This Facet Hustle Highlight Q&A options Elle Rowley, founding father of Solly Child, an organization that produces sustainably sourced child wraps product of 100% licensed TENCEL Modal and different child gear. In 2023, Rowley stepped away from her day-to-day function (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 aspect hustle, and the place did you discover the inspiration for it?
After having my first child in 2009, I used to be stunned to discover a surge of artistic inspiration that I had by no means recognized earlier than having youngsters. My husband was nonetheless in class, and I used to be hungry to start out one thing to complement our meager pupil revenue. By the point I used to be pregnant with our second youngster in 2011, the net world was fertile floor for moms seeking to begin a aspect hustle from residence. I attempted a couple of various things, however I intuitively knew that there was a niche out there when it got here to aesthetically pleasing child gear, so I used to be fairly targeted on that house all through my being pregnant.
I cherished carrying my first child, and I might heard that wraps have been essentially the most snug solution to put on an toddler, so being industrious and broke, I made two wraps out of low cost jersey knit cloth — one for me and one for a buddy who was additionally pregnant. Whereas my crude prototype was removed from what the product grew to become, I might see the potential for this lengthy piece of material to truly be a trend accent for the wearer quite 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 respiration deeply on my chest. The rise in confidence that I felt with every step was palpable. I felt liberated, and on the identical 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 among the first steps you took to get the aspect hustle off the bottom?
I discovered a material provider within the cloth district of Los Angeles, bought a couple of thousand {dollars} price of material (due to 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 might discover, which did not garner nice gross sales outcomes, however the suggestions I acquired from individuals in actual life was invaluable. Lastly, in a call that felt reckless on the time due to the associated fee, I employed my favourite photographer to take images of me carrying my son. I had a pleasant digicam and will have “made-do” by myself, however I knew that having stunning photos would assist compensate for the numerous different areas the place the model was weak.
Picture Credit score: Courtesy of Solly Child
What have been among the greatest challenges you confronted whereas constructing the enterprise, and the way did you navigate them?
Development is dear: I had no capital apart from the $4,000 mortgage for material, and finance will not be my space of experience, so I knew I would want 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 strains, we might must pay a hefty deposit on our manufacturing once we submitted the acquisition order. Then, we might pay the rest of the stability upon completion. This made development gradual, and we have been always underselling. As demand for the product grew, we began putting all the things on preorder on our web site, which gave us sufficient to pay for the order. This made it so our prospects have been primarily funding our development.
How lengthy did it take you to see constant month-to-month income? How a lot did the enterprise herald at that time?
Gross sales had been rising yr over yr in 2013, however we have been nonetheless solely grossing a couple of hundred thousand {dollars} a yr and taking residence lower than $100,000. Every day gross sales have been nonetheless very inconsistent, which made it tough to have a variety of confidence in hiring staff and even believing that this was something greater than a aspect hustle. I used to be hitting a wall of exhaustion when my husband and I made the leap of religion to deliver him into Solly Child with me. He’d completed college and was working with one other startup, however we each felt his time can be higher spent if we targeted 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 quite than in the enterprise. We then employed our first worker, Kortney, who took over customer support and success in a method that freed my husband and me as much as concentrate on development.
Simply weeks after hiring Kortney, and days earlier than I had my third youngster within the spring of 2014, we launched our spring assortment, and the demand went via the roof. Gross sales went from anyplace between zero to $3,000 per day to $2,000 turning into our new day by 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 tip of that yr, we knew this was rather more than a aspect hustle.
You have since turned your aspect hustle into a really profitable enterprise. What does income appear to be now?
It has been superb to expertise the expansion we now have been in a position to 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 staff and discover our footing out there, some years, we noticed income double yr over yr. At present, Solly Child operates at $10 to twenty million in annual income.
What’s your favourite half about operating Solly Child?
As a mom of 4, connecting with, encouraging and offering merchandise for postpartum moms throughout a really transformational time of life has all the time been life-giving work for me. It should by no means get outdated to satisfy a mom or father who says, “Your wraps modified my relationship with my child.” Figuring out that our merchandise have the facility to vary the trajectory of a parent-child relationship is deeply rewarding.
Creating 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 youngsters. Seeing this adopted and trickle down into each a part of the corporate as CEO felt very significant.
What does your routine appear to be today? Are there any useful habits you’d suggest to different entrepreneurs?
Retaining a day by day routine is my finest recommendation. I’m an enormous believer in getting up earlier than your youngsters (until you may have an toddler — then sleep as a lot as you’ll be able to!), exercising, preparing for the day and taking at the least half-hour for religious or meditative follow.
It was straightforward within the early days to fully neglect myself to satisfy the wants of my household and the enterprise, however I strongly imagine that we’d’ve grown sooner and with extra intention had I taken higher care of myself from the start. I used to be operating on empty all the 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 grew to become very depressed and anxious and eventually shared this with my husband. We made a self-care plan collectively, and all the things shortly improved in my life, personally and professionally.
What’s your finest recommendation for others hoping to start out a profitable enterprise of their very own?
We’re usually inspired to “suppose large” in the case of enterprise, however typically, considering “small” is the right solution to start — primarily as a result of it can get you to start. I do not suppose I might have had the arrogance to start out a multi-million greenback, international 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 hire and a honest need to deliver 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.
