ANTONETTE TALKS ABOUT MOTHERHOOD…
How has your life changed since you had children?I’m a little calmer now, less worried about the house being clean and arriving on time. I can laugh at the sillier times in life and spend time playing and messing around.
What do you wish you had been told about motherhood?
That I will make mistakes. That what is truly important is that my intentions are good, my heart is in the right place and that what I do is truly the right thing to do for my child.
How do you strike a balance between running a business and raising a happy family?
Business is a big part of my life but for what I have learnt over my life experience is that my life must fundamentally include family fun, personal fulfillment and harmony. So I work from home, and I get to look out my backyard window where the kids are digging up dirt and getting up to mischief – and I feel like I’m there with them - that’s exactly where I want to be and its probably one of the best things about what I do. Sure there are good days and bad days – that’s part of the package. To me success comes with determination, passion and a willingness to do what is right. When I stick to these values it seems like all the hectic days are worth it.
ANTONETTE GOLIKIDIS TALKS ABOUT BUSINESS…
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What prompted you to create Little Innoscents?When I fell pregnant with my first child, I searched for baby products that were chemical free and was disappointed to find a limited range of products, which were often difficult to locate, overly expensive, or offered misleading information. I was so tired of “pretend organic” companies making natural claims and misleading consumers and clever marketing which enabled many companies to promote natural and organic without really having formulations that abide by this claim. This frustrated me, so I decided to develop my own baby care range that can prove its authenticity.
How did you go about starting up the range?
I started by making the products by myself in my kitchen. My friends and family would come by and help me out and so would the neighbours who could smell me cooking up a batch a mile away with the delicious scents lingering in the street! As we grew I outsourced my manufacturing… but initially it really was a touch of insanity that made me tick - once I had the idea to bring out a range I stopped all other ventures and solely worked on formulating the range which took over 10months of trials & testing. The next step was to have the product range certified by one of the world’s leading organic certification bodies - ACO (Australian Certified Organic).This was important to me because Certified organic makes a statement about who Little Innoscents is… it means everything to us and gives our consumers the assurance that our products have been manufactured and handled according to strict guidelines - completely free of chemicals.
What have been your biggest business challenges?
Sticking to a Budget – beginning a small business often means you have a fabulous idea but limited cash flow, so one of the most difficult hurdles has been learning how to spend money, so that your expenditure is cost effective for the business. Also juggling my business along with motherhood - this is at times a huge challenge. I adore my children and want to spend as much time as I can with them so I tend to work late at night while they are asleep.
What advice can you offer other women who want to go out ‘on their own’?
If I could offer any tips as a business women I would definitely say that it is crucial to have a clear vision of the business and express this in a concise business plan. Taking thoughts out of your mind and putting them onto paper makes you realise what your true potential is. My other advice would be to take your vision and turn it into action - without a vision or dreams my company would not even exist.