Ever since I understood that parenthood was a new stage in my life I needed to fully embrace, especially its ups and downs, including both the low confidence days and the satisfaction of managing to keep the tiny humans alive, I noticed that it could also easily become a great motivator when it comes to making changes around you, for you and for the ones that depend on you.
That’s why I am thrilled when I bump into women who were not scared of bigger changes that came along with parenthood, here’s Amanda’s, the amazing mum of two who is doing all the hard work behind the cool kids’ fashion brand called Blade & Rose. She’s talking daily motherhood and work, inspiration and motivation.
Motherhood is a game changer.
How did it change you?
Once you have babies your whole philosophy of life changes. It’s about caring for your bundles of joy and ensuring you can provide love, protection and most importantly of all the time to enjoy every moment of them growing up. Motherhood changed my whole career, my babies were born then the Blade & Rose brand evolved.
How did you start? Tell us a little about your brand.
Blade & Rose, which I founded during maternity leave in 2010, is named after my children’s middle names ‘Blade’ and ‘Rose’. First inspired by my own beautiful daughter, who aged three months always had the bottom of her leggings on show, no matter how designer and expensive the dresses she wore, I realised that there wasn’t a product on the market for funky leggings making a feature of the bottom – that deserved to be on show! I wanted to design iconic and high quality baby’s leggings that feature a unique trademark design on the bum.
What (and who) inspires you?
I am surrounded by inspiration, my children, family, and my home. We travel lots as a family and with work it’s great to see and get inspiration from different cultures. I try and take a little bit from everywhere. Whether it’s colours, patterns or new concepts.
How does a regular day of yours look like?
Every day starts with breakfast and the daily school routine of repeating myself with the usual ‘can you brush your teeth?’ ‘Get your shoes on!’ ‘Have you got your book bag?’ ritual and after dropping the kids off at school myself and our 13 year old border collie Mavrick go to the office which is 3 minutes from school. Our office / warehouse is on the edge of Kendal, Cumbria, it’s great for taking myself and Mavrick out for the beautiful fresh air. There is a team of 6 in the office and we all get on with our roles,openly discussing all areas with each other. Most days Icollect the kids after school and try and do some activity and a couple of days a week they go to after school club.
Blade & Rose allows us to travel a lot, our most recent adventure was New York for a trade show at the beginning of March 2017. My husband Jonathan and I did the show together and the grandparents came over from Newcastle and Sheffield to look after the kids. We hope to visit upcoming summer shows as a family.
Today so many of us may experience periods of low confidence when motherhood kicks in, often when a career change is also involved.
What would you advise mothers to do in order to overcome this and pursue their dreams like you have successfully done?
If you’re developing your own business, never stop learning and do not be afraid to ask advice from others with knowledge and experience. Blade & Rose is now 7 years old, we developed slowly to start with and it grew naturally. Starting the business from our front room, moving to self-storage, then a barn on the outskirts of Kendal, to a unit in Kendal and finally to our brand new warehouse we have been for 2 years now. My husband left his career as Blade & Rose was growing too much for me to deal with alone. He concentrates on developing the international side of the business. We also employ a fantastic team and it’s like a little family. Initially handing over duties was difficult however it has been essential and enabled us to concentrate on new ideas and markets. We are always learning and we are never afraid to ask advice from other businesses.
What would you advise the new mums to keep in mind in the early days of growing their brand?
You can do it! It’s hard to switch off in today’s environment even at a baby group, social media and emails still come in. However this is also a positive as you can multi task without having to put your babies in full time nursery, and let’s face it, us women are professionals at multi-tasking :-)
Which are the 3 ‘I got this from my mama’ lessons you’d like your daughter to learn from you and proudly use later in her adult life?
The most important traits I would like my kids to learn from me are, determination, hard work and integrity.
Your favourite quote…
The most precious jewels to hold around your neck are the arms of your children…
Finally, what has motherhood taught you so far and your favourite motherhoody perks are…
Now this question is a big one, my kids are now 7 and 9 years old so I have learnt a lot. Motherhood totally changes you. I am complete, although slightly less groomed with less new clothes and shoes in my wardrobe but a superior me as their love for me is completely and utterly unconditional. I am learning that being their mama is life’s greatest gift and my strongest life lesson.
What have I learnt from her?
Let motherhood lead the way!
Aly @allmumstalk
