Giving up their life in the fast lane, Ashleigh Soule Van Niekerk and her husband moved from Johannesburg to Gqeberha in 2016.
“We wanted to slow down and appreciate bringing up our children in the Friendly City.
“I was privileged enough to be at home with my children before they started school,” Van Niekerk said.
Just as the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020, Van Niekerk bought Pikkie Kids from Nicole Ward-Able.
Ward-Able started the business in 2016.
Pikkie Kids is a small Gqeberha-based company that manufactures clothes for babies, toddlers and older children.
“In 2020, the opportunity arose for me to purchase Pikkie Kids.
“I jumped at the opportunity and was so excited to start this new venture, and took over operation in April 2020.
“Pikkie Kids was born in 2016 when the love for our cute and unique fabric prints were discovered.
“We pride ourselves on our garments being locally made and thrive on designing and creating gorgeous and unique clothing for little ones so they can connect with the world in comfort and style.
“All our products are handmade in our ‘mini factory’ with love and care and are of an extremely high quality,” Van Niekerk said.
What is your core service?
We design and manufacture babies, toddlers and kids clothing, as well as ‘Mommy and me’ matching outfits and family matching Christmas PJs.
We also offer personalised birthday outfits, pregnancy announcement outfits and matching sibling outfits, as well as our ever-popular classic panties and classic briefs.
We have an online store: www.pikkiekids.co.za. And we stock a variety of shops across the country.
What makes your business unique?
We feel what sets us apart from the rest is the softness of the fabrics we use and our unique fabric prints, some of which we had hand drawn by the very talented artist, Shirley Moore.
We also offer ‘Grow with me’ patterns in our leggings, shorts and harem pants, and we feel this is a huge bonus for mommies, as babies grow out of their wardrobes so quickly and this sizing pattern offers a more sustainable wardrobe choice as the clothes grow with your baby, so last a lot longer.
What also makes our business unique is we make customer service a way of life and we are happy to help, design or customise any outfit to our customers’ needs.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
My advice to anyone trying to start up would be to make sure you have patterns that work and fit correctly once sewn up, and to make sure every stitch is a neat stitch because without a perfect garment, you can’t make the perfect sale.
What are some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before getting off the ground?
I was lucky enough to have bought Pikkie Kids once it had been established, but I did take it over the day that lockdown started, so that in itself was a huge challenge.
Do you have any tips for budding entrepreneurs or new business owners?
You’ll almost certainly end up working harder for yourself than you would for someone else, so prepare to make sacrifices in your personal life when establishing your business but always remember family comes first.
What are some of your biggest challenges in day-to-day business operations and your particular industry?
My personal biggest challenge is that there are not enough hours in the day.
But a challenge that comes with the industry is that fashion trends are continuously changing, even baby fashion.
So we are constantly having to change our designs and keep up with new trends.
What is the best advice anyone gave you on success?
Be committed. Through commitment you can gain motivation to pursue success.
How do you measure or define success in your business?
We feel success is measured in so many different ways and is in the eye of the beholder.
But here at Pikkie Kids we live by the quote “Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success”.
It gives us a great sense of fulfilment when we have happy customers and a happy team.
What are some of the best practices that have made your business successful?
Introducing our matching family PJs has definitely been one of the most successful things we introduced to the business.
And we are so excited for 2022’s range to be launched in mid-October.
What kind of advertising do you do?
We do most of our advertising through social media platforms and email marketing.
What is your company’s vision?
Our vision is to design and create unique clothing for little ones so they can connect with the world in comfort and style.
What is your target market?
Our target market includes babies, toddlers, mommies and families.
What have some of your highlights been in running your business?
My biggest highlight of running this business is when I see the little people in our garments, whether it be in person or in a picture, my heart just smiles.
How important is social media and an online presence for your business?
We feel social media and an online presence is more than just a trend. It is an essential piece of our business marketing strategy.
We feel our instagram handle @Pikkiekids_babywear helps us connect with potential customers, our existing customers, as well as increases our brand awareness and boosts our leads and online sales.
We also use it as an essential tool to showcase new pieces that we introduce to our range and, lastly, our favourite part of all is seeing and sharing all the delightful photos our followers tag us in.
How many people do you employ?
Our team consists of a wonderful mom and daughter team and myself. Tilly and Shirlane, who work in our ‘mini factory’, cut, sew, stud, print, create and package all of our beautiful garments, and without them, Pikkie Kids would not be where it is today.
We are a proudly women-run brand and we are passionate about supporting other women and our local economy.
Do you have any plans for expanding the business, and how would you go about this?
We would love one day to expand but for now we are very happy and content just the way we are.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from your business journey so far?
Communication can prevent or fix almost any problem. The power of communication can’t be underestimated.
What have been the greatest challenges and advantages of running your business in a city like Gqeberha?
We feel we have the best of both worlds, a perfect quaint and peaceful work environment here in the Bay, and by offering an online store and courier services nationwide, we are not limited to servicing one city and are successfully able to dress families all over SA, and then for all our Gqeberha mamas, we offer a collection of all orders.
What do you believe are the three key traits of a successful entrepreneur?
Innovation, hard work and not to be afraid to take a chance.
I believe the first and most important trait of being an employer is showing appreciation and recognition.
It takes a team to get a business off the ground and keep it running, and one of the best ways to retain your employees is to show them they are valued, which they truly are.
What do you wish people knew about your industry?
