Our founder speaks
Entrepreneurship with a mission. Sounds like a nice goal, but of course it is not 'as said, so done'. That's why we asked our founder Julie to give us a glimpse into how she experiences entrepreneurship. What advice has she found useful, what have been the great learning moments and what ambitions does she have for the future? You can read it all below.
Let me introduce myself: who are you and why did you start Tiny Library?
I am Julie, mother of 3 small children and I live in Bussum. I really like being in nature and exercising. After all the pregnancies and post-partums, I can finally do everything in terms of sports again, which I really enjoy. I started Tiny Library under the name Baby Exchangerie, out of my own surprise and confusion that when you have children you need so many things and that there are few sustainable alternatives. Marktplaats took me a lot of time and was often very disappointing, plus as a new mother you have no idea what to look out for. Thus the idea was born.
What advice about entrepreneurship has been helpful to you?
Just do it! Take a first step and work from there. You cannot oversee everything in advance. Starting and learning has helped me a lot. In addition, someone once used the metaphor that you have a dot on the horizon, so you know where you are going, but you can only see 100 meters ahead because it is so foggy. That's how entrepreneurship often feels. It is really difficult to look further than 3 months ahead, because it all depends on what you need and where you are at that time. So I often keep that in mind.
What has been a big learning moment for you?
I learn new things every day, that's what I like about entrepreneurship. In the first few years I spent too much time serving my own company and forgot about myself, while strangely enough I am one of the organization's largest assets. So it is important that I maintain good energy, so that I can give all my energy. It didn't help that it was corona, that turnover was disappointing for a while and that I had to do work that I actually didn't like at all and was not good at. I did learn from that. I am now trying to organize the organization in such a way that it serves me and gives me energy.
What do you think the baby market should look like in 10 years?
In 10 years I expect that second-hand/refurbished and rental will have a very large share of the baby market. I think that only a small percentage actually buys new products, and that this is actually 'not done'. I also expect that the products will be of much higher quality, that they will last longer and that individual parts will be easy to obtain. In my opinion, innovation should be based on quality and sustainable materials. An infrastructure of repair/refurbishment centers, shops with spare parts and service concepts will then be created around this.
What ambition do you have for Tiny Library?
I see Tiny Library as the Prénatal-as-a-service. An online department store such as bol.com with everything you need for your baby and children for a fixed price per month. I see even more service components in this, such as informative sessions, workshops, but also a butler service that takes your things home and picks them up again. Everything to provide the conscious parent with the right information and sustainable options.
Who or which company is an example for you and why?
The Next Closet. Cool what they have achieved by sharing your wardrobe. They have really made it easier to buy second-hand clothing and thus encourage sustainable purchasing behavior. Very inspiring!
What is a success for TL that you are proud of?
That we have connected great partners such as Bugaboo, Easywalker, BabyPlanet and BeSafe. These collaborations really make a difference versus other parties that have the same mission. This allows us to scale up quickly and make use of the knowledge and expertise of these brands.
What tip would you give to someone who also wants to start a company?
Dream big! Because everything is possible, as long as you believe in it.
