In our special Mother’s Day feature we talk to five women who combine motherhood with running a successful business. This week it’s Lisa Carrick from Enjoy Lighting.
What does the ideal Mother’s Day look like for you?
You know, at the risk of sounding corny, every day has moments when it’s like Mother’s Day for me. I’m so grateful for the beautiful soul who chose me to be his mother.
As a working mum I really try to make the business fit around my desire to be the before school mum, the after school mum, the p and f committee mum, the fundraiser mum, the enthusiastic spectator all day Saturday mum, the washing and folding Queen, the try new recipe mum, the snuggle on the couch mum, as these little windows into my child’s life make my long weeks worthwhile.
But the ideal one day that we celebrate? Well I’d love French champagne for breakfast in bed, fresh prawns from the local trawler, sliced avocado and breadsticks with the immediate family for lunch, a card game mid-afternoon and early evening drinks on the deck then a BBQ with my immediate and extended family. Surrounded by candles, flameless of course!
3 tips for combining motherhood and a successful business?
Tip # 1: Time management is key. Allocate time for family and time for work. Sometimes it’s not always possible when working across international time zones, but I consciously try to be purposeful and present when spending time with family, as time with them is far too precious.
Tip # 2: Create a culture of celebration. Involve the family in your successes, as a family business does impact the whole family, in one way or another. When we told Ethan about our record trade fair in Sydney, his response was, “wow mum, that’s a great PB!”
Tip # 3: Try to eat one meal together every day. You learn so much at the dinner table!
What are your best-sellers for Mother’s Day?
Our new Enjoy LUX Signature Collection that launched at the recent trade fair will no doubt be our best seller for sure. Arriving in stores mid-April, this patented 3D wick design is like nothing the world have ever seen and has turned the flameless candle market on its head. Our record trade fair, where we sold three times more than our best ever trade fair in our first 10 years is testament to that.
What is the one piece of advice that your mum gave you that you still follow today?
Never give up. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And do unto others as you would want done to yourself. Be kind, kindness is your best asset.
3 Mother’s Day visual merchandising/display tips for retailers?
Tip #1: Our candles look best when turned on and in situ, so inspire the customer with how they can use our candles at home.
Tip # 2: The best retailers for us are the ones that upsell and use our candles as part of the package, for example, in a lantern, a large cluster on a tray.
Tip # 3: And keep a remote control handy, even in your pocket, so you can have some fun by turning the candles on and off to grab the customer’s attention. Luckily our new Enjoy LUX Collection glows brightly in the brightest light of a retail store so there’s no need to try to create a dark corner―these babies are bright! Early feedback from some retailers have accessed samples to display in store is the customers LOVE them.
Make sure you check out our digital Mother’s Day magazine. Click here to read it now!
