What is the nature of your business? (Business Profile)
Moms in Mind is a small mother-run business that sells baby-sarong sling and breastfeeding apparel.

What made you embark on this venture choice?
This business has evolved from my belief in breastfeeding and in encouraging other mothers to breastfeed and likewise nurture their children. And of course…from my desire to be able to wear the cutest tops & also dresses while breastfeeding. The business revolves around our family & work partners: product designer, testers, graphics designer, packaging co-ordinator, we have them all!

How does your business work?
we have an online store through which we do the main bulk of our sales. We also distribute our slings and nursingwear to selected department stores and specialty boutiques locally and overseas.

so how then do you market your product?
We market our products through our website, magazine promotions. Another powerful avenue is through "Word-of-Mouth" as our customers share with their friends and family about our products as they use them in their daily lives! We also participate in exhibitions once in a while.

Do your parents have their own businesses too?
No, both do not have their own busninesses.

is it something new and unique in singapore?
It is a niche area. Our market is small and specialised as our focus is just on the postnatal breast-feeding mothers. Not every mother breastfeeds, so we hope that as we provide breastfeeding-friendly products, we also promote breastfeeding and encourage more mothers to breastfeed. Through the use of our fashionable breastfeeding attire and baby slings, mothers will find that they can breastfeed discreetly whereever they are, and thus not only be more motivated to give their babies the best by breastfeeding but also to breastfeed for a longer time.

since it is such a new and unique concept in singapore? are your customers singaporeans?
Most of our customers are Singaporeans but as a business with a strong online presence, we do have customers from all over world. Not unusual too, since breastfeeding is not unique just to Singapore mothers.

who are mainly your customers?
Our customers are expectant mothers and those who have just given birth. They do tend to be those who are more knowledgeable and motivated to research and surf the internet for information on parenting, and of course that includes the area of breastfeeding. Many are mothers who have continued breastfeeding their children on returning to the workforce.

Do you have any help in setting up the business?
I started the business mainly from my own savings. We also obtained an IDA grant under their pioneer scheme for setting up our Online Store in 1999.But basically, we worked within our funds by starting ot with a small product range. This strategy was important too, as our children were still so young then and the amount of time that I could on the business was very limited.

Who/What motivates you?
Mothers. they are what keep me going.

Tell me about the first few years of business.
It all started out form home: With a 5 year old, a 2-1/2 year old, and a newborn baby. Business became an extension of our family life. Amidst our daily routines, I would dream up designs, liaise with suppliers & manufacturers, pack goods, maintain our website handle accounts, and even send out deliveries. Our newborn, Timmy was a constant "business partner" as he was breastfeeding; going with me eyerywhere as i went for meetings and deliveries. Often, there times when I would even have our older boy sleeping in the sling while carrying the baby and packages in my arms during trips to the post office and on buying trips. We eventually needed more space for storage, so rented a small office.

Please tell me some stories of your best day in business or your proudest achievement to date.
Our best days are when custormers share with us how our products have helped them in parenting and when they come back with their second, third and even more babies! It was also gratifying to receive endorsements through awards given, like the Montblanc Businesswoman award, and the Singapore Women's Weekly Lingerie Awards for the bras we produce.

So did you design all your clothes?
Yes, all the nursing clothes are designed by me. I also decide on the styles of our baby slings and we have also recently gone into the design of nursing bras.

Tell me about your worst day in business?
The worst day in running this business was when i lost the main bulk of the monies from my Christmas Sales one year. This happened when the internet credit card processing company that we used ceased operations. We never managed to recover those funds.

When you first started, did you already dream big?
We have always worked on small dreams and expanded from those.

From your years of business, what is the one lesson learnt.
We have learnt to always operate with honesty and integrity. It does not pay to mislead nor to hurt anyone in the process.

Is your business smooth sailing a the way?
Certainly no. We do make wrong decisions, but through these, we learn.

Who or what inspires you?
Again, it is the Mothers. Making it more convenient for them to breastfeed is my goal. It is this ideal that keeps me going.

Have you ever thought of expanding the business in some way or in multiple locations? How and where?
We have been growing our product lines over the years. From a handful of nursing wear styles, and one range of bably slings, we now have many more, including our own line of nursing bras. We have several international buyers and have been growing overseas through our design services.

Is this a family business? Because you all seems so close-knitted
No, we are not a family business, although my children do come to help me out, and my husband is great in suporting my efforts. Me and my staff are close-knit as we share similar views in parenting. We often have or children here with us as we work too.

To do then think it is necessary to have a close relationship between employers and employees to make the business a success?
Not necessarily, but it is important that the relationship is cordial and that employees are familiar with our business focus and are able to relate with our customers according to our mission. As with any relationship, there is always a need for all to work well together.

What do you think differentiates your business from others?
We are unique, we have fresh new designs and introduce new products frequently so that our customers have more choices! All of us love interacting with new mothers, gushing at their new babies, and sharing with them.

As we try to select the final 41 entrepreneurs, what qualities would you think a person should have to inspire others?
One must have a passion to work on. Only then would one be kept going with new ideas and new projects. It is the result of these that we inspire.

What are some of your own values in doing business and what do you like to pass down to others, particularly the younger generation?
The passion to work on.

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