As you must have gathered by now, I have loved every second of getting to know the brands who are behind The Ultimate Collaboration makeover competition. For me, one of the best parts has been the connections I have made with some pretty phenomenal woman, many of whom are moms.

Moms who work long hours to build their brands and perfect their craft over and above the many demands that come with raising kids and looking after a family. Hanja van Rensburg of Sprouts Kids Co is one such mom who, through getting to know her through our partnership and on other Facebook groups, I have witnessed her grow as an entrepreneur and create a solid name for herself in  the industry. Today we talk to this little ball of dynamite from Durbs about how she does it all and some of the challenges she has had to rise up against as the creative behind Sprouts Kids Co. 

Light bulb garlands from Spouts Kids Co are perfect for adding a special touch to any shelf, bedpost or even on a My Tiny Teepee as seen below!

Q&A Time! 

   1. Is this your full time job? If not, what do you do?

   I do this fulltime, but I’m a work at home mom so I have a few roles.

2.   How and when was your brand born?

    The idea started long before I actually started the business. I love interior design and when I was pregnant I thought I would start a business doing something with interiors. It was only when I started trying to source products for my baby’s nursery that were Pinterest worthy that I thought about interiors for kids. I officially started middle of 2015.

3.   Was it an overnight success or did you experience many teething problems?

    So many teething problems, late nights, cups of coffee and tears! I don’t think there is such a thing as overnight success. There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes, and without it I honestly don’t believe you would be building a strong brand. We learn from our mistakes and if we don’t struggle in the beginning, we will struggle later on in the biz.

4.   What has been your greatest lesson in the industry? Any tips for people starting out?

    My greatest lesson as well as tip for anyone starting out would be to not see other people in your niche market as your competition. There’s enough for us all to be successful. Network with like-minded women, become friends and help each other become successful. There is something AMAZING that happens when women support women in business.

5.   As a momtrepreneur what are some challenges you face with having to balance it all – family, work and other commitments?   

 The biggest challenge for me would be that I’m never “off”. Because I work from home, it’s difficult to have that mind switch from being at work to being at home, relaxing. But, I know it’s not forever and I’m learning that if I allow myself to take a Sunday off I’m much more productive in the coming week.

6. What is the dominant theme running through your product range? And what is your signature product?

      My dominant theme is modern minimalist. My signature product is Spencer the Whale. It was my very first product and forms part of my branding.

7.   Who/what are your biggest influences? Or your greatest inspirations? 

    My daughter is definitely my biggest inspiration. I want all my products to be very practical so they must be washable, safe and serve a purpose. And if she doesn’t “get” a design it means other children won’t get it either. So every product gets tested by her first and only once she’s approved of it, and once it’s survived her vigorous hugging and loving, will it get launched.

8.  What has been your biggest achievement thus far as a brand?   

Getting news that one or two of my products will be featured in a local magazine.

9.  What are your future hopes for your business?

     My hope for this brand has always been to become a trusted name in South Africa for kids’ décor. I want parents to know that when they buy a product from us it will always be great quality, safe for their children and something their children can pass on to their children one day. And I have big dreams to own a brick-and-mortar store one day.

Don’t you just love seeing mom-run businesses succeed? It makes me feel so proud to be part of this generation of mamas! Guys it’s so important that we support local and drive as much engagement as we can to amazing companies like this. So if you are looking for kids decor Go check out their details listed below. And if you want to WIN these garland lightbulbs together with other product worth R20 000, enter our Makeover Competition!

Website/Facebook/Instagram

Hi I’m Leigh! Did you enjoy reading this post? I really hope so and would love you to stick around a little longer! Please feel free to browse my blog for other articles or to keep up with all the latest news and to be the first to hear about some great competitions, come and find me me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also email me directly at leeloobaggins@hotmail.com or simply subscribe below and never worry about missing out!