E11: "I just had to find other ways of making it work" with Ali McAleavy
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Show Notes
My guest this week is the wonderful Ali McAleavy, founder of Zig + Star, a sustainable children's footwear brand.
An idea that Ali had been "just playing" with while on maternity leave with her third child, Zig + Star launched 2 years ago with the intention of making kids footwear healthier for little feet and parents' bank balances.
We chatted about how different maternity leave is for each child, and the way each child's experience can be different as you grow into parenthood. You think you'll get more freedom as they get older, but they just have different needs and need you in different ways.
Ali was so honest about how isolated she has felt as a business owner, and how important making connections via networking has been to her (preaching to the choir on this!) And the overwhelm we can feel as founders when you have to wear so many hats, most of which we have absolutely no experience in.
Ali shared how she makes it work as a business owner - often that means working weekends and after the never ending bed time that comes with having kids across 3 different age groups. She's found a way of making her week work for her and her family, and that might not look how we could expect it to, but it's about finding what works for you.
Links:
Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bumptobusinessowner/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/
About Ali McAleavy:
Ali McAleavy is Founder of ZIG+STAR. An award winning unisex, kids footwear brand which uses sustainable design to create shoes that grow and adjust with each child.
Following a career in Fashion and Buying, Zig and Star was born out of frustration of shoe shopping for Ali's own children.
Not only do they provide cool styles that are adjustable, kid-friendly and, importantly, podiatrist approved but they are on a mission to ensure No ZIG+STARs ever end up in landfill through creating products that last longer, can be passed on to brother/sister/friend, and then re-homed through one of the circular initiatives they provide to their customers.
Ali's Links:
Website: https://zigandstar.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zigandstar/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-mcaleavy-cullen-3a6515a9/