Meet Monique Hession, a creative entrepreneur, with an endless outlet for working to her strengths in Social Media Marketing & Strategy. In 2016 she made the decision to turn her corporate career in Business Accounting into an Internet Start-up business, enhancing the flow between work and family.
This career change brought her skills and experience in finance face-to-face with her natural strengths in communication, creativity and innovation. And… she hasn’t looked back.
Today, Snuggle Hunny Kids has over half million followers on Instagram and receives tons of orders. And this all happened in less than four years, Hession has grown her Start-up, Snuggle Hunny Kids, into Australia’s largest online retailer of baby swaddles. They specialize in unique and bespoke swaddles, bed linen and newborn accessories that are created with unique design and quality materials. They are the home to the Snuggle Swaddle – a stylish no zip sleep bag for babies to settle and sleep in. She employs 6 staff around the world and has gathered a host of artists and manufacturers who work with her to create the one-of-a-kind product range.
Working alongside some of Australia’s biggest Influencers, Hession has also developed a strong influential network, online customer base and social following. Her purpose? To bring beauty into the world of the modern Mum and her little one, and bring together a community of women who want to do the same.
And she’s winning. Fast approaching half a million engaged followers in her social media family, Monique has influenced the way we celebrate newborns in our digital age. Not only has she managed to build a tremendous following via online
And the best part of it all? Hession gets to share all of it; the ideas, the products, the day-to-day routine of home and work-hub with her young family and her newly found extended family – her very own Snuggle Hunny Kids community.
What inspired you to start Snuggle Hunny Kids? What was going through your mind on that day?
During pregnancy, with my firstborn son, I was completely uninspired by the baby products which were available! My mother and I bought some fabric and we put together swaddles and bedding for my little one to-be. I then realised that I was passionate about bringing beauty into the life of every mom and her baby through quality products that had a modern edge. There was a market for mothers like me, but no products to satisfy it, so I took a risk and created 6 items to sell online.
After longing for a career change and wanting to raise my children at home, I was fortunate to spend my maternity leave raising my son and starting a unique business. I didn’t realise the enormity of what lay in front of me, all I knew was that I was passionate about this space and took a risk to step out into it.
What is your favorite part of being an entrepreneur?
Each day is filled with new opportunities to challenge my abilities, skills and determination. It’s a thrill! I also get to evolve with my Brand, keeping everything in line with my passion and vision. I genuinely love the flexibility and opportunity to make decisions that has the Brand’s best interest at heart and guide our team in the way that I see it play out in my mind. As a mother it also allows me to raise my children and balance the juggle between work and being a mom. It allows me to follow my passion and be passionate about what we are doing in this space. I love my job.
What else motivated you to become an entrepreneur?
Passion, which was lacking in my role as a Senior Accountant for a Chartered Accountant Firm, where I worked for 13 years. There was no thrill or drive to exceed. I was bored and searching for that certain ‘spark’ in my career, well before I started Snuggle Hunny Kids, but I didn’t know where to find it. When this happened, out of the love I have for linen and swaddling, it became obvious that this is what I had been looking for the entire time.
Being a mompreneur, what are the cons and pros?
Being a Mom & entrepreneur means you cannot do it all. Your mind is constantly running, like a 24-hour clock that does not stop between the routine of mom life and running a business, neither of which can operate without you. I started my business so I could stay at home with my family and raise my children but quickly it grew into a humble but large online business and the hours with my children decreased as the focus shifted to managing the growth of a Brand that was growing faster than my babies.
I sacrificed my maternity leave and neglected my home to ensure that my business did not break during its growth periods. It is only now after 4 years that I built a team I can rely on and am able to put my time and focus back into my children and live a balanced life managing both ‘babies’ well. When I can’t be there for my kids when they need me, attend their important events and watch them grow, is not so much a ‘con’ of being a mompreneur, but it can definitely be a cost.
However, the pro is actually the flip side. If you build a healthy, proficient team around you and you allow yourself to be comfortable without being superwoman… the pro of being a mompreneur is that you will be able to move more freely with your children and their world, being available for special events, and right in those moments when they need you. Another
What sacrifices have you had to make during life as an entrepreneur?
- My home became a warehouse and overflowing storage facility
- My dining table was a work station by day (with 3 employees!) and our family dinner table at night
- I lost a lot of sleep working late, building the brand in what I wanted it to be and my weekends were spent at the computer
- It has been a love-story, not money-making venture. For the first 2 years, every cent made (and there wasn’t much, the first year I ran at a loss) went back into our business
- My maternity leave was spent ‘working’ during nap times, nights and weekends as I was also growing into being a mom of one, then two, amazing boys.
What is the most rewarding aspect of Snuggle Hunny Kids?
