Welcome friends to our fortnightly series showcasing some of the awesome Mum’s who are not just raising fab families but who are also in business for themselves. Every fortnight I’ll share a cuppa (so to speak) with an awesome Mum and learn a bit more about the face behind their business. Personally, I am always intrigued and in awe by those running businesses – the how, the why. I firmly believe that “when you support small business, you’re supporting a dream”. So join us each fortnight as we support each other; as we support a dream!
Today, we have the lovely Louise from Fox & Child joining us. As with pretty much all of my lovely featured Mum’s; Louise and I have never meet (well not in real life) we “met” through the wonderful world of social media. I first came across Louise late last year when I was on the hunt for some décor pieces for Sebastian’s room. I was after something that was cool, would stand the test of time, that could be a feature in his room and be played with at the same time (not asking for much) 😉
For those of you who are new to Fox & Child, Louise makes gorgeous wooden Finger Puppets, Maracas, Ten Pins and Carousels. Her products are seriously gorgeous, we already have a set of her Ten Pins, which are a firm favourite and I would love to invest in one of her Carousels (maybe once the renovations are over) 😉 Now, if you haven’t already popped on over and checked out Fox & Child, then I strongly suggest you do. Just… don’t forget to come back here and find out more about the lovely Mum creating all this gorgeousness.
Tell us a bit about yourself, Louise
Hi, I’m Louise Fox. I’m 33 and living in Levin with my partner and two sons, Ryatt 8yo and Blayne who is 2yo. I moved back down to Levin in June 2016 from Rotorua where I had lived for most of my adult life. It was a big move for us but it made sense to be back around my family to ‘build a village’ of support for us. The plan was to get settled in, get stuck into home renovations and eventually go back to work but all the events lead to me starting my own small business.
Where did the name Fox and Child come from?
My older son had trouble adjusting to the move and was recently diagnosed with Asperger’s (high functioning Autism). Its been a big learning curve for all of us and school can be quite overwhelming to him. I need to be available to go and pick him up when needed and I was worried how I was ever going to go back to a normal working week. So along came FOX&CHILD. My surname is Fox and I do what I do for my children so it made sense to go with that name.
My cousin Hayley Fox who has Little Pine & Co. saw the struggles I had and encouraged me to make a few things to sell through Little Pine & Co to see how it would go. Hayley knew I was creative and capable of making something work from home selling handmade products. I was hesitant to start my own business due to the set up costs etc so this seemed like a good option to give it a go through Hayley, this way I had nothing much to lose. It was a success. I gained the confidence to branch out on my own to start my own small business.
Do you have a favourite item you have created? What is it?
The product I’m most proud of is the wooden Finger Puppet Carousels. Our Grandfather was a carpenter and used to make us wooden toys as children. Hayley and I were talking about our childhood and our favorite things when the idea hit me. I was going to do a remake of the wooden carousel we used to play with. There was nothing out there like it and I wanted to come up with something that all children would enjoy and could be used in multiple ways.
When your not working on your business, what do you find yourself doing?
Starting my business was a great solution to getting back my work/life balance. It has given me the freedom I needed to be there for my children and to do something I enjoy. I love having a creative outlet and bringing joy to others. I can create my own working hours so I can have that family time and weekends free too.
A lot of my readers are Mums who will spend on their children but forget about themselves, do you have any pearls of wisdom for them…
Work doesn’t feel like work as I’m doing something I enjoy for me which benefits everyone. Its still in the beginning stages but proving successful so who knows what the future hold for us.
Thank you so much for joining us Louise, I’m so glad you have found something you enjoy and how Fox & Child has allowed you to find the all elusive work / life balance. I wish you all the best with the future and your wee business. Go Mumma, you deserve it! Now lovely readers, have you popped on over and checked out Fox & Child yet, because Louise has a wee deal just for you! Get 10% off all orders from now until midnight August 18th, by simply using the code BLOG at checkout. Are you following Fox & Child’s journey on and because I really think you should!
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