This Aspect Hustle Highlight Q&A options Elle Rowley, founding father of Solly Child, an organization that produces sustainably sourced child wraps made from 100% licensed TENCEL Modal and different child gear. In 2023, Rowley stepped away from her day-to-day position (she now serves the model as a strategic advisor and is on the board), and the corporate welcomed Nicole Newhouse as CEO to steer the subsequent stage of Solly Child’s development.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Solly Child. Elle Rowley.
When did you begin Solly Child as a facet hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
After having my first child in 2009, I used to be shocked to discover a surge of inventive inspiration that I had by no means identified earlier than having youngsters. My husband was nonetheless at school, and I used to be hungry to begin one thing to complement our meager pupil revenue. By the point I used to be pregnant with our second baby in 2011, the web world was fertile floor for moms trying to begin a facet hustle from dwelling. I attempted just a few various things, however I intuitively knew that there was a spot out there when it got here to aesthetically pleasing child gear, so I used to be fairly centered on that area all through my being pregnant.
I liked sporting my first child, and I might heard that wraps have been essentially the most comfy technique to put on an toddler, so being industrious and broke, I made two wraps out of low cost jersey knit material — one for me and one for a good friend who was additionally pregnant. Whereas my crude prototype was removed from what the product turned, I may see the potential for this lengthy piece of cloth to truly be a vogue accent for the wearer reasonably than “child gear.” What actually sealed it, although, was the primary time I timidly ventured out holding my toddler’s hand and carrying my child wrapped on my chest. Earlier than we left the entrance porch, he was asleep and respiratory deeply on my chest. The rise in confidence that I felt with every step was palpable. I felt liberated, and on the similar time, I might by no means felt extra linked to my child. I knew I used to be on to one thing.
What have been a number of the first steps you took to get the facet hustle off the bottom?
I discovered a material provider within the material district of Los Angeles, bought just a few thousand {dollars} value of cloth (because of bank cards and a mortgage from my in-laws), purchased a used serger on Craigslist for $50 and opened an Etsy store. Then, I set to work principally when my infants have been sleeping. I turned our home right into a manufacturing unit to make the primary 50 wraps. I signed up for each native handmade market that I may discover, which did not garner nice gross sales outcomes, however the suggestions I acquired from folks in actual life was invaluable. Lastly, in a call that felt reckless on the time due to the fee, I employed my favourite photographer to take images of me sporting my son. I had a pleasant digicam and will have “made-do” alone, however I knew that having stunning pictures would assist compensate for the various different areas the place the model was weak.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Solly Child
What have been a number of the largest challenges you confronted whereas constructing the enterprise, and the way did you navigate them?
Progress is dear: I had no capital aside from the $4,000 mortgage for material, and finance shouldn’t be my space of experience, so I knew I would wish a really money flow-positive enterprise mannequin. Within the first three years, it was very difficult to finance our development, however I can see what a present it was now to have that constraint. As a result of we had no factoring phrases with our suppliers or credit score traces, we would must pay a hefty deposit on our manufacturing once we submitted the acquisition order. Then, we would pay the rest of the stability upon completion. This made development sluggish, and we have been always underselling. As demand for the product grew, we began inserting every part on preorder on our web site, which gave us sufficient to pay for the order. This made it so our prospects have been basically funding our development.
How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the enterprise usher in at that time?
Gross sales had been rising 12 months over 12 months in 2013, however we have been nonetheless solely grossing just a few hundred thousand {dollars} a 12 months and taking dwelling lower than $100,000. Day by day gross sales have been nonetheless very inconsistent, which made it troublesome to have plenty of confidence in hiring staff and even believing that this was something greater than a facet hustle. I used to be hitting a wall of exhaustion when my husband and I made the leap of religion to carry him into Solly Child with me. He’d completed faculty and was working with one other startup, however we each felt his time can be higher spent if we centered our efforts collectively. This shift instantly led to new development and imaginative and prescient. His assist additionally freed me as much as work extra on the enterprise reasonably than in the enterprise. We then employed our first worker, Kortney, who took over customer support and success in a means that freed my husband and me as much as give attention to development.
Simply weeks after hiring Kortney, and days earlier than I had my third baby within the spring of 2014, we launched our spring assortment, and the demand went via the roof. Gross sales went from wherever between zero to $3,000 per day to $2,000 turning into our new every day baseline — and releases bringing in tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in a day. We hit $1 million in gross sales that November, and by the top of that 12 months, we knew this was way more than a facet hustle.
You’ve got since turned your facet hustle into a really profitable enterprise. What does income seem like now?
It has been superb to expertise the expansion we’ve got been capable of obtain. To see this enterprise develop from my home to an Etsy store to reaching tens of millions of moms, mother and father and households is really humbling. As we continued to construct the crew and discover our footing out there, some years, we noticed income double 12 months over 12 months. Immediately, Solly Child operates at $10 to twenty million in annual income.
What’s your favourite half about working Solly Child?
As a mom of 4, connecting with, encouraging and offering merchandise for postpartum moms throughout a really transformational time of life has at all times been life-giving work for me. It would by no means get outdated to fulfill a mom or father who says, “Your wraps modified my relationship with my child.” Understanding that our merchandise have the ability to vary the trajectory of a parent-child relationship is deeply rewarding.
Growing firm tradition and ethos was additionally very rewarding. I made our firm motto “small issues with nice love” a number of years in the past as a result of I maintain a deep perception that small issues executed thoughtfully create the most important and finest issues. That is related to rising a enterprise and equally related to elevating kids. Seeing this adopted and trickle down into each a part of the corporate as CEO felt very significant.
What does your routine seem like as of late? Are there any useful habits you’d suggest to different entrepreneurs?
Preserving a every day routine is my finest recommendation. I’m an enormous believer in getting up earlier than your youngsters (until you have got an toddler — then sleep as a lot as you possibly can!), exercising, preparing for the day and taking not less than half-hour for religious or meditative follow.
It was simple within the early days to fully neglect myself to fulfill the wants of my household and the enterprise, however I strongly imagine that we might’ve grown sooner and with extra intention had I taken higher care of myself from the start. I used to be working on empty the entire time, and it nearly broke me within the first two years. What’s extra is that the enterprise was not stronger due to my “sacrifices.” I turned very depressed and anxious and at last shared this with my husband. We made a self-care plan collectively, and every part shortly improved in my life, personally and professionally.
What’s your finest recommendation for others hoping to begin a profitable enterprise of their very own?
We’re usually inspired to “assume large” in relation to enterprise, however typically, pondering “small” is the right technique to start — primarily as a result of it would get you to start. I do not assume I’d have had the arrogance to begin a multi-million greenback, world firm on the age of 25, however I did not have to. I simply wanted sufficient confidence to make the primary 50 wraps to assist pay the lease and a honest need to carry moms and infants nearer via the product. That was all I wanted to get the ball rolling, after which my confidence and imaginative and prescient expanded with the corporate. We sort of grew up collectively, Solly Child and me.