“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.” — Marc Jacobs
HeraldLIVE
LEARNING CURVE | Pikkie Kids’ cute and unique fabric prints set it apart, says Gqeberha owner
Company’s beautiful handmade clothing, produced in its ‘mini factory’ , couriered all over SA
Image: SUPPLIED
Giving up their life in the fast lane, Ashleigh Soule Van Niekerk and her husband moved from Johannesburg to Gqeberha in 2016.
“We wanted to slow down and appreciate bringing up our children in the Friendly City.
“I was privileged enough to be at home with my children before they started school,” Van Niekerk said.
Just as the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020, Van Niekerk bought Pikkie Kids from Nicole Ward-Able.
Ward-Able started the business in 2016.
Pikkie Kids is a small Gqeberha-based company that manufactures clothes for babies, toddlers and older children.
“In 2020, the opportunity arose for me to purchase Pikkie Kids.
“I jumped at the opportunity and was so excited to start this new venture, and took over operation in April 2020.
“Pikkie Kids was born in 2016 when the love for our cute and unique fabric prints were discovered.
“We pride ourselves on our garments being locally made and thrive on designing and creating gorgeous and unique clothing for little ones so they can connect with the world in comfort and style.
“All our products are handmade in our ‘mini factory’ with love and care and are of an extremely high quality,” Van Niekerk said.
What is your core service?
We design and manufacture babies, toddlers and kids clothing, as well as ‘Mommy and me’ matching outfits and family matching Christmas PJs.
We also offer personalised birthday outfits, pregnancy announcement outfits and matching sibling outfits, as well as our ever-popular classic panties and classic briefs.
We have an online store: www.pikkiekids.co.za. And we stock a variety of shops across the country.
What makes your business unique?
We feel what sets us apart from the rest is the softness of the fabrics we use and our unique fabric prints, some of which we had hand drawn by the very talented artist, Shirley Moore.
We also offer ‘Grow with me’ patterns in our leggings, shorts and harem pants, and we feel this is a huge bonus for mommies, as babies grow out of their wardrobes so quickly and this sizing pattern offers a more sustainable wardrobe choice as the clothes grow with your baby, so last a lot longer.
What also makes our business unique is we make customer service a way of life and we are happy to help, design or customise any outfit to our customers’ needs.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
My advice to anyone trying to start up would be to make sure you have patterns that work and fit correctly once sewn up, and to make sure every stitch is a neat stitch because without a perfect garment, you can’t make the perfect sale.
What are some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before getting off the ground?
I was lucky enough to have bought Pikkie Kids once it had been established, but I did take it over the day that lockdown started, so that in itself was a huge challenge.
Do you have any tips for budding entrepreneurs or new business owners?
You’ll almost certainly end up working harder for yourself than you would for someone else, so prepare to make sacrifices in your personal life when establishing your business but always remember family comes first.
What are some of your biggest challenges in day-to-day business operations and your particular industry?
My personal biggest challenge is that there are not enough hours in the day.
But a challenge that comes with the industry is that fashion trends are continuously changing, even baby fashion.
So we are constantly having to change our designs and keep up with new trends.
What is the best advice anyone gave you on success?
Be committed. Through commitment you can gain motivation to pursue success.
How do you measure or define success in your business?
We feel success is measured in so many different ways and is in the eye of the beholder.
But here at Pikkie Kids we live by the quote “Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success”.
It gives us a great sense of fulfilment when we have happy customers and a happy team.
What are some of the best practices that have made your business successful?
Introducing our matching family PJs has definitely been one of the most successful things we introduced to the business.
And we are so excited for 2022’s range to be launched in mid-October.
What kind of advertising do you do?
We do most of our advertising through social media platforms and email marketing.
What is your company’s vision?
Our vision is to design and create unique clothing for little ones so they can connect with the world in comfort and style.
What is your target market?
Our target market includes babies, toddlers, mommies and families.
What have some of your highlights been in running your business?
My biggest highlight of running this business is when I see the little people in our garments, whether it be in person or in a picture, my heart just smiles.
How important is social media and an online presence for your business?
We feel social media and an online presence is more than just a trend. It is an essential piece of our business marketing strategy.
We feel our instagram handle @Pikkiekids_babywear helps us connect with potential customers, our existing customers, as well as increases our brand awareness and boosts our leads and online sales.
We also use it as an essential tool to showcase new pieces that we introduce to our range and, lastly, our favourite part of all is seeing and sharing all the delightful photos our followers tag us in.
How many people do you employ?
Our team consists of a wonderful mom and daughter team and myself. Tilly and Shirlane, who work in our ‘mini factory’, cut, sew, stud, print, create and package all of our beautiful garments, and without them, Pikkie Kids would not be where it is today.
We are a proudly women-run brand and we are passionate about supporting other women and our local economy.
Do you have any plans for expanding the business, and how would you go about this?
We would love one day to expand but for now we are very happy and content just the way we are.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from your business journey so far?
Communication can prevent or fix almost any problem. The power of communication can’t be underestimated.
What have been the greatest challenges and advantages of running your business in a city like Gqeberha?
We feel we have the best of both worlds, a perfect quaint and peaceful work environment here in the Bay, and by offering an online store and courier services nationwide, we are not limited to servicing one city and are successfully able to dress families all over SA, and then for all our Gqeberha mamas, we offer a collection of all orders.
What do you believe are the three key traits of a successful entrepreneur?
Innovation, hard work and not to be afraid to take a chance.
I believe the first and most important trait of being an employer is showing appreciation and recognition.
It takes a team to get a business off the ground and keep it running, and one of the best ways to retain your employees is to show them they are valued, which they truly are.
What do you wish people knew about your industry?
“Clothes mean nothing until someone lives in them.” — Marc Jacobs
HeraldLIVE
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