When Baby Means Business

Originally published in Next Nov 2004



Amie Nilsson
For couples juggling two careers, the mobility of a home-based business is a major bonus, as Aucklander Amie Nilsson discovered when husband James, who works in banking, was transferred to Wellington for two months.

Her internet-based baby sleeping bag business went too. "I took it all with me. All I needed was my laptop."

She came up with the idea of a pure wool and cotton sleeping bag for a child after fruitless attempts to find a suitable one for daughter Lily, aged 14 months. "They all contained polyester fill, I borrowed one from a friend and Lily sweated quite badly in it and got a heat rash."

"I love the business because it's ours. We've always been hard workers but when you're doing it for yourself, it's almost not like work."

Amie, a freelance graphic designer who had worked as a textile designer in London, used this knowledge and her design skills to create Go Go Bags, which incorporate all the features she wanted as a busy mother. The bag with a bib top, fits babies from 2 to 18 months old, and is machine washable and drier safe. A special pouch arrangement means a child can be clipped straight into a car seat or buggy without having to remove them from the sleeping bag.

For Amie, the hardest part in starting as new business was the capital outlay required. "It's quite scary. You're putting a lot of money into something that's an unknown quantity. It's not like I had a sample and was going around pre-selling it to retailers. I was getting the product made and directly marketing it."

Amie opted to sell over the internet because the mark up in shops would have priced the sleeping bag off the market. "It would kill me if I had to go retail - maybe later on. I don't want to get too big, too fast. The first three years are the most important. They either make or break you."