How did you make the seamless transition from being a lawyer, to an influencer to an author so effortlessly?
I promise there hasn’t been a moment it’s felt effortless in the almost 6 years since I started. While working as a lawyer, I began writing a blog, and as it grew a readership and following, soon I was working up to 80 hours a week across both.
In 2016 I created my first product – a wedding planner called the little white book, which I’m sort of best known for. I left my career as a lawyer shortly after, as it finally all became too much. The social media following has always been a by-product of the business, and while it’s so beneficial to have an audience, and one that is so supportive, I do also feel a lot of pressure to ‘show up’ and be available to people to talk to on Instagram, when often I feel too overwhelmed and time-poor to do so (I have a 2 year old and 8 month old).
It has always been a huge amount of work, though I don’t think my personality would allow me to take a break even if it wasn’t. I can’t seem to reach a goal without having started working on the next.
Can you share with our readers a bit about why you started Forget Me Not Journals (changed Books to Journals)?
I have always been really sentimental about memories, and having inherited journals from each of my parents when they died, I want to leave something similar to my own children – especially journals about their early lives. Photos only tell part of the story, but you really understand a person by what they have written privately. It’s like reading their mind at that point in time, and when you are no longer able to talk to or ask questions of those people, their writings are invaluable.
While it’s been a huge privilege to become known for a particular business or product, because She Said Yes is quite a ‘niche’ business, over the years I’ve felt held back from creating other products I really wanted to.
When I had my first baby two years ago I launched a pregnancy journal called made with love, but felt it didn’t fit comfortably with the wedding brand I’d built. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to create a dedicated space for keepsake journals for families. It’s taken me a few years to work it out, but I’m very happy with where it has finally got to.
The past few months has been very challenging for many, but your books have been so well received and are flying off the shelves throughout the country and online. Can you share the secret to your success?
I think that while lockdown, and isolation has taken so much from us, and limited what we can do with our families, for many it has reminded us of the simple pleasures we have together. My books encourage people to record special moments. It’s also a way of sharing memories with people we are separated from, both in New Zealand and overseas. One of the questions in the Christmas Memory Book is ‘Who couldn’t be with you this year’ which I think will be a very poignant question for many.
In terms of the ‘secret’ – there is so much time and hard work is behind every success, and for every ‘win’ there are always many more that haven’t worked out. I always share an honest look at the challenges behind the scenes with my audience online, I think it’s important to be straightforward about the struggles so that others don’t feel alone in theirs.
What inspired you to create the Christmas Memory Book?
Now that I have little children, I’m reliving the magic of Christmas through their eyes. I know Christmas is going to be a special time for them each year and something they will anticipate and look forward to – I also want them to be able to look back on them.
One day, my children will be able to read about all the happy Christmas celebrations we had as a family. The one when my sister came home from Melbourne and surprised us, the one where we bought Teddy a (much-longed for) scooter and he refused to ride it, and this one, where (fingers crossed) we are finally reunited with Blair’s sister and grandmother in Wellington after months and months of lockdown.
What is your favourite part of the festive season?
I love to be able to completely switch off from social media – and almost completely from email too. While I will always reply to customers, it’s the only time of year it’s completely acceptable not to reply to any business/work related emails for a week or two.
I also love how quiet Auckland is over Christmas and the New Year – we’re lucky to live near the beach and it’s such a slow, peaceful time for us – wandering down for a swim, staying for fish and chips on the beach, and never knowing what day it is.
Do you have any family traditions at Christmas time?
No, sadly we really don’t – neither my husband or I have grown up with a stable/traditional family that spends Christmas together – we’ve both had a lot of change in our lives and haven’t had any traditions passed down.
That was part of my inspiration for the Christmas Memory Book, filling it in together is going to be our first family tradition.
How do you manage the juggle of being a mother of two young children, with your latest venture?
I am guilty of burning the candle at both ends, as I don’t want to miss out on anything with my children, but also have big aspirations for the business. My husband is very supportive, and when he’s not working, he helps me to make time. Lockdown has meant that he is home a lot more, so at least one day a week he takes the babies out for a walk and I do a couple of hours’ work, and otherwise I squeeze in work while they’re sleeping.
There’s never enough time for everything, so the truth is that our house is a mess, there are piles of laundry, towels and toys in every room, and we have lots of takeaways.
So sorry to hear about the loss of your parents, what do you think they would be most proud of?
I think they’d be most proud to see that we’re a really happy family and that we really put our children first. They separated when I was only a few months old, so they never had the kind of family home that I now have with mine.
My Dad would be proud of my business ventures – he was entrepreneurial too – but my Mum, who was proud to have seen my Admission as a Lawyer shortly before she died, just wanted to see her children happy in whatever they did. She would be most proud that I have chosen to do something that gives me flexibility to be with my family, and something that makes me happy.
What else is in store for Forget Me Not Journals, any other exciting launches on the horizon?
Yes! As always I’ve totally over-committed myself. I have begun working with someone I met through Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori to create our first bilingual book in English and Te Reo Māori.
The next journals to be making their way to stores are called ‘to my daughter’, ‘to my son’ and ‘to my child’ which are prompted journals to encourage writing to your children about their developments and adventures.
Do you have any advice to other mums wanting to start their own side hustle?
I would absolutely encourage anyone to do so. While most people start businesses with the primary goal of making money, as a Mum, having a small business also gives you a little bit of escapism from being solely focussed on the wellbeing of your children. For me, it’s as much for my mental health, and my sense of self, as it is about giving me financial freedom.
My experience is that to run a small business profitably and successfully, you have to learn to do most things yourself. I do my own photos, social media, web development, online advertising, the list goes on. Of course, if there’s something I can’t work out, I will hire someone, but more often than not, I get better results from doing it myself, and I have a much better understanding of what’s working and where money is best spent by teaching myself.
Finally – don’t expect things to run smoothly all the time. I still have so much to learn, and make lots of mistakes along the way – that’s all just part of the fun!
