’t afford to fly us both to Melbourne to stay with family, then fly myself to whatever city the fair was held in, and then back to Melbourne to collect my daughter, and back to Queensland.

The flip side is, that without my child as inspiration, the business would never have existed. And without being a mum, I would not have had to find alternative ways to make it work. Being a mum in business has only enhanced my creativity and business acumen.

8.    Do you have any tips on how to best balance business and Motherhood?

Remember why you are in business, and that is usually so you can stay home with your child more. Motherhood is the most important, diverse, challenging and rewarding (apologies for the cliché) position you will ever hold. My tips are pretty much for those choosing to work from home, as I do. So, to balance your business and you job as a mother:

1. Little one still taking a nap. Make the most of it!
2. When they are younger, and are yelling or playing up while you are trying to get something done, take a minute to realize they only want a bit of your attention. So stop what you are doing and give it to them. An hour later, you will be back working without interruption, and they will be happy.
3. Old enough to understand but still wanting time with you? The oven timer is a gift. Put the timer on for an hour, work your heart out, and when the buzzer goes off, you stop work. It doesn’t matter is you are half way through a task or only need one minute more to finish a task. STOP. It’s time for play. Reset the timer for an hour and play. When the buzzer goes off. STOP. Back to work. If you try to extend time past the buzzer, no one respects each others time. You will be amazed how much time this grants you to get things done, and is a life saver for school holidays or weekends.
4. Be organized at home and flexible with work. Don’t work until one minute before dinner or you will be flustered and the kids will be screaming. Stop work for the day in time to make dinner, (or pick up takeaway) and let work go for a few hours. The kids can’t stay awake forever, so go back to work when they are asleep.
5. Toast and cereal are acceptable as dinner.

9.    What is the best advice you could give any Mum, contemplating starting their own business?

1.    Be passionate or forget it. What is passionate? The idea gives you the energy to work alte into the night and still bound out of bed in the morning excited.
2.    When you come up with ideas, go and discuss them with the biggest pessimists you know, they will come up with all of the problems you will face. Then you can go off and plan ways to deal with or avoid these potential pitfalls.
3.    Avoid the pessimists unless you have something new you need to work on.
4.    Working from home? A laptop and wireless dsl
5.    Join Women’s Network Australia. Invaluable, and the only network I recommend.
6.    Read! I recommend “Show Mummy the Money”** for a good starting point, and “The one minute millionaire” to see that anything is possible if you want it badly enough. Then read everything and anything that captures your eye or imagination, and learn from what you read.

7.    Where can viewers purchase products from Coconut Luggage?

www.coconutluggage.com
Tel: 0409 143 041