Tell us about your business:
Teapea Design is all about beautiful colours, prints and patterns made in to practical products. At the moment, Teapea Designs products focus on handmade gifts for babies. The website sells a range of items, from bibs to hair accessories and bunting. I also have a blog and write creative tutorials.
What inspired you to start your business?
I have always loved designing and creating. I especially love creating beautiful items that have a practical use. When my friends started having their first babies a few years ago I naturally made them gifts for their little ones. After such positive feedback I started making items to sell. I’ve been working full time since starting Teapea so everything has been moving at a snails pace, but I finally feel like I’m up and running and am just scratching the surface of something really exciting.
Is there an interesting anecdote behind your business name?
Its a strange one, but I have a bit of an obsession with collecting teapots and anything with peacocks on it. So I combined my two loves, teapots and peacocks and came up with the name Teapea!
What is the most satisfying part of what you do?
I love hearing positive feedback from people who have been given Teapea Design products as gifts. Its so lovely to receive an email, or be sent a photo of someones baby wearing one of my bibs or singlets.
Have you tried something in business that didn’t work as planned, or on the flip side “ worked out better than expected?
Where do I start? So many things havent worked out as planned! I have had a few designs that I didn’t test out on customers enough that have been as successful as I would have liked. I’ve also attended some markets that have been super quiet and not worth my time. But its all a learning experience. I try to stay positive and learn from all of my mistakes.
What would be your best tip for someone thinking about selling their handcrafted goods?
Research and test. If you have an item or a few items that you think could sell well, just make a few and see how you go. Dont go ordering bolts of fabric or oodles of supplies for a product only to find that it doesn’t sell. The more research in to what sells and your target market you can do the more successful your product will be.
What is your favourite item you make?
I love the Teapea dribble bibs. They are such a practical gift and look so gorgeous on babies that they are hard to resist. My twin sister has a six month old boy who dribbles like crazy. He goes through around 8-10 bibs a day and she swears by the absorbency of Teapeas bibs over the bulk packs that you can buy at the big chain stores.
Any personal or business highlights in the last year:
Getting my website up and running has been a major highlight. I decided to set up the website myself using a template and WordPress. It has been a huge learning curve but I loved every bit of it. There is something so satisfying about learning a new skill, putting it in to practice and having it actually work! The website is fully functional now with a shop, blog and tutorials.
3 things about you that people might not know:
- I studied at university to be a high school textiles, art and design teacher“ hence my love for putting together creative tutorials!
- I’m a terrible grump in the mornings, especially before I have my coffee
- I have a gorgeous husband Dave who not only makes me a coffee every morning (even when I’m grumpy) but is also a huge support of my business and altogether just amazing!
