‘Rainbows are really popular’: the teething-toy entrepreneur saving for a £3,500 embroidery machine

A new baby, a toddler in lockdown, a global pandemic, and a growing business was not the ideal combination for Katherine Goodes and her husband, Tony, in south London last year. “It was the four of us at home and there was lots of stock in the house,” she says. “There were beads everywhere. It got to the point where my husband said: ‘You need to move out.’”

Luckily he just meant the business. And finding a studio 10 minutes away from home for Chewie Cat, a teething and baby products company, has opened up a lot of opportunities for the entrepreneur. She was able to hire a full-time member of staff and recruit two more people to help out part time.

Sales quadrupled in 2020, compared with the year before, a boost she believes has been driven by families wanting to send thoughtful gifts to each other while separated. Goodes handwrites all of the gift cards and says some of the messages have been very moving. “It’s really sad to read ‘We miss you, from Nana and Papa.’ There have been a lot of very sentimental cards being sent,” she says.

Her own family in Malaysia has also felt very far away. Her mum flew over to help with new baby Oscar last March and had planned to stay for four months, but Covid-19 meant she returned after just a few weeks.

Goodes was inspired to set up her business four years ago when her first son, Oliver, was teething. “He would grab my clothes, my hair and pinch me,” she says. “I needed a solution to stop him doing that and came across these teething necklaces. I thought it was a great idea but there wasn’t really a style or design I liked. I started to make my own and people asked where they could get them. I sold more and more, and then expanded into other things.” She now offers a range of personalised teething rings, dummy clips and clothing, as well as the necklaces and toys.

At the heart of the business is a basic embroidery machine that Goodes bought for £600. It does the job, but often frustrates her because of its limitations. One of her biggest gripes is that it only has one needle, so if she’s embroidering something complicated with many colours, she has to change the thread each time. “Rainbows are really popular,” she laughs. That means a lot of stopping and starting after each run.

Under pressure to fulfil orders over Easter, the machine jammed at one point and she was left panicking about whether she’d need to replace it at short notice. In the end, taking it apart and giving it a good clean seemed to do the trick. “We were working that machine super hard,” she says of the weeks leading up to Easter weekend. “I was really worried because we had so many orders. There’s actually quite a long wait time for new machines because everyone’s doing arts and crafts at home.”

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Needless to say, it’s past time for an upgrade. Goodes’ heart is set on an embroidery machine that costs £3,500 and “has more needles, more colours and can go around tricky shapes”, she says. She’s been saving for the past year and has put away £2,000 so far, but estimates she’ll need at least another six months to reach her goal.

Investing in the new machine will allow her to increase her capacity, as well as expand into other products, such as personalised teddy bears, hats and different coloured designs. “I have a few samples in,” she says of the teddy bears. “There’s a also a Highland cow and a bunny. They’re so cute but I’ve ruined a couple on my current machine because their heads are too big. The machine just gets stuck.”

Goodes admits she hasn’t ever saved for a specific item like this before, although she does try to put money into a pension. But seeing her pot grow month on month – even if she just puts in £100 – has motivated her to stick to her savings goal.

Jill Waters, NS&I’s retail director, says: “Starting to save for a new, improved machine that will help her grow her booming business for babies has given Goodes the impetus she needs to focus on her savings goal. Having something to save for can make all the difference to sticking to these goals, and takes away the temptation to dip in and use the money for something else.”

• A new embroidery machine will enable Goodes to use more colours and stitch more difficult shapes

Becoming a small-business owner has been quite the change for Goodes, who has worked as an IT consultant for the past 10 years. But she’s enjoying spending more time with her family and being able to take her sons to the studio, where they can play with toys while she works.

Making plans for the future has been a lifesaver over the past year, she adds. “It’s really helped my mental health. I was quite lonely when Oscar was born because you couldn’t see anyone. I found it quite tough. But the business helped me channel some of my creative energy. I’m the type of person who needs to be busy and doing something.”

Asked whether she ever imagined she’d be running her own business, she laughs. “I actually come from a family of shopkeepers in Malaysia. I told my dad when I was small that I wanted to be a millionaire before I was 30. I’m 35 and I still have some way to go.”

Having something to save towards can make putting money aside easier. With the help of NS&I, you can reach your goal too. Visit nsandi.com to find out how you can save for a sunny day