Julia Stafford, Jujo Baby
Jujo Baby, founded by Julia Stafford, creates luxury cotton knitwear clothing and blankets for babies and toddlers. I am especially proud of our unique shwrap design, the blanket with sleeves which has fast become our signature piece. Being so versatile it is a great accessory for newborn parents on the go. The blanket section can be wrapped around the baby while their arms are kept free but covered with the sleeves. My daughter would wriggle and wriggle until she freed her arms so this is a perfect solution and very easy when moving between prams, bassinets etc, as you don’t have to keep unwrapping and disturbing them. It offers discretion for breastfeeding while out and about by draping the blanket component over one shoulder. For babies with hip dysplasia our wrap is a great cardigan option with the blanket section covering the hip cast. It can be so difficult finding clothing when your baby is wearing the cast so this offers a deserving beautiful accessory.
What made you get into the kids industry?
My children were the main reason for me taking the plunge to start my own business and into the kids industry. I have always been a designer of knitwear but my work involved so much travel which really wasn’t sustainable with such a young family. It was a great option for me to try to achieve a better working / life balance without having to give up my love of designing knitwear in a market that I saw opportunity.
What is the best thing about running your own business? And what is the worst thing?
The best things about running your own business and working from home is being your own boss and setting your own working hours to suit family life. This in itself has also at times been the worst part as working by yourself from home overseeing every aspect of the business can be quite lonely and daunting and it is sometimes hard to switch off. I have had to train myself not to keep checking emails and set boundaries of what is work time and what is mummy time. It is hard but I have achieved a much better balance. Procrastination is also my downfall and easy to do when you set your own targets especially on parts of the business I don’t necessarily love doing.
What’s the most valuable piece of business advice you’ve ever received?
To remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and to never compare yourself to others. Learn from your mistakes but don’t dwell on them, tomorrow is a new day... that's 3!
What do you think your customers are saying about you?
Hopefully that I have given them a beautifully finished, gorgeously soft knitted product fitting for their precious little ones and given great customer service and shopping experience in the process.
What did you do before you started JuJo Baby?
Before starting Jujo Baby I was a knitwear designer of ladies and menswear. I actually did a Bachelor (Hons) degree in knitwear and then worked for several UK high street brands before moving to Australia 13 years ago where I continued to design knitwear before setting up the Jujo Baby knitwear label four years ago – I'm sounding knitwear obsessed!!
What motivates you?
Without a doubt my biggest motivation is my family, especially my children. They amaze me how they have so much energy and I love the way they think out of the box. I never want them to be afraid to pursue their dreams. My daughter has not stopped singing the last few days – apparently her dream is to be a singer / dancer, last week it was a vet... a few weeks before that a hairdresser.
What do you do to wind down?
There are lots of ways I like to wind down from having some quiet time to myself, just me, a brisk walk with the dog at the beach, or a quick trip to the gym. I always feel better after exercise but don’t do it enough. A family movie night or dinner with my husband (child free), a good old catch up with friends over a bottle of wine.
What is your worst habit?
My worst habit is procrastination. I am sooo good at it! For others apparently I have a bad habit of thinking out loud so they never know if I am talking to them or myself.
If you could invite any four people to dinner, who would they be?
If I could invite 4 people to dinner it would be my mum, dad, sister and nieces (I had to add one extra). They live so far away in the UK and I so often wish we could sit down to a good old Sunday roast all together.
What can kids expect from your products?
They can expect to be wrapped in softness, snug as a bug, to be happy and content in our knitted products.
What differentiates your products from your competitors?
It is a really competitive market with so many brands producing great things but I think the fact that we use traditional knitwear techniques in a contemporary way gives us a point of difference. Along with our blanket with sleeves shwrap design which is very different to any other baby wrap options available.
Find out more about Jujo Baby...
- Little Red Compass Directory - Jujo Baby
- Website - jujobaby.com.au
- Facebook - facebook.com/Jujobaby
