Tell us about yourself and your business?
I’m Gaayathri Periasami, and I am the founder of Baby Peppers, an ethical and sustainable brand invested in making a social change.
We specialise in bohemian block printed bedding textiles for children together with a range of other artisanal crafts made from heritage and centuries old art-forms. Our ideal customer base is anyone of a conscious and mindful living and wants to make a difference in the lives of themselves and others.
We don’t just sell products; we create a unique, personalised experience for both the consumers and artisans. We make ethical shopping affordable and accessible for consumers and give them the opportunity to make a social change on a global scale.
From giving meaning to traditions passed down from generations, to providing financial independence to marginalised and disabled women living in poor conditions, we’ve got you covered for that social impact.
Through this experience, we also create an opportunity for the artisans to imprint their story onto the products they create and to showcase the beauty of ancient craftsmanship on the global platform.
Baby Peppers is my side hustle, currently I’m also a full time compliance manager working for the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited.
What prompted you to start your own business?
Baby Peppers was born out of a personal need. When I was shopping for my first son, I found the lack of quality bedding and cot sheets very frustrating.
The sheets I found at generic department stores were of very poor quality and I knew they wouldn’t last very long especially after multiple washes.
I wanted to bridge this gap in the market and decided to start a business that sold ethical and beautiful range of children’s bedding textiles while also still being affordable.
What personal traits has helped you succeed in business?
Resilience and grit. Without these, it will be hard for any entrepreneur to succeed. Business life can be incredibly complex and exhausting especially when you’re juggling other responsibilities like being a full time working mother.
Many times I just wanted to throw in the towel but I kept pushing myself and leaning into discomfort to show that I was capable and could achieve anything that I set my mind to.
What lessons did you learn in your first year of business?
You need to be impervious to rejection. As a small business new to the industry, I faced lots of rejections and couldn’t garner the reach and visibility to help scale my business. But if you want to be visible, you need to start looking at rejections as re-directions and focus your energy to carve the right path for your business.
What have been some highlights of running your own business?
The opportunity to connect with other like minded entrepreneurs and support each other with some wonderful collaborations. The cross-promotional opportunities have helped the other businesses and mine gain great visibility.
I also got reacquainted with my love of writing and have written many articles in relation to my business.
What do you love about living and working in a regional community? Do you think that has been an advantage to the success of your business?
The spirit of support and togetherness. As regional communities are smaller, we can pool our resources together to build some solid support for local businesses.
It has definitely been an advantage for my business. I don’t have competition in the regional community and I’m able to scale the business with the support and encouragement of other local businesses.
What do you love about seeing women work together and support each other?
I love that it is actually possible. For far too long, I’ve seen women being harsh and judgemental towards other women and destroy the bond with envy and competitiveness.
Even growing up, I had very little support from other girls and women my age as they were more interested in bullying me and feeding their big egos.
When I actually see women come together and empower each other, it makes my heart warm and it is exactly what we need in this world which is fraught with so much complexities.
What is the biggest challenge facing your industry at the moment and how are you overcoming it?
Competition from fast fashion and lack of education amongst parents on the need for conscious buying and ethically made products with safe materials. There is also a misguided apprehension that ethical shopping equates to expensive shopping.
While many ethical stores do charge premium prices, I believe that prices can be kept reasonable. All it takes is a structured pricing strategy and a solid mission and vision.
I am overcoming the challenges by educating consumers on the need to ensure that babies or toddlers only have access to safe materials such as cot sheets with premium grade cotton and azo-free dyes, and toys coloured with natural or vegetable dyes.
What’s next for Baby Peppers?
More collaborations and the hope that I will be invited to attend and speak at international entrepreneur forums to share my journey.
Finally, what question do you wish people would ask and how would respond?
I wish people would ask what makes us so different from the other baby stores. We are very different because transparency is an integral part of our business model.
Suppliers and manufacturers are pretty shocked that we reveal what dyes we use on our textiles. This is usually a confidential trade information and even premium baby stores don’t divulge such information.
Customers have the right to know how their products are made, what materials are used and where they are made and so it is critical that we are transparent about the whole process.
Gaayathri was shortlisted for the 2018 Regional Women’s Business Award, the newest category of the Bendigo Business Excellence Awards, created to play a vital role in raising the profile of women in business across the Greater Bendigo region.
Recognising and rewarding the courage, leadership and creativity of Greater Bendigo’s most inspirational business women, the awards empower women to take pride in their achievements and encourage them to set bold new goals for the future.
