My job: Woolly ideas about kids' clothing

When Tessa Larsen decided on a change of career to fit round her children, sustainability was top of her list. Photo / Ted Baghurst

Name: Tessa Larsen.
Age: 37.
Role: Owner of Mini Merino Kids Clothing.
Working hours: Approximately 20 hours per week but varies depending on time of year.
Qualifications: Bachelor of Horticulture from Massey University and Associate Diploma in Viticulture from Charles Sturt University (Australia). It would be nice to have a business partner to bounce ideas off but generally I am glad it is my business and I can make all my own decisions.

Describe what you do.

I design and organise the manufacture of a line of children's merino clothing - Mini Merino - that I sell through my website. I've been doing this two to three years.

Yet you initially worked in viticulture?

Yes, I graduated in viticulture and worked for Villa Maria in various roles.

After time overseas I returned and got a job with New Zealand Winegrowers Association as national co-ordinator of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand. Through this I became very interested in sustainability.

Therefore, when I had my children and decided I wanted to have a change and do something for myself, sustainability was top of the list.

I decided on designing merino clothing for children because I love the qualities of merino and found a merino fibre that was Zque accredited; a programme that ensures environmental, social and economic sustainability.

How well did your skills transfer?

It's amazing how much crossover there has been. In my previous roles I was co-ordinating growers and implementing, managing and monitoring programmes. I also co-ordinated promotional material to develop and market brand-awareness in New Zealand and internationally. I use all those skills with Mini Merino. And, whatever the business, you have to plan and budget.

What do you see as the key factor to consider when starting up?

Getting the co-ordination of everything right because there is a long lag time. It takes four to six weeks to get the merino fabric made and a similar time to get the clothing manufactured. I'm lucky I've a good relationship with my manufacturer, who is New Zealand-based and very accommodating with my manufacturing requirements. It would be much harder if they were overseas.

What is a typical week like?

It depends on the season really. I work around my two children's school and preschool hours so I'm often up at 6am to check emails and then working in the evenings. I'm busy preparing for next year now because I try to organise things so that I don't have much to do over the Christmas holidays.

So, right now I'm working on product development, further testing of new samples and updating of the website with new products. I'm also designing a logo for a new zip-front jersey.

After the Christmas holidays I'll be busy stock-taking and updating the website and at the end of February I'll start selling. From March to the end of June I'm extremely busy filling orders.

Best part of the job?

Seeing a child I don't know wearing my clothing. I also get a real kick out of the challenge of getting the business to grow and I really enjoy doing something I can fit around the children.

Most challenging part?

Getting the balance right between home and business. I am very busy but I hope that will improve once my youngest is at school.

Do you have a mentor?

My husband also owns a business and is good at helping me with the big picture stuff.

A friend acts as mentor, allowing me to bounce ideas around with her and provides motivating and sound advice. I also drive friends crazy with questions about products.

It would be nice to have a business partner to bounce ideas off but generally I am glad it is my business and I can make all my own decisions.

Advice to others thinking of starting a business?

Thoroughly research to find a gap in the market through a product with a point of difference. I should have done more research. I started selling new-born to 3-year-old sizes but there are a lot of people doing babywear and I quickly realised the real gap was in larger sizes. That is where my focus is now.

Marketing is expensive and you need to find the right approach which isn't necessarily following what others are doing in the market.. For example, rather than put lots of money into advertising, I've learned it is more important to build my client data base and really look after it. You need a good website set up too.

Important things to consider with a website?

I started with a basic website to keep costs down. But it was too basic. I wasn't able to access the back of the website to update product information. I also couldn't add pages. So you must think about how the product will grow and develop and go for a site that enables you to be very responsive.

Where would you like to be in five years?

Once both children are at school I'd like to crank the business up. Although I haven't put much time into overseas markets yet, I get orders from Australia, United States and Switzerland and next year I will be selling to Germany.