Be inspired by the woman behind Willow & Maddie
We talk to Erin Kemeys, the business woman behind Willow & Maddie, about her business and the family/work balance. Tell …
Mums in business
Having a baby is one of the single biggest challenges you will face in your lifetime. It also brings the most rewards. For some Kiwi mums the births of their children creates an opportunity for them to combine their pre-baby skills and knowledge with their new family commitments, for others starting a home business is a way to bring in a much-needed second income without sacrificing time with their children.
OHbaby! was founded by one such Mum, Angela Pedersen, in 2000. Although her first child, Ella, wasn't born until 2005, Angela wanted to create a business that she could run from home whilst still being a stay at home Mum. The success of OHbaby! is a testament to the many hours that Angela, and her husband Royce, put into developing the site in those early days, and that they have continued to put in over the ensuing years.
OHbaby! is still staffed entirely by parents, many of whom work from home, and we know how much time and energy goes into running a home business, especially when you are also running a busy household!
Our Mums In Business directory profiles some homegrown success stories, women who have taken the plunge and established their own home businesses offering a huge variety of products and services.
We hope you'll help us support them!
If you're a Mum In Business and you'd like to see your profile in our directory, email website@ohbaby.co.nz for more information!
Be inspired by the woman behind White Fox & Co.
Melissa Beadle is the woman behind White Fox & Co. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: I purchased White Fox & Co five years ago as a side hustle to fulfil my …
Be inspired by the woman behind Ruby Kids
Rachel Rogers is the woman behind Ruby Kids. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: Ruby Kids started with a desire to run my own business, have a better work/life balance, …
Be inspired by the woman behind Go Mama
Natalie Pitts is the woman behind Go Mama. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: Go Mama is a maternity activewear brand. We offer comfortable and functional budget-friendly …
Be inspired by the woman behind Gwamma.x
Tracy Newell is the woman behind Gwamma.x. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: What began as a necessity has grown into something that I'm passionate about. As a young …
Meet the author of Wild Kinship: Conversations with Conscious Entrepreneurs
Mount Maunganui-based mama and author Monique Hemmingson shares with us some snippets of conversations on balancing work and motherhood with two of the ‘conscious entrepreneurs’ from her book, Wild Kinship. Let’s get to know Monique... Tell …
Be inspired by the woman behind Fair + Square
Author of 'Wild Kinship: Conversations with Conscious Entrepreneurs' Monique Hemmingson chats to Carly Low from Fair + Square about her business and the family/work balance. How did Fair + Square come to be? To be honest, it was by accident. …
Meet the talented woman behind Kami & Kindred
Author of 'Wild Kinship: Conversations with Conscious Entrepreneurs' Monique Hemmingson chats to Hayley Richards from Kami & Kindred about her business and the family/work balance. How did Kami & Kindred come to be? I’ve always loved …
Be inspired by the woman behind The Lactation Station
Renee Ball is the woman behind The Lactation Station. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: The Lactation Station started in my little home kitchen, baking 40 cookies at a …
Be inspired by the woman behind Addison Clothing
Hayley Addison is the woman behind Addison Clothing. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: Addison clothing was created out of the need for breastfeeding clothing that was …
Be inspired by the woman behind Funny Bunny Kids
Sara Jamieson is the woman behind Funny Bunny Kids. We ask her some questions about her business and the family life juggle. Tell us a bit about your business: Funny Bunny Kids began after I was creating designs for my daughter Poppie, and …
New Edition NZ - Morgan Davidson
OHbaby! Tell us a bit about your business. MD: We sell the only New Zealand-made breast pump, along with alcohol-free, family-friendly sanitisers. I went into business with a good friend and after distributing other NZ brands internationally for a …
Little Flock of Horrors - Lucy Wildman
OHbaby! Tell us a bit about your business. LW: We’re a baby and kids merino clothing brand. I spent nine years working at a USA ski resort (where I met my husband Fran), and during my many hours snowboarding, I became aware of the benefits of …
Tuti Cloth Nappies - Megan Anderson
OHbaby! Tell us a bit about your business. MA: We make cloth nappies and eco-friendly products and accessories for babies and toddlers. We wanted to use cloth nappies for our babies and couldn’t find a product that bridged the gap between style and …
The Dough Folk - Rachel Ward
OHbaby! Tell us a bit about your business. RW: I started The Dough Folk just over 12 months ago while on maternity leave with our fourth child. After some brain-storming with my partner, I began designing and crafting nature-based play resources, …
Mod & Tod
