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Founder@ Interview
Interview with Karen O’Brien
Credits@ Lauren Shepherd Photography
“I would definitely recommend reaching out to other business owners and tap into their experience. Make use of every resource available to you. .” – Karen O’Brien
Today we feature Karen:O’Brien, the founder at Taffy Tots Clothing. We hear their story in their own words, their successes, their challenges and their insights.
Let’s start by getting to know you. Can you please tell us a little bit about you and what you do?
My name is Karen and I am the founder/owner/maker of Taffy Tots Clothing. I am a mum to 3 boys – Thomas, Andrew and Fergus – and a fur baby Labrador Yogi: that’s where the name Taffy Tots came from. As a mum of boys and aunt to a nephew, I have always found a gap in the market for fun clothes for boys, our options generally being checked shirts, jeans, khaki, navy or cartoon images.
A great introduction and start to this interview. Can you please tell us, how did you start, from what age, and what made you decide to change direction and start?
I studied Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Aberdeen. After a year of working in the oil and gas industry, I returned to university to complete a PGCE in Education and went on to teach Mathematics at the secondary level for 4 years, before giving birth to my eldest in 2008. I spent the next 10 years as a full-time mum, during which time my husband and I had 2 more sons and moved out of Aberdeen City.
In 2018 my youngest was preparing to start school and I was considering a return to work, but I wanted to be able to work around my kids and family life. It was around then that my sister asked me to make some clothes for her son (who was 6 months old) and she encouraged me to look into building a business around my sewing skills.
I had always had an interest in sewing and had been making clothes for myself and my friends since my late teens. It seemed like a great idea and by the end of 2018, I had done some market research and started listing items on Etsy. Towards the end of 2019, I took the plunge and opened my own online store.
Thank you for that insight. So can you tell us…What does your business do and where is your company based?
I have a home studio in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, and sell online. I began making children’s rompers and leggings, as well as matching accessories, in cotton jersey fabrics. Since the start of Taffy Tots Clothing, I have been developing more clothing patterns, offering a larger range of outfits that are made to order. Over the last 2 years, I have also begun designing many of the fabrics that I use and I have a Scottish-themed range of clothing made from fabrics that have all been designed by me.
What’s the story behind your success? What led to your aha moment? how did you get to where you are now?
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The credit for the start of my business definitely has to go to my sister and husband. My sister was the one who suggested it and has encouraged me at every step. My husband was 100% on board with the idea… not only supporting me but even coming to in-person events with me.
I felt like I was only just at the start of my business journey when lockdown hit. Juggling 3 primary school-aged children, a husband working from home, and trying to develop a customer base was hard going, but it made me even more determined. Not only did it prove that I was capable of running my business around family life, but having that creative outlet was a lifesaver for me when things were so crazy.
Thank you for sharing that. What’s been your life’s biggest lesson so far?
Understanding all the aspects of what is involved in running a business has been a huge learning curve. Marketing has definitely been a big challenge as it can cause a huge amount of anxiety to put yourself out there, particularly as a one-person business! I’ve definitely learned that it’s important to just be yourself and get support wherever you can find it.
I wish I had known more about Business Gateway. Whilst this is a service that I was aware of, I didn’t realise just how useful it was and have only been using it over the last year. I have been able to access a number of specialists in marketing, social media and more through my allocated mentor.
If you were to go back in time, what piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
I think it is really important to know that any decision you make about your potential career isn’t set in stone. It’s ok to try something and discover that it’s not the right thing for you. No matter what you do, you are always learning and the skills that you develop will never be wasted. I have found that a background in engineering and mathematics has actually benefitted me greatly in my creative business as I have strengths in organising and planning, among many others.
We’re nearly halfway through our interview so it’s a great time to ask how does your business run. What three tools make your business run better?
My sewing machines are the main tools. I have an industrial overlocker and cover stitch machine. When I started out I had domestic machines, which were great to a point. Once I was able to, I upgraded to industrial machines. These are so much more reliable for the quantity of sewing that I am doing but also produce a higher quality finish.
Now that I am designing a number of fabrics myself, I couldn’t live without Adobe. I use a combination of Fresco and Illustrator for creating the designs which are then sent to the fabric printer.
One final tool that has been invaluable has been membership in the Makers Business Toolkit. I first signed up in 2019 and it has been amazing in helping me to develop my business. There are a large number of resources, from a business foundation course to 5-day challenges aimed at helping you through different aspects of starting and running a creative business.
What do you know now that you wished you had known before?
I wish I had known more about Business Gateway. Whilst this is a service that I was aware of, I didn’t realise just how useful it was and have only been using it over the last year. I have been able to access a number of specialists in marketing, social media, and more through my allocated mentor.
Credits@ Lauren Shepherd Photography
What has been your greatest or proudest achievement or moment?
At the end of 2021, having worked through 2 lockdowns, I was accepted to become a member of Not On The High Street. This was a recognition of my skills and of all the hard work that I had put into my business.
What future life goals do you want to achieve and why?
I am looking forward to growing Taffy Tots Clothing and building a small team of sewers so that I can look at moving into wholesale supply.
To finish our inspire questions…”We believe that sharing inspiring words can inspire others.” If there was one positive thing you would say to someone to inspire and empower them what would it be and why?
I would definitely recommend reaching out to other business owners and tapping into their experience. Make use of every resource available to you.
“Thank you it has been great learning more about your founder story and Taffy Tots Clothing”
To learn more about Taffy Tots Clothing Visit https://taffytotsclothing.co.uk/
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