In the latest interview from our Making of a Mumpreneur series, we share the story behind The Motherhood Journal, the ultimate gift for new mums…
The passion and excitement longtime friends Laura and Sorcha have for their business, The Motherhood Journal, is infectious. From the happy dances they do every time they receive a new order to the meticulous attention to detail and care taken with packing every journal, it’s clear that this project means everything to them, and their hard work is already paying off.
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With new mums raving about the luxurious journal and two more in the pipeline, the future looks very exciting for this pair, and we can’t wait to see their vision for a giant pink headquarters come to life.
We caught up with Laura to get all the details on their hopes for the future and the story behind their venture so far…
We were inspired to start our business because… The idea came to us when we were both in the early, overwhelming months of new motherhood. I had been writing in a gratitude journal throughout pregnancy and Sorcha had a baby book she was filling out. We both wanted (and needed) a journal that prioritised the new mum. A place to write the memories before they slipped away, a place to write about the firsts but also a place to capture the entire experience. The motherhood journal is a gratitude journal, mum life planner, and baby memoir all in one beautiful book.
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A typical day for us looks like… Both Sorcha and myself work part-time in our day jobs and part-time on our side hustle. We’ve rented a space for the motherhood journal HQ which we use for stock storage and the gift wrapping of the journals. Sorcha works from the HQ and is in charge of all the inventory, gift wrapping, and shipping. I work from home and do marketing, sourcing, and accounting. We do our social media channels as a team.
Our proudest moment so far was… Holding the initial sample from the print company in our hands for the first time was a huge moment. I cried! Sorcha and I had spent nearly a year writing the words (with help from fellow mums, midwives, mental health nurses, and doulas – you know who you are). Then we’d spent months working with a typesetter to get the design perfect. To hold all that work in our hands for the first time, was the moment it started to feel real, that we were really going to make this happen.
The biggest challenge has been…Time. Finding the time amongst our day jobs and family life. It’s been easier to prioritise ourselves and our business since September now that we actually have stock ready to sell. Whilst we were designing and working with suppliers it was hard to prioritise ourselves and our idea, the mum guilt was tough.
The best thing about having our own business is…We both just love the hustle! We both thrive off hard work, coming up with ideas, and driving this project forward. Hearing the feedback from customers who have the journal is the best feeling. It’s very special, working on something you know is really important for new mums.
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Before launching our own business… Sorcha and I are Chiropractors (we met at university 13 years ago), specialising in treating pregnant women for pelvic and back pain and we both set up and run our own private healthcare practices. We started the motherhood journal company during our maternity leaves and now we treat patients part-time and work on this part-time. We love our day jobs but having a creative passion project is good for the soul.
Before starting our business I wish I’d known… So so much but I wouldn’t change the journey. This is our first time going from idea to product to market so we’re learning everything as we go along. The biggest lessons have been to always negotiate the price point with suppliers, allow lots of extra time for shipments to get through UK customs, and that it is worth investing in multiple rounds of samples to get the product perfect.
Our top piece of advice for fellow mums hoping to start a business is… If you have an idea, start chipping away at it. Once we actually just sat down and started, our ideas and momentum snowballed. Get lots of feedback about your idea from friends and other mums. Even without a product or any capital you can start your social pages, website and begin conversations.
The next project we are working on is… We’ve got so many ideas! There are two more journals we’ve nearly finished writing so they’ll be going to the typesetter over the next few months. The motherhood journal is focused on year one of motherhood and these two are expanding into the toddler years and one that is especially for welcoming a second baby.
Our dream for the future is…We’re manifesting a giant pink warehouse for the motherhood journal HQ! Haha.
In all seriousness, the motherhood journal is about more than just saving memories for the future. It is about stilling the noise and finding peace in a world full of noise and opinions and screens of mixed messages. This journal is a tool to help support maternal mental health and gently guide women with the transition to new motherhood. It is about remembering that when a baby is brand new, the mum is new too. Our big dream is that the motherhood journal is gifted to all new mums (we’ll take the cute tiny clothes as well though!).
Follow Laura and Sorcha on Instagram and visit themotherhoodjournal.com to order one for yourself or a friend.
Have you launched your own business or is there an entrepreneur you’d love us to feature? Contact us with your suggestions.