Josephine Leong, founder of Mod & Tod Josephine founded Mod & Tod in December 2018. She is mum to two girls aged 5 and 3. OHbaby - Why did you set up your business? Josephine - I love working with beautiful fabrics and wanted to create …
Addison Clothing - Hayley Harrison
Hayley Harrison (maiden name Addison which is how the business got its name) comes from Hamilton, where she has lived her whole life. Hayley has two boys, Luca who is 8 and Ollie who is 4. Hayley founded Addison Clothing at the end of 2016 and is …
KiwiOzNannies - Tanya Burrage
Tanya Burrage is the Founder and Director of Dream Childcare (Dream Au Pair, Dream Educator, Dream Nanny - formerly KiwiOz Nannies). She started Dream Childcare in March 2005 from her kitchen bench with a laptop, a mobile phone and three kids under …
Hannah Berg, Little Fern
Auckland-based Little Fern founder and mother of four Hannah Berg shares her tips on managing motherhood and being creative with running a business – and having a day job! OB: Why did you set up your business? HB: I didn’t want to spend my …
Mel Vaughan - Little Society
OHbaby! chats with Melanie Vaughan, owner of Little Society, and mum of two girls aged four and 19 months. What is your role or job title? Director + master of everything (website designer, marketer, graphic designer, buyer, accountant, warehouse, …
Baby business: homegrown success stories
From humble beginnings to global success, OHbaby! shares the stories of four homegrown Kiwi ventures whose hard work and ingenuity are providing products and services that support parents everywhere. Ten years we’ve been in this business! There’s …
Allium Interiors - Jo Burrell
Jo Burrell, Allium Interiors www.alliuminteriors.co.nz Jo Burrell is interior designer, buyer and co-owner of Allium, along with business partner Suzanne Barker. They set up Allium Interiors in May 2000 after the opportunity arose to open a …
BPM Childcare - Christine LeMaitre
Chaos control Marketing manager Christine LeMaitre's home truths. Things can go a little crazy when you're juggling a job, managing a home and keeping three little boys happy all at the same time. Sometimes, something falls off, despite your …
Kiddy Couture - Meet Naomi Seabrooke
Fashion stakes From banking to baby fashions, Naomi Seabrooke crossed more than one great divide to take on Kiddy Couture As a new mum and (fairly) new arrival to beautiful Queenstown, Australian Naomi took over the high fashion online store …
Kim Snel, Snugbags
Kim Snel set up Snugbags – Merino For Kids, in 2010, when she couldn't find a merino sleeping bag that was warm enough for her new baby. Based in Piha, West Auckland, Kim manages looking after her 5-year old daughter Neeva Rose, with running her …
Cara Davies, August
Cara Davies set up her fledgling merino baby blanket business as a creative outlet that allowed her to work from home. Based in Te Awamutu, the qualified florist tells OHbaby! about juggling life with her two boy Rylan (8) and Noah (5), the …
Maree Harper of LoveLoops
New LoveLoops owner/operator Maree Harper lives in Taneatua, Bay of Plenty and has two children aged 13 and 9. She chats with OHbaby! about managing work and motherhood.OB Why did you set up your business? MH I am the very delighted new owner of …
Tara Lowe - 2 Little Rascals
OHbaby! chats with 2 Little Rascals founder and director, Tara Lowe about taking care of business, and the kids, from Invercargill. Tara has twin boys and a baby on the way. She set up 2 Little Rascals wanting to do something from home while her …
Nature baby
In business, naturally When Georgia Faull had her first child in 1998, she was frustrated with the available range of baby products. Refusing to dress her children in polyester, Georgia set about establishing a business providing quality, …
Babu
www.babu.co.nz OHbaby!: Why did you start Babu? Ali: When I had my son Jack, I couldn't find any sheets I liked that were soft and functional, so I bought some fabric and made some myself. After that, we specified some fabric and had it made for …
Breastmates
Frances McInnes, Founder and Owner of Breastmates OHbaby!: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?Franny: I always had the entrepreneurial streak. Even as a pre-teen, I would organise fundraising and family garage sales. When I was …
Stuck On You
Carrie Felton, CEO of Stuck On You OHbaby!: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Carrie: I've been an entrepreneur from an early age. Remembering cleaning out my mother's attic and selling off some of her …
Mocka - Emma Smith
Emma Smith, owner/director of Mocka OHbaby!: What did you want to be when you grew up? Emma: I wanted to be a vet for years, but ended up being not particularly goodat biology! OHbaby!: Do you ever feel "mummy guilt" …
Merino Mana - Mary Hampton
Mary Hampton, Mum of three adult children and two young grandsons (Jacob 10, Harry, six), founded Merino Mana in 2008. Mary, when asked about her role, says "I have many roles with no specific title, generally I do the ordering of fabrics, …
HOTmilk
Meet Lisa Ebbing and Ange Crosbie, the women behind the glamorous HOTmilk brand of pregnancy and maternity lingerie. When you picture maternity lingerie, what comes to mind? Uncomfortable bras in boring colours, nana knickers, and oversized …