We met Marilee back in September at our ladies-only dinner with the founder of Primal Pantry. Being one of our new diners, we were eager to find out more about her business and how it all started…

 

Explain your business in one sentence!

Miilk is a premium quality, sophisticated muslin swaddle brand for everyone in the family!

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What were you doing before you launched your business?

I was a business manager for a big cosmetics company in London and enjoyed running my own section of the retail business whilst managing staff. My business partner, Monique Kruger was an HR manager for a large firm.

We both started having babies and quickly realised that the muslins we were buying were very baby-like and not as soft as you would expect when using on a newborn. Miilk was born then!

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If you have business partners, how did you meet them?

My business partner is my best friend. We went to school together and have known each other for 20 years!

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What’s your biggest ‘hindsight’ moment?

Do your own thing and stick with your vision for the brand right from day one. Do not compromise on anything less than what you want for your product. Looking back, we shouldn’t have gone with a manufacturer when we were starting out just because of convenience – we changed the manufacturer which comes with a lot more planning and forecasting necessary but totally worth it!

You can never RESEARCH, READ UP and LEARN enough!

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What will the next year bring?

We are heading in the right direction with distributors and retailers and are achieving bigger orders. 2019 will be the year we start scaling with our digital channels too.

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Give us 1 piece of advice for someone starting a business in your sector?

Do not lose hope when everything doesn’t happen as you expected from the start. It takes time finding the right manufacturer and people you want to work with. Remember, you probably started your own business to have more control over decisions and business relationships, so go for the opportunities that have the same values and vision as yourself.

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Convince someone to use your product in under 50 words!

Miilk muslins are the softest bamboo cotton swaddles you will ever use for everything from a burp cloth, nursing cover, baby blanket, pram sunshade, and even a beach cover-up! This is all whilst using it in style and feeling your sophisticated self!

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What’s your favourite business in your sector – not including your own!

Jamie Kay and Tiny Cottons.

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Tell us about your TableCrowd experiences!

I had a wonderful evening with about 13 ladies from various sectors all in the startup phase. Our host for the evening was Suzie Walker from The Primal Pantry. She was such an inspiration listening to and although she is in the food sector, I could still take so much from her journey and the difficulties she’s had to face. Her brand is successful and a testament that hard work pays off! Also met some lovely ladies whom I have stayed in contact with and will be working with on future events!

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What’s your favourite London restaurant?

Oh, where do I start…Patara, Dishoom & Opso.

 

Interested in Parent-Tech? Don’t miss out:

Dine with CEO of Azoomee & Non-Exec at Bounty (UK’s #1 pregnancy, mum & baby app) >> succeeding in the parent-tech sector

 

Our next Ladies Only dinner is coming up: