Good afternoon everyone, I have another lovely Mum in business to introduce you today. Please welcome Shauna to the blog, she’s here to to tell you about herself and her business Heavenly Tasty Organics Ltd
Hi Shauna, Welcome to This Mummy Loves… Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business…
My name is Shauna McCarney-Blair and I am a mum of 3 children aged 10, 9 and 22months. I’m happily married to James Blair and we live in Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland. I am the founder and Managing Director of Heavenly Tasty Organics Ltd, an organic baby food company. The company began its life in 2011 as a frozen organic baby food company and was started after I found it extremely difficult to find baby food which looked and tasted like homemade baby food, and which also catered for my two older childrens’ food allergies.
Since 2011 the company has evolved and now provides a wonderful range of healthy snacks for babies and children under the ‘Heavenly’ brand, which are packed with Superfood ingredients, are naturally low in sugar and salt and contain no added sugar or salt.
What made you start your own business?
I have always been passionate about business and come from a family business background. Watching my father grow a successful business instilled the desire in me to one day own my own business. When my two older children were babies they both suffered from serious food allergies and I found it difficult to find convenient baby food products which were suited to their needs, so I decided that I would create a business providing organic baby food.
What do you love about working for yourself?
I love that every day is different and my day allows me to be flexible with my time for the children. I am able to go to school plays, school meetings, medical appointments, and of course, work from home when they are sick.
Is there anything you do not like about working for yourself?
Nothing that I don’t like as such, but really more the fact that you are responsible for everything. The financial pressures from a young business can be a little overpowering at times but its all part and parcel of running a business and everything is a learning curve!
Is there anything you would go back and do differently if you could?
LOTS! Lol……..as everyone who starts a business will know, it is a huge learning curve and you learn something new and different every day. One thing I would do differently is to not launch a range of chilled baby food which we did in 2013 after some requests from retailers. It proved to be our biggest challenge due to the short shelf of the product and the location in store. Wastage costs with the retailers ate up a lot of our budget and it proved to be a very stressful time. But it brought us to where we are now and now we know what ‘not to do’!
What advice would you give to a Mum considering starting her own business?
My main piece of advice would be to ensure that you have a support network around you who understand what it is you are trying to do. Be that a partner who can support you financially until your business gets on its feet, a family member who can help with childcare to reduce costs, or collect children from school etc. Its crucial to have support.
You can find Heavenly Tasty Organics Ltd products for sale in Ocado and on Amazon. You can also follow them over on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
I’ve not seen these before, they sound like a great range of products
Abi – Angel Eden Blog recently posted..Easy Coffee And Pecan Cake Recipe
welcome and weldone on your new venture, I am due to have my 8th child soon and so i will be taking a look at your natural goodness for babies
Great interview – and the products look fab!
Sonya Cisco recently posted..September Blues
I’ve not seen these before. It’s good to have a range of healthy snacks to choose from.
Erica Price recently posted..Looking Ahead To Autumn
I have not seen these products before but the wafers look like they would be a hit with Sebby
Kara recently posted..Choosing the perfect family car
I always love to read a good success story – being a mum in business myself i found myself nodding to this whole post!
A great business idea x
Mary Louise recently posted..MiracleSuit Swimwear Review
always interesting to hear about mums in business! thanks for sharing! x
Fritha Strickland recently posted..Ethical Winter Lookbook with People Tree
What a great post, really lovely to hear about Shauna and her Heavenly Tasty Organics. I always find it interesting reading about people’s businesses
Charly Dove recently posted..Beautiful woollies from Wool Overs
I love that there are some really great healthy baby food options now. What a fab range
Jen recently posted..Paper plate weaving
It must be really hard at first but I’m sure you she will reap the benefits in the long run x
Cathy Glynn recently posted..Duet of Baked Cheesecakes #GBBO Bloggers 2015
It’s so inspiring reading about people starting up businesses around their families. I imagine being responsible for everything would be scary!
Adele recently posted..A summer’s day in Bristol
These look like great products, and I love that they were borne out of a need for her own children because there was nothing on the market for them.
Michelle recently posted..Grilled Lamb & Halloumi Wrap
Oh well done. It is not easy to start up a business never mind with the demands of family life. And what a great business idea too.
Pinkoddy recently posted..Kickers School footwear from Cloggs
Interesting story from a mum who has obviously done very well – the product looks ace!
JuggleMum, Nadine Hill recently posted..The Garden Kitchen
What some lovely sounding products and great to hear about the woman behind them. x
Sarah Bailey recently posted..How to make a fondant dog
I love the sound of these products, and it’s always inspiring to read about successful women in business!
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