Rae is the gorgeous mompreneur behind otherware, and mama of a precious little girl named Chloe. Rae creates the most beautiful natural, safe pieces for your teething babes and works hard to curate and feature amazing baby items on her website. She has the most perfect aesthetics and I am absolutely thrilled to feature her girlboss story on the blog today.
Can you describe your business for the readers who don't already know you?
I will keep this as simple as possible,
just like my business model. We like to create well-made products that are
sweatshop free. Being a mother, I wanted to create an inspirational space for
other mompreneurs to discover sustainable, natural products for their little
ones because as a mother myself, I know how important it is to know what our
babes play, eat, sleep in.
When did you start?
Otherware started as me a few months back
and is now a collaborative goods site featuring other mommy brands from around
the world. Check us out!
Tell us how you decided to start. Were you
inspired by your product and the need for it or did you want to start a
business first and thought of the product second? Is it a full time job for
you?
I have always had the desire to create
anything really. I worked around the world as a Creative Director for multiple
agencies before I landed back in Canada just over 2 years ago. When I got home
I was a little bit lost in my career, so I dabbled with some freelance design
work here and there and after falling pregnant with Chloe, a few lost jobs due
to the economy and a couple of other life things that happened I decided I
wanted to create something fresh and I wasn’t into the typical colourful
teething jewels that we have all seen out there on the market. To be honest, I
had always wanted to do retail but was scared to go for it because it can be
risky!
This is now my full time job, besides being
a mom and I love it. I have never been more passionate about anything and all
of the mompreneurs on Instagram inspire and amaze me everyday.
Was it hard to get things started? Can
you describe the process?
The reason why I picked the name
‘otherware’ is because eventually I had a vision of not only selling my ‘wares’
but ‘other’ people’s ‘wares’ as well. To be honest, it was so easy for me to
get started because of my background in advertising and design. One day I just
got the pantone books out and ordered a bunch of beads off Etsy with some extra
USD I had saved up from design work! When the product came I tried a bunch of
different ways of tying and strength testing them and voila! Now, whenever I
have free time (rarely ever with Chloe!) I sit down and create or take
photographs using my Moment Lens for my iPhone (I take all of my pictures at
home and edit them myself). Nowadays, it is so easy to start a business, build
a website and make a name for yourself. Especially with platforms like Shopify
and cool companies like Moment Lens.
How did your family react? Your husband?
My husband is the best thing that ever
happened to me, he never doubts anything I do. He is straight up the most
loving, supportive man and I am so blessed to have him and Chloe in my life.
Without them, otherware would not exist! Chloe loves the beads, when she is in
a good mood but she would rather the remote most days, haha!
With social media, it is easy to fall in
the comparison game. I believe women entrepreneurs should lift each other up -
what has your experience with social media been like?
Good question, I have had a few bad run ins
over social media as have other close friends of mine. For some people, success
is a greedy game and the jealousy strikes extra hard when one sees that someone
is creating something better than them. I am not sure if it is all the hormone
raging mothers or the fact that they just have nothing better to do. The worst
part, these are moms bullying moms. What kind of values are these mothers
teaching their children? There are a lot of us out there doing the same things,
using the same suppliers, the same fabrics, colours and whatever else comes
into play. We also all follow trends and if we didn’t then we wouldn’t be good
at what we do. Therefore, sometimes our product can/will look similar. We are
all lucky that we have the luxury of sharing on a platform like Instagram and
we shouldn’t abuse that. There are approx. 7 Billion people in the world and
there is honestly room for all of us. Share the love people!
What are your hopes for 2016?
I have big hopes and dreams for 2016! I have
already brought on board a stockist from Australia @earlyriser_ and am planning
on carrying a Norwegian kids clothing brand that is absolute perfection.
What advice to you have for aspiring
entrepreneurs?
Honestly, if you have a good idea just do
it. There is no harm in failure and no reason to be fearful. We only live life
once so we might as well do as many amazing things as we can before our time is
up.
Thank you so much for this interview and
your love and support towards otherware. We love you too. xo
Love these products. So cute!
ReplyDeleteI love the design and that your products are safe for our teething babes !! can't wait to try to use one of these!
ReplyDelete