It‘s a thrill when you love what you do! Being able to enjoy my work and achieve my career dreams while also being there for my children is magic. When your customers want to be a part of your community and love your products so much they become a loyal fan of your brand is incredible. Not only do I get to impact a community of everyday mothers with beautiful products, they get to impact mine. The smallest piece of positive feedback about what we are doing in this space can be so rewarding.
What are the first steps to take when you want to grow a business? Did you focus on getting bigger or did you focus on your products first?
The first step is to be passionate. If you are not passionate about what you are doing, building a customer base who are passionate about what you are doing will almost impossible.
The second step is to start with a set of products you are happy with, create a company and learn about your market, your customer & their buyer behaviours. Don’t expect to know it all, a lot of it is teaching and adapting along the way.
The last obstacle as you step out, is much like the first, you need to believe in yourself, your product and the brand you’re creating. If you don’t believe in yourself, your brand and your product, your customers are not going to either. I never dreamt of being the market leader in our field, let alone have a team and warehouse. I focused on one step at a time, evolving our product and brand to where I wanted it to be.
What marketing strategy do you use for your businesses? Have you tried a strategy that did not work at all in the past, what strategy would you advise someone to leave behind?
We use several marketing strategies for our business, particularly social media and google shopping. Our brand is more than a product, it is about sharing the ups and downs of motherhood with our community. Social media allows us to have that connection with our customers and gives them an insight into who we are and they want to be a part of that. Traditional advertising and print magazine is something we have used before, but with minimal success. Our audience is online, so it makes sense to connect with them there.
Would you say social media is the number 1 source for getting sales?
100% yes! Platforms like Instagram and Facebook allow your business to reach your target customer in ways you never could before. The tools that are on offer means the customer can shop your products and convert to sales with only a few clicks of a button. They also get to see your entire range in the one place and an array of examples of how so many other ‘everyday moms’ use it.
What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
We have had some failures around working with overseas manufacturers and supplier quality not being up to scratch. I have learned that you need to educate yourself in this space and do your homework. Research a new supplier before proceeding with a working relationship. Receiving and approving a sample is not enough, they may not pay attention to the finer details, when it comes to the bulk order. Make sure there is clear communication, samples are received in a timely fashion and have your products tested by an external testing body, to ensure they meet global and/or local standards.
![From Music to Perfume: How did your background as a music teacher influence your transition into perfumery, and how do you incorporate your musical sensibilities into creating fragrances? I’ve always thought in terms of metaphors, and music has many that can be related to perfumery! Beyond just thinking in terms of top, middle and base notes [soprano/alto/tenor in choir], I approach each fragrant idea as a composition. When documenting my ideas, song structures often come to mind. As the scent brief is visited, I meditate on what the fragrance should convey - do I want to create an accord or a “chord” of fragrance note combinations? Do I want an a capella soloist (a particular ingredient to stand out more than others?) Many of my thoughts regarding song composition transfers to my scent formulation process, with me treating each note as an intentional soliloquy at some point.
Brand Origin: What inspired you to start Pink MahogHany in 2005, and how has your vision for the brand evolved since its inception?
An avid lover of all things pleasantly scented (with slight modesty), looking back in retrospect, it’s no huge surprise that I’ve created an indie perfume house with just an idea to provide unique options for those who may be sensitive to unnecessary pungency. Initially, I just wanted to evaluate various blends to note their aroma profiles when “played” together…it wasn’t until I had friends and family asking if I knew of brands that catered to those who may be on the more olfactory sensitive side, that I really began to take my research more seriously. In the almost 20 years that Pink MahogHany has been in existence, our micro visions for the brand have evolved to larger territory. Where Pink MahogHany used to only be a personal brand, we are now also a bespoke formulation service provider to other indie brands seeking unique fragrance offerings for their products. These products range from (but are not limited to) perfumes, candles, body butters and lip balms. Ingredient Transparency: You emphasize transparency and the use of desirable ingredients in your products. How do you select your ingredients, and what challenges have you faced in maintaining this standard?
Being an indie brand often comes with a set of assumptions and misconceptions - one of them being more negative than positive as it relates to ingredients used. There is a lot of “fluff” in the industry with labeling falsification. Because fragrance formulas are a trade secret, not every molecular breakdown of a material has to be noted on the ingredient label (it would be incredibly long), but we at Pink MahogHany™️ adhere strongly to the IFRA [International Fragrance Regulatory Association] regulations that state for common and potential allergens to be listed on our ingredient label. We’ve taken this a step further to also include these ingredients listed on our website to promote further transparency, all while protecting our intellectual property. Unfortunately, we’ve had companies to unethically sell lesser expensive “dupes” of our artisan perfumes, so as a way to create a better authenticity stamp, we make it our duty to be honest about our claims. If our perfume says “Rose Bulgaria”, it is in fact just that and not a component of rose being passed off as the source material. Collaborations and Custom Scents: Can you share more about your work with private label clients? What excites you most about creating custom scent solutions for other indie brands? I could easily sum this up in one word and say “Funding.” True, there is money out there, but I’m always thinking outside the box. Having a program that has an “Each One Fund One” mentality doesn’t exist (that I’ve been made aware of). Bootstrapping can be quite the challenge, even when you’ve reached the 6-figure mark annually. Competition to be seen and set apart is extremely high, so having quality packaging and branding is a must. There are lots of factors to consider, though when desiring to make upgrades. If there were a unique, tier-geared funding operation available, it would help perfume brands offset packaging and bulk material costs in the beginning stages.
