Happy Spaces – interview with founders, Leanne & Mia

One of my best friends, Michelle, mentioned to me that a colleague of hers had bravely left the lure of the corporate ladder to set up a company, Happy Spaces, specialising in creating artwork for children

There are loads of fab artworks (too many for me to list here!!) but here are some of my favourite picks from their site (coincidentally all from artist (and mum) Lesley Grainger)…

I jumped at the opportunity to talk to the two lovely founders, Leanne and Mia especially as Leanne is a young mother and I was particularly interested in talking to her about what it is like being a mumpreneur (yes it is a word), juggling babies with setting up a business, hope you enjoy finding out more!

Can you describe yourselves and your company and how it came about?

Mia: Leanne and I are two ‘young’ ladies in our early thirties who are both originally from South Africa and first met when we were just 5 years old! We are best friends and both moved to the UK around 7 years ago.

A year ago we started work together on our new company, which we have just launched, called Happy Spaces. Quite simply Happy Spaces is a central place to buy beautiful, unique, finely crafted wall art for children’s spaces – bedrooms, playrooms and nurseries. Our collection is full of colourful and imaginative designs by some of the world’s finest artists. We work closely with this group of exceptionally talented artists to offer designs that are refreshingly different, exciting and fun for children.

After graduating from university in 2000, we both started work in the financial services industry and spent the next 8 years climbing our way up the corporate ladder. We were successful but still felt unfulfilled with what corporate life offered. We wanted a more creative career, which celebrated our appreciation and love for art and beautiful products and which gave us the flexibility to spend valuable time with our loved ones.

After the arrival of Leanne’s first child, Jake, the light bulb moment occurred whilst she was trying to find something unique and fun to decorate the walls of Jake’s bedroom. It was truly time-consuming (not a luxury afforded to a new mum) and the pickings were extremely slim! We spoke on the phone for hours and our excitement grew as we realised the market was shouting out for a central place to buy beautiful, unique and affordable wall art that was just for kids! We became partners and Happy Spaces was born!

Would you mind sharing a few of your favourite artists with us?

Mia: I can honestly spend hours admiring all the beautiful designs in the Happy Spaces catalogue; they are all so uplifting and unique. I really enjoy designs with bright colours and simple lines that make you want to smile, that’s why artist Laila Hills is one of my favourites. These two designs by Laila never fail to make me beam – there’s a comedic side to them that really appeals to the child in me.

Why did you set up this company and what have been your favourite moments so far? Is there anything you would do differently looking back?

We set up Happy Spaces for 2 main reasons. Firstly, family life is very important to both of us and the pressure and stress we were both feeling in our old jobs was not conducive to family life so we took the brave step to make a major change which would enable us to work around our family and thereby getting our priorities back in line. And secondly, we wanted a new challenge in which we would be able to explore and nurture our creative sides which we were finding to be somewhat stifled in our old jobs. Our favourite moments so far have, of course, been all the firsts; first sale, first day the website went live, first positive comment but our best moments would have to be when we attended the Spirit of Christmas Fair (our stand was very bright and colourful with about 50 artworks on display) and as little kids walked by our stand, watching their little faces light up as they took in all of the colour and gorgeous characters on display. It was very special to us and confirmed to us that we were doing the right thing.

The only thing we would do differently is to be more realistic about how long things would take. We were both used to working in an industry where things moved very quickly and deadlines would be met at all costs but in the creative world things naturally take a longer which we were not prepared for.

Our advice to people wanting to start their own business would be to try everything you can to find a way to make it happen. Be prepared for a lot of hard work and many highs and lows but if you are determined enough, being your own boss and the flexibility it provides makes it very rewarding and completely worth it. We both feel very lucky to have started this journey.

Where in the ‘blogosphere’, do you go for inspiration? Could you share your favourite pics of nurseries/children’s bedrooms that have inspired you?

We both love the blog Print and Pattern which showcases the work of some fabulous artists and celebrates inspiring surface pattern design.  The blog Decor8 is also a great place for your daily dose of inspiration and positivity.

Our favourite pictures of children’s rooms can be found in the beautiful book ‘Babies’ Rooms From Zero to Three’ which we both have a copy of. We love the way small special touches can transform a room and go a long way to creating a beautiful space for your child (even in a very small space) which we believe every child deserves.

In terms of how we choose our art, it’s very instant, we go with our guts and we either love it or hate it. We are both very honest with each other about what we like and dislike. Thank goodness this has not led to any arguments… yet!

Leanne what is one great piece of parenting advice someone has shared with you?

Don’t worry too much! Live in the moment, enjoy the moment. Being a parent is hard work and the stress, worry and exhaustion that comes with the territory can leave you wishing for the next stage in their life but kids grow up so quickly that the next thing you know they will be all grown up. I’ve already found this to be true with my son, who I can’t believe is almost 3. We need to take the time to enjoy every precious moment with our children.

As you both work from home – do you have any advice/tips on how to best achieve that essential work/home life balance?  Is it tricky to manage your time given you are now working for yourselves as it can often entail very long hours and weekends?

We feel privileged every day to be able to work from home. However, there is always a risk of blurring the boundaries between work and home life and it’s important to keep the balance. One thing that makes a world of difference is to make time every day to get out – even if it’s just for half an hour. A change of environment and some good old fashioned fresh air do the world of good for the mind and body and stop you from becoming a hermit. Another piece of good advice is to ‘get ready’ at the start of your day. Even if no one is going to see you all day (and some days it may be tempting to stay in your pj’s) make the effort every day to have a shower, put on a touch of makeup, and sit down for some breakfast. It gets you in the mood for action and your head in the right place to work.

Time management is vital when you work for yourself. Starting a new business is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do and it can easily take up all your free time if you’re not careful. Setting realistic deadlines is important, and will help you maintain a more enjoyable work life balance. Like life – I try to see my work as a journey, not a destination. There will always be another thing on your to do list, but sometimes it will have to wait till tomorrow.