How and why did you start your company and how did you get the idea?
The idea came from my own need. When I became a mother for the first time in 2019, I quickly realised that the market did not offer enough attractive fashion for breastfeeding. Most of the time it was only available in combination with maternity wear. A combination that looks very unflattering when the pregnancy belly is gone. So I was looking for fashion that I could breastfeed in without having to expose myself completely, that was not maternity wear and was also stylish, timeless and sustainably produced. I couldn't find that at the time, so I quickly decided to design my own breastfeeding fashion.
What were the biggest challenges when you started your business and how did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge in the beginning was that I am not a fashion designer and I cannot sew. At first I wanted to learn to sew myself, but with a baby I didn't have the time or peace to do so. So I used my child's sleeping hours to research. I took a more structured approach and contacted a lot of production companies to understand the production process. I realised what I needed and what was missing: a person who could make technical drawings of my ideas. Once I found that person, the rest fell into place. I approached all the other milestones step by step until I launched my first collection of nursing wear in the summer of 2021.
What challenges do small businesses in Germany face when trying to find finance?
At this point I have to broaden the question: "What challenges do small businesses run by women and mothers face when trying to find finance?". Because unfortunately that's another difference. I completely self-financed the launch of my first collection, building and developing everything myself except for the technical drawings, which saved a lot of costs. External funding only became interesting to me after the first year, when I realised how big the potential was. I couldn't keep up with the reproductions and didn't have the financial resources to place larger orders. So I first went to the banks to apply for start-up loans. Questions like "How are you going to do that with two children?" were unfortunately among the first questions asked. Yes, I already had two children. So not only did I start the business, build it from scratch, but I was pregnant again, had a second child, and was running the business with a toddler and a baby - and doing it successfully. The proof of concept was there, the collection was selling out. But the banks didn't trust the market, couldn't deal with the subject. After the fifth rejection from a bank, I realised I needed a business angel who believed in my concept. I finally found one. The search for capital took a total of 5 months.
Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
I was born in 1988 in a small town near Cologne and worked a lot in fashion stores during school. I loved advising customers. After my A-levels I moved to London through my then employer and worked full time in a fashion store to improve my language skills. After 6 months I returned and started my International Business Studies at TH Köln in 2013. I then moved to Vancouver, Canada, where I worked as the assistant to the CEO of a medium-sized skate and snowboard equipment retailer. In 2015, I returned to Cologne to start my job as project manager for strategic non-food procurement at REWE Group. The rest you will know after the birth of my first child in 2019.
How do you deal with gender stereotypes in German business?
It starts with the fact that I am always addressed as "Mr". This has always been the case because I have a lesser-known name, but now that I am a managing director, it is used almost 100% of the time. My feeling is that as a woman you have to be more vocal and show what you have achieved, because women are often pigeonholed. Either you are the ambitious career woman or the caring mother. You can be both or just one. Each option is hard work, because there is a lot of work behind each of these activities. And women should be allowed to say that without being labelled in any way. You know, I always emphasise that I work at night and look after my children during the day. Not because I want everyone to pat me on the back. But because I want to show that it can be really hard work and that appreciation, respect and consideration are great. Even when I share the care with my husband, there is often a very young child with the mother. So I often leave my phone on during the day and only tackle important tasks that require my concentration in the evening or at night. Many women and mothers still work late because they have to leave work early to pick up their children from the nursery. Not all of them are paid for this extra time because they are on part-time contracts. Also, mothers are unlikely to be offered responsible jobs after their maternity leave unless they work full time. I also see a lot of mothers among my clients who have excellent qualifications but are reduced to being mothers and have little opportunity to develop at work. That's a problem!
What are the main reasons for using a cash flow planner in your business and what are the main benefits?
We can't do without a cash flow planner! We are in a growth phase and are constantly investing a lot in goods to be able to continue to scale. If I don't have an overview of what payments are due and when, the whole structure collapses. The fashion industry in particular is not easy. Factors such as returns are designed to make life difficult for a start-up. And especially in the beginning, you have low production volumes, worse conditions and unattractive payment terms. It's getting better for us as we grow. Before I used Puls Project, I used to collect all the data manually in an Excel spreadsheet. Now I save a lot of time!
What strategies do you use to balance work and personal life in the dynamic world of entrepreneurship?
To be honest, it's a challenge! It helps me to distribute my to-dos in a clear and structured way so that I do not lose track. I use an app to manage all my tasks and prioritise them throughout the week. My appointments are also included. I can see everything at a glance: what is due and what is already overdue. As I don't yet have fixed or normal working hours, I also try to separate my working hours from my private time and plan my work around my children's sleeping hours or times when my children can be looked after elsewhere by my husband or grandparents. This also means that I only answer really urgent emails and phone calls during my private time. Of course, this doesn't always work.
What market trends in Germany do you consider to be particularly important for the development of your company in the coming years?
Consumer behaviour is the most important thing for us. How and where do our customers prefer to shop? I think our online shop will continue to be very important for us, but we are also building a local base and will soon open our showroom in the heart of Cologne - the first bricks-and-mortar store for breastfeeding fashion. The problem with nursing fashion in general is that it's almost all available online! And especially after pregnancy, you are unsure about your size. That is why we want to give our customers in Cologne and the surrounding area the opportunity to try on our collection. Second hand is also important to us: in the future we would like to open a section for previously worn dayê rose nursing fashion, which can thus be reintegrated into the cycle.
What role do digital technologies play in the development of your business and how do you keep up with the latest innovations?
I am always looking for new ways to improve the shopping experience in our store. There are great new shop integrations all the time, and app developers don't rest! So I proactively search for solutions, look at reviews of other shops and have also subscribed to a few newsletters that keep me up to date. Trade magazines are also a good way to keep up with the latest innovations.