Industry Challenges: What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an independent fragrance house, and how have you overcome them to grow your brand? As the brand continues on the path of organic growth, I would like to expand our reach into schools, offering perfumery as an arts elective for middle and high school. I’d love to partner with botanists, farmers and horticulturists directly to grow and source raw materials for the students to work with in the creation of tinctures. My passion is getting back to nature as best as possible, as nature was my first “scent experience” as a child. We would also love to witness our fragrance creations being used to scent model homes, our focus diffuser blends being used in automobile dealerships as well as partner with Air Bnb and boutique hotels that specialize in highlighting minority, indie brands. Personal Journey: How has your personal experience, particularly as a divorced mother and someone who has experienced the loss of a child, shaped your approach to life and your work in perfumery?
Because I homeschool my twin sons, we are together a lot more than most, so one thing we all do is have moments of sharing where a neutral “floor” is laid to converse about anything. Though they are quite communicative by nature, I realize that sometimes I can be in work mode so much that it spills over into what should be our quality time. My sons see the authentic me and learn how to communicate through seeing authenticity. I’ve learned not to feel as if I have to be the epitome of perfection but allow them to see my imperfections vulnerably but with discernment. Having had two traumatic experiences pretty close together has taught me how to truly slow down and enjoy the simplicities of life - igniting a spiritual aspect that I’ve always carried but never fully explored…until Kenji’s sudden passing (2018.) Grief has a way of catapulting us into a quest for more meaningfulness in both life and business. After Kenji’s passing and my processing through the initial stages of grief, I was able to incorporate our spiritual bond into Pink MahogHany by way of essential oil diffuser blends for both focus and sleep and most recently aromatic perfume elixirs. It’s been quite the process channeling the void of his physical presence, but I also have peace knowing he can be honored in a great way through scent. I noticed once I began to be more open and receptive to spiritual signs, synchs and “winks”, more ideas began to flow. It’s been this way since his transition. Emotional Expression: Fragrance is often tied to memories and emotions. How does your personal life influence the fragrances you create, and do you have a particular scent that holds special meaning to you? My creative process is much more alchemic now, and I include Kenji by talking out loud to him, believe it or not. I’m a firm believer that when our loved ones transition from the physical plane, they are still present - just in another form. I choose to keep his memory alive by not pretending he never existed (even if for a brief period of time). I am working (slowly) on a book and accompanying fragrance, but I know it will require me to revisit some memories I’m not quite ready for, so until then, his big brothers will launch their debut fragrance, The Peaceful Tiger (they chose the name.) I’ve learned that even in what we consider “small things”, our transitioned loved ones want to be recognized and acknowledged. When the twins and I designed their fragrance label (with a designer out of the country that didn’t know anything about me personally), we had issues with the graphic - so much so that the designer asked if they could rework the design. When they sent the proof for approval, the Tiger was not only younger but sleeping, with an uncanny, angelic resemblance to baby Kenji! Becoming more aware and being more sensitive to my intention for launching a fragrance has definitely made room for more divine situations like these to occur. Healing Through Scent: In what ways has creating fragrances been a form of healing or expression for you, especially after the loss of your son, Kenji Mwamba? I know my sons may not necessarily want to be perfumers, but they definitely have an entrepreneurial heart. My desire is that whatever they decide to pursue (acting, script-writing, music or architecture), they know that anything is possible with the right amount of determination, grit, belief and immersion. One reason I chose to homeschool is so they could enjoy learning without restraint and have ample time to devote to their own separate passions and it still be fun. They know Pink MahogHany is theirs if they want it (many, many years from now - lol), and we are already discussing business structures for whatever they choose their role to be once I retire. Work-Life Balance: How do you find balance between your professional responsibilities and personal well-being, and what self-care practices do you prioritize? I’m not just a perfumer; I’m also a consumer, and self-care is huge for me. I often take salt baths to reset my energy and clear my mind after being around large groups of people or free a long day. I’m a habitual perfume sampler, and I have so many to choose from to wear as my “nightcap.” Even if just for 10-15 minutes, I cherish each moment I’m able to have some “me-time.” When time and co-parenting schedules permit, I’m definitely on a flight somewhere to indulge in some delicious food and mouth-watering mocktails!](https://www.womenontopp.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/IMG_3812-1200x720.jpeg)
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