Todays interview is with the lovely Leila, the owner and creator of Kiki and Co! Leila uses the most gorgeous printed fabrics to create keychains, lanyards, scrunchies and more!

Tell me a bit about you - where you’re from, hobbies, etc?

I'm Leila and I'm from Nelson. I spend as much time as possible at the beach & also love bush walks and tramping. I'm a Mum of two and love the flexibility working for myself gives me while raising children.

Tell me about your business - what do you sell/offer?

The OG product we are known and loved for is our personalised keychains and still by far our best seller. We now offer lanyards, scrunchies, earrings & zipper pouches too. 

Everything we sell is handmade by me in my home studio. I love sourcing new and beautiful fabrics to use as well as using fabric remnants. Kiki & Co is a small handmade business at heart.  Although we have grown and we now have stockists throughout New Zealand and Australia

How did you get the idea or concept for your business?

I had the idea of running an e-commerce store and marketing on instagram before I knew what i was going to sell! I knew I wanted to find something unique & personalized. The idea came to me while watching a YouTube sewing tutorial and I quickly started working on a prototype.

What is your favourite product of yours? 

The floral linen keychain is my favorite product! And it is also our best seller too.  

Did you face any obstacles when starting up/running your business? What are the positives and negatives of owning a small business?

Apart from a few shipping delays due to covid, there hasn't been many! I also struggle to find enough time sometimes with my youngest being only three. Positives are  flexible working hours , having a creative outlet & bringing ideas to life. Negatives - owning a small business is consuming & stressful at times! It's hard to shut off and not think about the business. The part I enjoy the most is the creative side of what I do , I love that whenever I get an idea, I can bring it to life & share it with my customers, and when people love it & buy it that's the cherry on top!  

Do you have any influences/inspirations, if so who are they and why?

There are so many amazing women in business that I look up too, I couldn't say one person in particular,  but any woman who is out there bringing it is an inspiration to me!

Definitely agree with you there, the whole concept of this blog was based around the amazing women in business I have met along the way!

What is your proudest achievement?

I would say my proudest achievement so far is just getting this whole idea up and running! And also the wholesale customers we have gained so far is incredible too.

What are your goals? What’s the next move for Kiki and Co? 

My next big goal for myself and Kiki & Co, Is to move into a larger working space and set it up so I can be more productive and eventually have a space for another staff member to join me . 

If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?

Start small and test the market before making big investments. Also connect with other small businesses owners ..we are here to support each other!

Thank you so much Leila for taking the time to talk to me and share with us about the journey behind Kiki and Co!