Buckle up for my startup journey!

Similar to how I got there in the first place, I was balls deep in the newborn stage, my third baby, three under 7yrs old. My sister & I both had a baby at the same time & both struggled to find modern clothing for the ‘always out & about, breastfeeding on demand’ mothers. I also noticed many women around me would avoid public breastfeeding at all cost. This hurt my heart. Everyone eats out, why cant your baby? So I had to do something.. I didnt want to go back to my Real Estate job so I started a brand… “GoldMiilk” Breastfeeding clothes for the cool Mums to create a positive public breastfeeding experience. Say goodbye to lifting your top to feed & exposing your postpartum bod. I designed invisible zip tees & jumpers for Mother’s to discreetly feed anywhere, anytime without scarifying style or comfort. I got you girl.

I had $900 in the bank. No business experience, no design experience, just a belly full of passion to help other Mothers. But from the get go, I decided I wasn’t “starting a little business”. This was going to be a well known brand, I pulled up my sleeves & hit google with 455 questions. Because I was starting with no money, one week I setup my domain, the next week I ordered samples, signed up to Canva Pro, the next week I ordered shipping boxes & thank you cards & so on. Slow & steady wins.

I also decided I needed quick knowledge so I found a business coach (Lisa Jones) who was perfect for that first year! 16 months after launching I had a 6-figure business & it was time for me to search for a proper warehouse, I had well outgrown the home double garage.

I come from a family of business owners so this is where my drive comes from. I started my first job at 11yrs old at my local corner store, cash in hand. Dont get me wrong though, Im driven but lazy. I hate learning new things, especially technology, I’m totally behind the times with EVERYTHING! This has been one of my greatest challenges with my brand, oh & loosing $5,000 worth of stock in transit but that’s a story for another day!

I found a gap in the market for trendy breastfeeding clothes within Australia. BUT..  I designed it based on what colours were on trend & what I thought people would want rather than what I personally was wearing or thought was cool. Turns out people like the designs I did for myself better & they were our best sellers. Fast forward 2yrs & GoldMiilk has won 6 awards & helped countless Mothers have the confidence to breastfeed in public for the first time. That’s success for me. Career made. 

So whats in the future for GoldMiilk? This year I hope to triple sales & hire my first staff which I’m excited about! Ill have someone to talk too!

If you are at the start of your business. Few things Ive discovered – The classic saying “A customer will become a friend before a friend becomes a customer” is SO TRUE. Don’t make your dream, just a daydream. Pull your finger out & make a sacrifice. I’d rather increase my ad spend & eat 2min noodles for a week.

What’s the worst thing that can happen? The answer is usually about loosing money. Im pretty proud so you cant knock me down too easy. I know failure is also part of the process. You won’t learn anything if you just win, win, win.

Thanks for reading my waffle on, pretty please follow me @goldmiilk