There are many similarities between launching a new business and having a baby. From conception through growth, teething issues, growing pains, the hope for both that they will eventually become self-sufficient. And both a baby and a business can prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep!
Sometimes it can be a new baby that inspires the launch of a business.
When Hawke’s Bay couple, Steph Grant and her husband Ben, had their first baby, Steph realised how important it was to her to support her baby boy to thrive. As he grew and moved from milk to solids, Steph began her obsession with healthy baby food.
Living in Hawke’s Bay, surrounded by an abundance of the highest quality, healthy produce, Steph simply didn’t accept that children shouldn’t be able to eat the very best we have to offer.
With a belief that parents deserve more than just large commercial operations dominating the baby food industry with a focus on profits over nutrition, she set about creating her own brand of organic baby food. Using locally sourced meat and vegetables, handmade in small batches here in Hawke’s Bay she launched Little Pot of Gold (@littlepotofgoldbabyfood).
Little Pot of Gold was launched to locals at the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market. This gave the budding business the chance to interact directly with customers, gain insight into purchasing decisions, and get direct feedback on everything from ingredients to packaging.
But what happens when a global pandemic shuts down your primary sales channel?
Like so many Hawke’s Bay businesses, you shift to connecting with your customers online.
Through social media, the Little Pot of Gold brand continued to reach more and more Hawke’s Bay parents, nourishing our region’s babies. Orders came through via direct message and email, manually processed by Steph and shipped.
As the business continued to grow, it became clear that while social media was amazing for brand awareness and customer engagement, to continue to grow, Steph needed to automate and scale the ordering process.
Steph worked with Hawke’s Bay web developer and business strategist, Michelle Fowler from Half Light Studio, and a new online store was launched in February 2021. Customers could now shop at any hour of the day or night – a must for parents of young children.
With the online store increasing capacity to process orders, Steph was able to focus more time on social media marketing to increase her customer base outside of Hawke’s Bay.
Little Pot of Gold now ships nationwide with a range of fresh and frozen smooth purees for infants beginning solids and textured purees for older children.
And like a baby meeting milestones, the business is continuing to grow. New product development, expansion into wholesale markets and subscription options are all on the horizon for the business with Steph at the social media helm.