Thursday 5 June 2014

Unusual Business Ideas - Premature Baby Clothes

Having been in business for more years than I care to remember, I love the creativity I see in entrepreneurs. I've talked on some of my other blogs about pet sitting franchises and pop stars - how creative can you get?

However, what I really love is a success story that is born out of adversity.

Such is the case with Ngaire Cockerill a young up and coming business woman based in Hertfordshire, U.K. As it happens I know her father, I play racketball with him. He used to own a printing business and I used to play football in the league his company sponsored in the 70's and 80's. Weird how things connect up.

Richard pulled up stumps about 5 years ago his traditional printing presses unable to compete with the new digital age. But the entrepreneurial genes run strong and it wasn'tlong before he was working in digital media.

But, the genes also went down to the next generation with Ngaire!

The adversity - delivering a premature baby.

"It's something you just cannot be prepared for" she said, "There I was at 28 weeks and all of a sudden my son was arriving".

Weighing in a just under 4lbs, it wasn't enough that he was stuck in the NCIU with all the problems that brings, but she was totally unprepared clothes wise.

"He needed wires and tubes connected all over the place," she recalls "I can still see him now, and we had nothing to dress him in".

Whilst the nurses were brilliant, getting hold of very small baby clothes was difficult. The quality was poor and they were all just smaller versions of normal babygros etc.

"There was no easy way to move baby about with all the connections...and dressing and undressing was just a nightmare".

At that moment, Ngaire made a pledge that she was going to do something about it. So that parents of further prem babies had a much easier time of it.

"Poor fitting and badly designed clothing is the last thing you need when you're thrown into this situation" she says with a passion.

Fast forward 12 months and Dinki Dreams is born. A website specialising in premature baby clothes. French designed, Britiah made. The finest materials and designs that provide easy access for all the necessary connections and IVs.

They have comfort, warmth and functionality to the fore. A true business born out of diversity and a great success story!

You can find Dinki Dreams here www.prematurebabyboutique.co.uk