Experiences of setting up and running your own online shop as a mompreneur

Susanne Zeh is an experienced mompreneur and shares her experiences, fears and tips on being a mom and an entrepreneur. She opened her own online shop called 'LittleBean', where children's clothing can be bought, back in January 2015. Today she is 41 years old and has three children aged 6, 9 and 10.

I trained as a hotel manager and worked in this profession for 15 years until I had children. I was lucky enough to enjoy the first five years with my firstborn and my middle son at home and as a full-time mom. Nevertheless, I wanted to do something and not just be “only” a mom. Don't get me wrong – being a mom is a full-time job. But I felt like I needed to use my brain again. So when I was pregnant with our third child, I went to the Benedictine School and completed the office management diploma to gain a little more know-how. That was helpful when I started my own business six months later.

The idea actually came about with a friend of many years who wanted to come to Switzerland, but that didn't happen. I thought the idea of having my own shop would be a practical solution for keeping myself busy, being at home and looking after the children, and also earning some money.

To be honest, I didn't really prepare very well. However, I had the full support of my husband and my parents. There are certainly better examples than me: mommies who have prepared very carefully and also created a business plan, etc. For me, it was simply important to be authentic. It's not easy to be self-employed and run an online store. In the time since I opened my shop, I have unfortunately seen some come and go. Especially in the time when I created my shop and went online, a lot of online shops were created.

The best preparation would certainly be to first do some research on what is already on the market. What do I want to sell? Which products do I want to represent? What do I need? And what image do I want to convey to the outside world?

Then it is really crucial how and by whom I set up my homepage. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky there. You really have to spend some money to set up a professional homepage. Information from your own network is certainly very helpful. Having a homepage set up afterwards is usually a long and complicated process, because all the data etc. has to be moved. It might be a good idea to work with a company like Startups.ch. I didn't do that, but some of my colleagues did. I can say that I really did everything on my own and I am still an absolute one-woman online store.

You should perhaps also have better software knowledge. That is my problem now, for example. I can't solve many things myself because I have no previous knowledge of programming, etc. You really have to do a lot in the backend of an online store and if you sit there in front of the PC and you have no idea, it's really very difficult.

I didn't have any fears because my family was 100% behind me. I also didn't have to rely on my income to keep my family afloat. That takes a lot of pressure off.

Of course, you want the business to be a success and not to be treading water. You need to be sure that your family will give you 100% support, otherwise it's very difficult. I can quickly fit into situations and so the start went really well. You just have to believe in yourself and, above all, in the products you sell. That's the be-all and end-all, of course.

• Organize your office hours. Because you are at home and you are tempted to cook, do laundry, etc. from time to time. It is important to really plan times when you have office hours.
• Show the children clear rules about when they can disturb and when not. If you are on the phone with a supplier and the children are arguing in the background, it's not exactly pleasant.
• Involve your own network, especially at the beginning. This means drawing the attention of family, friends and acquaintances to yourself. Word-of-mouth advertising should not be underestimated at the beginning.
• Advertise with flyers, online, etc. These days, everyone is on Instagram, Facebook, Linked.in and much more. That's where you should place your articles.
• Find time for yourself. Especially in the early days, but also afterwards, it is important to create islands for yourself – whether it's a coffee in peace or just sitting on the couch for five minutes.

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