Business in Profile

IMPRESSIONABLE KIDS

Impressionable Kids is a home based franchise business that specialises in framed baby hand and feet sculptures, we have other products available as well such as name frames, bronzing, custom framing, framed memorabilia, photo art and canvas prints.

The business commenced in 1999 as a sole trader, however in 2000 Impressionable Kids decided to franchise the business to keep up with the high demand of our product where we now have 38 franchises Australia wide.

Our website is www.impressionablekids.com.au

Why did you start your business?
Impressionable Kids commenced in 1999 where there was little available to mum's and dad's to capture the memories of just how little their young one's once were, our product was born and is now Australia's leader in framed children's memorabilia.

Has starting your own business lived up to expectations?
Absolutely, we enjoy what we do and would not have it any other way, what more could a mother ask for in being able to work from home around her family, earn an income and still get to stay at home with their young children rather then placing their children into daycare or watch their son's or daughters sports carnival and not have to be concerned about taking time off work.
At times it can certainly be demanding, but as long as you remain organised and you have the support from family and friends it is great. There is so much more satisfaction from working for yourself rather then for somebody else.

What have you enjoyed the most about running your own business?
Being able to be a part of a growing company who is known Australia wide, seeing the smiles on our customers faces when they receive their completed product and the satisfaction that comes with that and being able to provide a supportive role to our franchises.

What is the biggest challenge for you in running your own business?
There are always challenges faced when you run your own business, I would have to say though the hardest thing to adapt to is being able to switch off at the end of the day because when you work from home it is very tempting to sit down and do a few minutes of work and then before you know it you have been there for hours.

How do you manage the juggle of running your own business with family?
Our children are in Primary School and Child Care and we both have very supportive husbands who are actively involved in the business and help out with the family commitments as well.
The great thing about running your business from home is that you have more flexibility so if the kids are sick or there are school holidays it is not a problem.

Do you have a favourite networking opportunity or event?
That would have to be the Pregnancy babies & Childrens Expo which we participate in each state every year. This is our target market and it is a great opportunity to meet prospective customers, it is always wonderful to see them a few months after when they have had their baby and would like to have their babies hands and feet sculptured.

Do you have any advice for anyone out there who may be thinking about starting their own business?
It is not easy and you should definitely research your options very carefully, one of the positive sides of joining a franchise such as ours is that you have that support there for all aspects from the product to paperwork, marketing etc as well as the benefits of group buying power.