This week’s Ambassador Feature is with Emma Lovell, CoziGo
2017 Bronze winner of AusMumpreneur Rising Star award
*****
Tell us about yourself and your business?
I’m originally from the UK and came to Australia for a 6 month backpacking holiday almost 20 years ago. When the time came to go home, I ditched my return ticket and decided I wanted to say in the beach Suburb of Manly, Sydney. After a host of crazy-fun jobs like Contiki Tour Guide and climb leader on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, I had to start getting a little more serious! I become an Australian citizen and decided I didn’t want to go back to teaching so started managing other people’s businesses and was involved in a number of start-ups. I had always been told I would never have children but discovered I was pregnant which ended in a miscarriage, but my husband and I were hugely grateful to know that having children may be an option!
I went on to give birth to Aimee and I was made redundant from my job in marketing at Q Station Retreat in Manly once it was time to go back to work (don’t get me started on that one) …. It was at this stage that I realized I didn’t really want to go back to working for someone!
I took the plunge with developing a product from scratch – I managed to bring CoziGo to market whilst Aimee was very young. I also went through a second miscarriage and gave birth to Harry. Just before launch, I appeared on Network Ten’s Shark Tank winning over Australian Boost Juice founder, Janine Allis with my innovative sleep & sun cover for airline bassinets and strollers. CoziGo is now selling through retail stores across Australia and I have taken the brand global via distribution partners in the UK, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE. We’re currently working on US distribution.
In my spare time (when I have any), I like to ski, swim and practice yoga – but most of all, I like to travel with my family!
What was your inspiration for your business?
My daughter was just 5 months old when I decided to take her to see my mum in the UK for the first time. It was an awful flight as Aimee didn’t sleep the whole time and I remember telling my mum that I wouldn’t do that again in a hurry. Sadly, during that visit my mum was diagnosed with a life-ending illness and I took the difficult decision to relocate and look after her. During that year, I flew from Sydney to London and back four times… each and every flight was terrible as Aimee was unable to sleep during the flight. The airline provides you with a bassinet, but it is directly under a TV, right next to the toilet where people gather the whole flight and subject to the distraction of passers-by, overhead reading lights and cabin lights. It’s really difficult to remove these distractions in order to get baby to sleep. I searched for a product to help overcome these difficulties to no avail. It was after my mum passed away and I started to heal that I started to doodle pictures of a product that may overcome this problem – and there the journey started!
CoziGo is the world’s first Multi-Purpose Sleep & Sun Cover for all Strollers, Prams & Airline Bassinets. It’s an essential item for getting out and about every day with your baby and a must-have for flying and travel! CoziGo is 100% breathable, blocks 97% of light, can be opened up and used as a sun cover providing UVP of 50+ and is super compact and lightweight. It’s fast become known as “The Miracle Cover” for mums that value their babies all-important sleep routine whilst maintaining a healthy outdoor lifestyle.
Did you have any experience in running a business or in this industry before?
Originally I was a high school teacher of Business Studies and IT. I left teaching and went on to manage a variety businesses before becoming a Start UP specialist helping businesses with Pre-opening tasks such as recruiting and building their team and developing operational procedures etc. Before having my first child I was on the start-up team for Q Station Retreat in Manly – that was a very special place! As far as bringing a product to market …. I had NO IDEA. Google was my best friend for a long time! Because of my lack of experience, I made lots of mistakes – or gave myself the opportunity to learn as I’d like to think.
What’s your point of difference that makes your business special or unique?
CoziGo was the first product to hit the market that really focussed on in-flight comfort specifically for babies and children. Since our launch, we have seen a number of products hit the market and I feel partly responsible for carving out a new industry. It’s a great feeling that for the first time in history the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have included a guidance in their Cabin Safety manual for airlines to refer to worldwide.
What have you learnt about yourself since becoming an entrepreneur?
I have learnt that I am stronger than I ever could have imagined! I have learnt that I value life balance far more than I first thought. I have learnt that business is damn hard, but worth the slog when you have incredible wins. I have learnt that other women in business are amazing and generous with their time and resources and offer incredible support when you most need it!
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced and how have you overcome them?
There have been so many – what I have come to realise though is everyone’s business is full of challenges. It doesn’t mean you’re bad at business…. It’s all about how you overcome them that counts! My biggest hurdle came before I had sold a single product – my first bulk order arrived and was complete and utter rubbish. I lost $25k and to add insult to injury, I had to pay to have the stock destroyed. I think a lot of people would have given up that day, but I worked out where I had gone wrong in the process and put procedures in place to make sure it never happened again!
What lessons have your business taught you about life?
Having my business has taught me the most valuable life lesson of all and as cheesy as it sounds it’s to make sure you have balance! So many women decide to start their business to enable them to spend more time with their family and have more flexibility. They then to go on to work harder and longer hours than any boss would ever expect of them. I worked out that hard way that having nannies and au pairs did not suit our family and I quickly realised that if I could outsource tasks within my business rather than outsource my parenting responsibilities, then we were all going to be much happier. Tomorrow my daughter turns 8 – she will never be 7 again!
If you could go back to when you were starting your business and give your younger self some advice what would you tell her?
I would tell myself to understand that you cannot do everything. Look at what you are capable of doing and outsource the rest as soon as possible so that you can focus on your business and not get stuck working in it.
I would tell myself to be patience, focussed and be tenacious – and don’t take a single win for granted! Stop and celebrate every single one no matter how small!
What’s next for your business?
We are going to continue to secure further distributors for CoziGo from every corner of the world and are working on bringing more products to the market.
If you could change the world, and money was no object, what would you do?
If I could do anything – I would bring every great mind in the world together to cure awful diseases! I lost my mum to Cancer, my dad to Multiple Sclerosis and my husband lost his dad to Motor Neurons Disease. They are two of the most horrible diseases to watch your loved ones be ravaged by and there is no cure for any of them! The role reversal of having to take care of your parents when they are helpless and lost their basic life skills is soul destroying! Without our health, we are nothing!
To learn more about CoziGo, please visit
Website: www.cozigo.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cozigo
Nominations are open for the 2018 AusMumpreneur Awards!
Proudly presented by AusMumpreneur and The Women’s Business School, the AusMumpreneur Awards recognise the best and brightest in the Australian mumpreneur industry, acknowledging success in business, product development & innovation and customer service at a glamorous awards event held in Melbourne. Previous AusMumpreneur of the Year winners and finalists have been featured in national media including Sunrise, The Today Show, Today Tonight, Cosmopolitan, and the Herald Sun and The Australian since winning this award
To nominate yourself or a mumpreneur you admire, please click here. HURRY! Nominations close 29 June 2018.
