Charlie Moo’s is an online home-made party supplies business. From cake fillers to felt crowns, it provides everything needed to throw a top notch children’s party. The business was born when founder Joanne Dewberry’s son Charlie received a particularly disappointing party bag. Convinced she could do better, Joanne embarked on developing a range of home-made party supplies. Charlie Moo’s has a family-run feel, with Joanne drawing inspiration for her unique products from her three children. We caught up with her to see what makes Charlie Moo’s tick.
PayPal (PP): What have been your greatest successes?
Joanne Dewberry (JD): Charlie Moo’s has been operational for nearly seven years and it’s now completely self-sufficient. I am able to reinvest money into the business when required and earn a wage, which is really pleasing considering I’m a full-time mum. Running a business whilst looking after three children is an achievement in itself! In 2010 I was named ‘Dorset Business Mother of the Year’, which I’m very proud of, and I’ve been nominated for a number of other accolades since. I also became a published author when my book, ‘Crafting a Successful Small Business’ went on sale in 2012.
PP: What is the greatest challenge you faced in setting up your business and how did you overcome it?
JD: I started Charlie Moo’s whilst pregnant with my second child. Carving out time to get the business up and running was a challenging balancing act, but I loved it! I started the business with zero online retail experience. Whilst it took some time to navigate the various layers of ‘technobabble’, I’ve taken a lot of satisfaction from evolving my website onto a platform with more functionality and an improved experience for my customers.
PP: What advice would you give to other small businesses and those thinking of taking the plunge and creating a start-up?
JD: Research is absolutely paramount, and this is as true for me now as it was when I started out. Before I launch a new product, I try to consider as many factors as I can. This could mean looking at how saturated the market is or checking what prices your competitors are retailing at. I’ve even been known to stalk other businesses to see how their stock levels are doing!
Whether it be online or offline, networking is also invaluable. Develop a core base of people that you can sound out for advice, suggestions and brainstorms, as well as the moments where you just need to vent! Running a business by yourself can become quite isolating, so being able to voice a problem aloud or having a another set of eyes run over something can be really helpful.
PP: When did you start using PayPal and why?
JD: I’ve used PayPal for Charlie Moo’s since we started in 2008. It’s incredibly easy to use and this definitely plays a role in enhancing the customer experience. Being able to offer consumers the option to pay with their credit or debit card without the need for lengthy checkout forms was a real incentive to incorporate PayPal into our payment structure. The PayPal checkout also handles the entire payment process, right up to depositing the cash into your account. Finally, some of my suppliers also use PayPal. With all of this considered, it was the obvious choice!
PP: Has using PayPal helped your business? How?
JD: PayPal is a globally recognised brand and synonymous with safe online payments. Having it on Charlie Moo’s has definitely helped us build a level of trust with our customers, which we might not have been able to achieve otherwise.
Joanne Dewberry also runs her own blog with advice for budding small business owners, click here to take a look!