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MumsClub Name: Qualitee
Real Name: Pauline Adams
Age or age range!: Age 47
Children:Two Children; 5 & 10 years old
Business: Tees Online & Kiddie Tees
Key features of your business:
Screenprinted T-shirts for Adults, kids, promotional wear, maternity tees, I’m the big brother, I’m the big sister t-shirts.
When did you start up in business?
2003 with the t-shirts on a very small basis
What was your motivation to start up?
Having made the decision to home educate my children I had to close down a thriving bannerette business so I decided as I had the screenprinter for the bannerettes I did not want it all to go to waste and a screenprinting business could be worked around home educating my children and I could work entirely at my own pace.
How did you decide what business to go into?
It was purely 'accidental'. I bought the bannerette business after working for the previous owner on a self employed basis. He was going to close down the business due to his own ill health so I decided to buy the business as I still needed my pin money! We purchased the t-shirt screen printer purely for the bannerettes as we had to out source our printing. It became clear after a while that the screen printer could not print the bannerettes as we had been informed it could.
What were the easiest aspects to setting up?
The easiest aspect was getting the funding!
...and the hardest?
Keeping quiet that I was pregnant within 3 months of taking over the business......for fear of losing my biggest client.
What stage is your business at now and how long has it taken you to get to this point?
I now only screenprint t-shirts. I have been doing this now for 3 years on a less than p/time basis, selling on word of mouth to small business. However, this year I set up my own website and advertised (on MumsClub only) and my business has taken off unbelieveably well. So really my business could still be considered new but with 3 years experience behind me. It has basically taken me 3 years to get serious and realise how good a business I have here.
Did you have children when you started up?
Yes, a 5 yr old son when I originally bought the business and further on down the line with the screenprinting business I have a 10 yr and a 5 yr old
If your children came after, how does life compare now?
Having one that came after buying the business I wonder what on earth I did with all my free time!
Has working and raising a family been challenging?
Too bloody right it has, lol! The working is a doddle...........kids are the challenge!
How do you manage to juggle your business with family life?
I home educate which gives me plenty of time with my children! I am totally flexible as to when I work and when I don't. That is the great thing about working from home, the complete flexibility. I do have deadlines to meet with customised orders but then I just plan family life around them in the knowledge that once that order is complete we go back to whatever we were doing!
As a business mum, what are the pro’s...and con’s?
The pro's are in the example I am setting my children and how they will autonomously learn from my having the business and that they get involved on occasion. The con's are the lack of being able to concentrate with children around (24/7!) Also, my own personal problem of not wanting to switch off from the business.
As an entrepreneur, what problems have you overcome and how?
I guess I cannot really say I have had 'problems' as such. I did go through the fear that if my biggest client knew I was pregnant immediately after taking over the business they would take their business elsewhere. That was overcome by just keeping quiet about my second baby until she was about 1 yr old and I had never missed a single deadline, including the most urgent of jobs, so I knew that I had proved I was totally capable to my client.
What has been your biggest business achievement?
Starting my website with no technical knowledge at all.
Where do you want to be in 3, 5 or 10 years time?
In 10 yrs time I would like my husband to be working from home doing the printing on a full time basis with myself bringing in all the orders (as well as giving them out!!!) and also travelling to exhibitions/shows printing and selling t-shirts.
If you could start your business again, what would you do differently ?
Nothing, it has panned out brilliantly and certainly my advantage.
What resources are available to you now that you wish you had access to when your business was young?
MUMSCLUB without a shadow of a doubt.
What advice would you give another mum considering starting her own business?
Definitely go for it and take it at your own pace and try not to get too obsessed with it..........the kids still have to be fed! Ignore any negative input from friends or family and think positive about what you are doing.
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