Name of Business: Punkin Patch Infants and Children’s Interiors

Tell us about your family:

I’m married with four children= all boys ages 9, 7, 5, 10 months. We live in Atlanta GA but are currently in Bromley Kent, UK.

What did you do before coming up with your business idea (previous career,stay at home mum etc) and how was it making the transition?

Previously I was a medical representative, nothing to do with children’s interiors! After having my first son, I went back to work for a few months and then quit to become a stay at home mum. I’ve always had a passion for interior design and I started designing homes, then set up my design firm. I purchased the store in Atlanta and dived into the business of selling children’s furniture and bedding, it worked well as I combined my interior design skills with my love for selling beautiful interiors. At Punkin Patch we design nurseries and children’s rooms for free and sell the most beautiful room furnishings we can find. I enjoy it because I get to use my gifts and hobbies and work from home too.

How does it work with children?

I think the first stage was overcoming the mental atitude that I was simply a mother, and that’s it. Children take up your time and every brain cell you were born with. Everything I did in those early days of motherhood, I did it from the view point of being a mum. A lot of of my work is done on the computer as I research new items to add to our product line. I also attend every trade show I can. Because I work from home it is easier to plan my time around the children, this includes staying up through the night and catching up on sleep when they are at school.

When did you launch?

We officially launched in October 2008

What were the pros and cons of taking a business already established in the US to the UK?

There were certainly more pros than cons. The USA market is a $10billion dollar market on juvenile furnishings and parents really love to kit out their children’s rooms. Then of course there’s the celebrity following. Starting out in the US made me aware of just how possible it is to create fantasy rooms, rooms that I had never seen in the UK. That certainly helps with being aware of the market and possibilities. On the other hand we don’t spend so much on children’s rooms here in the UK, I this because the selection just isn’t there.  Also being in the USA helped to establish interest with vendors on favorable terms as many want their products to be seen in the States so we’ve traded favors!

What has been your biggest challenge so far? How have you dealt with it?

A major challenge for me has been the profit margin. It isn’t huge. I’ve overcome that by finding products that are not easily found in the UK, some of the items are made here but are not widely available like some of our handmade chairs and toys.

How do you fit in work with the family?

This is a hard one! I have recently changed my schedule to only work while the children are at school. I stop to pick them up, help with homework and chat, then resume work again at about 10pm after hubby’s gone to bed. I’m learning to be diciplined because the temptation to keep on going is there- especially because I enjoy what I do.

What advice would you give to someone else wanting to work in this area?

Work hard and Persevere. Do a lot of research to find out what your typical customer likes and make sure you have a top-notch customer service. If your customers have the option of a different store that sells exactly he sme goods as you, but their customer service is better, they’ll go there.

What has worked well about your business?

The uniqueness of our products and the layout of our website. We get a lot of compliments on the look and feel as well as ease of use. We were recently contacted by BBC to supply furnishings for a boy’s room for the show-DIY SOS. It was so exciting and they absolutely loved it all as they were after a Preppy Americana look. The show airs in January 2009.

Your website link: www.punkinpatch.co.uk/