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Tiffany Rose Maternity
Winner of the Queen's Award
2013 & 2018
Tiffany Rose Maternity
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Wednesday, September 09 2015

Tiffany Meets Becky Mantin

My second son was five days old when my husband took our elder son (then 19 months) to a soft play centre nearby. I persuaded him to take the change bag but when he returned later on, he reported that the baby wipes had been left out – and it was a time that wipes were very much needed! I remember suddenly thinking how crazy it was that it wasn't possible to buy an ‘all in one nappy change kit' so that parents would never get caught out – and save valuable time and energy packing and repacking that blimmin' bag!

It took six months of mulling it over and internet research to see what else might be out there before I finally picked up the phone to start investigating how I might be able to start to make it myself. That was in December 2012 and finally in April of this year, after the most extraordinary amount of work and excitement, we launched into our first retailer Ocado.

I wont lie to you – it's a constant, constant challenge and certainly the biggest challenge is the total inability to switch off which can get exhausting (I'm writing this at 10.45pm on a friday night after a day at ITV!) There have, of course, been occasional melt down moments where things have just got too much and it feels like I'm doing 100 things at once and all badly, but as time goes on, it is getting easier (most days!).

Without doubt, the most important elements of the juggling act is to prioritise - my family come first - and try to do fewer things well rather than lots of things badly. Lots of more indulgent, time sapping things simply have to go to the wall but it's not forever and my ‘me time' is now the luxury of quiet days at home pottering around and playing with the boys.

Little things like doing online supermarket shopping rather than having to go to the supermarket make a really big difference (God bless Ocado!) but by far the very best decision I've made has been to take on some more help with the business rather than trying to do absolutely everything myself– in fact, I think it's the only reason I have any marbles left! Mostly I feel like the Ringmaster in a crazy circus!

Starting your own business is incredibly exciting, mentally stimulating and rewarding – which is lucky because it's also the most phenomenal amount of work. It's imperative to have support around you – partner, wider family, close friends – who will act as a sounding board and be on hand with a hug when things are tough as well as when they're going great. My husband Jack and I don't get involved in each other's businesses (he has the rugby coaching company JHealdCoaching – but his unwavering support and belief has been the dealbreaker for me – I simply couldn't have done it without him.

You have to really, really believe in yourself and the strength of your idea and stay utterly focused on it – I actually dream about my business which is probably not ideal! Try and be as efficient with your time as possible – no Facebook cruising when you're meant to be working – and don't underestimate the huge amount that can be achieved if you do a little every day. Remember the saying ‘a small daily task, if it be really daily, will beat the labours of a spasmodic Hercules!'

Above all else, juggle, juggle, juggle but ultimately prioritise your family life over everything – no business success is worth sacrificing these precious early years for.

Definitely the number of different plates I'm trying to spin simultaneously. Not that I would change my situation for anything but if I had a nice quiet office and unlimited, uninterrupted time to work, it would be hugely easier! Ha! All of the other obstacles; funding, information gathering, hiccups along the way, are useful learning experiences and by and large part of what keeps it so immensely interesting.

Tiffany Meets Becky Mantin

My amazing team and I have been incredibly lucky so far – we've won two awards to date (one before we'd even launched!) and have exceeded our retailer target list for year one in just the first five months! For me though, I think the biggest moment was simply to get to launch. I very rarely cry but when I first saw the NGB for sale on the Ocado site I just lost it and cried and cried – I couldn't believe I'd actually done it.

Tiffany Meets Becky Mantin

If it's your first pregnancy – try and enjoy it and don't wish the time away. You'll never again have the luxury of being able to rest when you need to and really indulge in getting ready to become a little family. If it's a subsequent pregnancy then I'd give other mummies the advice I frequently don't heed to myself; ‘just sit down for five minutes – you're pregnant!

Tiffany Meets Becky Mantin

The dream is for the NGB to be as available as Tampax so that they become the default option for changing a baby on the go – how much planning and packing time would this save parents?! We have a range of other ‘parenting convenience products' in the pipeline which I really hope will simplify and streamline getting out and about with little ones – us parents need all the support we can get, after all! I just LOVE it!

Tiffany Meets Becky Mantin

Our top selection of dresses worn by Becky Mantin on ITV Weather

Tiffany Meets Becky Mantin Chloe Coralista Alessandra Dress Colour Block


Categories: #interviews, #celebrity-style,

« Previous: Behind the Scenes (Sep, 8th 2015)

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