The business of bouquets

SMTM speaks with Katrina Hedderwick from S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets

In 2005 Katrina Hedderwick started S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets (S.O.H. Sleepy an acronym for Son of Hedderwick). S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets offers imaginative, distinctive and practical gifts of basic essential clothing for baby and new Mum’s.

I recently spoke with Katrina, to find out how she started her business, what she has learnt and what would she pass on to other budding Mum-preneurs. Katrina explained during her maternity leave with her son Xavier, she started to look into what she could do from home that would allow her to stay at home with her child and still generate an income. She said she researched a number of different options and concepts as a basis for a potential home based business. She initially considered doing something in the hamper line, however was reluctant to pursue this idea due to the high number of competitors already operating in the market place. Katrina also looked abroad at the international trends and markets and finally came across a product in the US, where she found she could potential adapt the concept to the business she now owns and operates S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets.

Katrina stresses it is important to do your research before starting any type of business, she advocates the importance of planning, she says, “I found the more information I have the better equipped I was to successfully start and operate my business”. Katrina’s research further revealed there were already two similar businesses operating in NSW, however there were no such competitors operating in Victoria, Katrina knew she could successfully carve out a niche market in Victoria. Katrina initially began by making various gifts, tinkering with the features of the product, sourcing advice and opinions from friends and family, until she felt confident she had designed and developed a product range that would truly satisfy the needs of her Victorian based market.

When starting any business it is important to consider your “brand”, what do you want the product and business to convey to your customers, how do you want to position your product in the mind of the consumer. Katrina acknowledged her research helped her to design her product to enable her to create and develop a point of differentiation, so when people see a S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquet, they recognise it a S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquet. As Katrina’s business has grown, she has continued to redefine her product range, inline with market trends to better satisfy the needs of her target market.

Networking is vital for any small business owner, it is important to realise you know what you know and know what you don’t. Katrina says she only realises now with hindsight the valuable contribution networking has had on the success of her business. Katrina says creating a network and or joining a network allows you the opportunity to talk to other people, who can offer other insights, advice and direction that can help you steer your business on the right course to success.

Katrina belongs to the Business Mums Network, http://www.businessmums.com/. She has found this membership to be invaluable she attends monthly chapter members and finds she by regularly meeting up with other like minded women, she has gained valuable advice and guidance. Katrina suggests Mums also talk to other Mums at playgroups or kinda about their ideas.

Katrina points out it is very important to create strong relationships with your suppliers, she says she has remained loyal to those who have given her a go. Often when starting a business the hardest task is sourcing and securing good suppliers. Quite often suppliers have large minimum order restrictions, making it difficult for a small business to achieve cost efficiencies. Katrina explained it is possible source overseas suppliers however it does take a bit of research. Katrina says “ I spent hours and hours searching for the right supplier, she was particularly concerned about quality of the product she could import, ultimately she found one lead which led to another, that has resulted in two large bulk shipments from China.

Marketing is often one of the biggest expenses a small business will undertake. Katrina said because she had a tight cash flow, she needed to find in expensive ways to market her business, whilst maximising the dollar spend on marketing. Katrina decided to undertake her own PR, in Katrina’s words “who better than to tell your story, than yourself”. Katrina’s self-promotional efforts have resulted in a number of news worthy articles such as the “Herald Sun 2006”.

To be a successful business owner it is important to recognise when you have reached a stage where you ultimately need help to get to the next level. Katrina said she realised in order to grow S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets; she needed to employ the services of a business coach. Katrina’s business coach has helped her to identify the areas of the business she needs to work on in order to get to the next level. Katrina likens her business coach to a road map, she can visualise where she wants the business to be in five years and the business coach provides the road map to how she will get there.

Katrina was fortunate she had some experience in websites and web design before setting up, S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets. For many business owners setting up a website can be an absolute minefield. Katrina provided some great tips for those considering starting a business through a website:
•   Keep it simple don’t over do the site
•   Remember visitors want to get in and out, 4 clicks
•   If you use a shopping cart, make it easy, quick and efficient to order products, pay and exit
•   If the site is too intricate it will be to slow for visitors
•   Branding is important, your site must reflect your branding strategy, if your site is hot pink, like S.O.H Sleepy Baby Bouquets, then this should be reflected in your business cards, marketing material and so forth.

One of the greatest benefits from starting your own business is the sense of self-fulfilment and achievement. Katrina says she enjoys being able to look back and see she has been able to take something from a concept to an actual growing business, which makes a real turn over. Katrina also notes it is still difficult to achieve a happy balance between work life and family commitments. She says she is fortunate to have good support from family and friends acknowledging “it is important to ensure you have the necessary support behind you when considering starting a business”.

Katrina’s top 4 tips for starting a home-based business

1.   If you have an idea RESEACH IT
2.   Believe in yourself, you can take an idea to implementation
3.   Tap into your contacts and networks
4.   Don’t be afraid to ask questions, don’t ask don’t know


About S.O.H. Sleepy Baby Bouquets \| www.sohsleepybabybouquets.com.au We all love giving and receiving flowers, especially for the birth of a new baby, but lets face it the beauty and sentiment of a floral arrangement only lasts for a short time. S.O.H. Sleepy Baby Bouquets combines a visually appealing arrangement with a range of practical gifts for newborns, infants and expectant or nursing mothers. S.O.H. Sleepy Baby Bouquets was born in March 2005 out of a desire for imaginative, distinctive and practical gifts in the local Victorian marketplace. The products we have chosen to launch S.O.H. Sleepy Baby Bouquets in Melbourne, Victoria are designed, created and marketed with the intent of providing unique and practical alternatives to fresh floral arrangements. The bright colours used set the fresh and fun theme for the range.
Katrina Hedderwick \| S.O.H. Sleepy Baby Bouquets P.O. Box 4177, Croydon Hills, Vic 3136 \| Ph: 0419 583281

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