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Shannon McLaughlin — Building Products People Love, Creating Brand Ambassadors, Fourth Trimester Struggles, I Am Because We Are, Making People Matter, Whole Body Yesses, and More (#012) “When I hired, I always said that it was going to be half-day jobs for everyone, because we are moms. So when we had the shop, we didn't open from nine to five, we opened at half past eight in the morning, and we closed at 1:30pm, because whoever was in that shop was a mom, and she had to fetch her child from school and then go spend the afternoon with their child.” —Shannon McLaughlinShannon McLaughlin (@shannonmarymac) is the Founder and CEO of Ubuntu Baba Baby Carriers (@ubuntubaba) . Shannon’s business launched in February 2015, just six months after her son was born, out of a personal need to help her baby sleep for longer periods of time and to have more freedom as a struggling and overwhelmed first-time mom.Before Shannon launched Ubuntu Baba, she was a freelance web designer, who worked mainly with female startup businesses. Shannon’s goal was to create an easy to use, breathable and comfortable carrier that could be used from the newborn days onwards. When Shannon launched her business, she started with one machine ist who worked part-time making baby carriers. Today, Ubuntu Baba has a full-time team of six who manufactures the carriers, as well as another team of six that helps Shannon run the business. Please enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with Ubuntu Baba Founder, Shannon McLaughlin, and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang! Show NotesThe inspiration behind creating Ubuntu Baba Baby Carriers. [2:39]Shannon’s fourth trimester experience. [4:14]The 3-month journey to building the first prototype. [7:25]Shannon’s experience with postnatal depression while building Ubuntu Baba. [10:23]Recognizing postnatal depression and getting help. [12:18]Building a product people love and how Shannon grew Ubuntu Baba to 10,000 customers. [14:53]Getting feedback, moms helping moms, and selling the first Ubuntu Baba baby carriers. [17:00]Building a community beyond the product. [22:19]Growing a beloved brand and Ubuntu’s slogan: To A Happy Now, #toahappynow. [25:22]More than a brick and mortar shop. [29:40]The impact of the global pandemic on Ubuntu Baba’s operations and shop in South Africa. [32:18]Persevering through the challenges of running a company and lessons learned. [36:23]Living the professional and personal life you want. [40:36]Building a parent-inclusive workplace. [41:32]How Shannon prioritizes and organizes her life. [45:03]How Shannon prepares for interviews and public speaking engagements. [50:10]Advice Shannon would give to her past self and how to handle feedback. [52:55]Learning to say no and the whole body yes. [53:47]What’s next for Ubuntu Baba? [55:23]Rapid Fire Questions. [57:01]Parting thoughts and encouraging words. [1:00:21] For more about this episode, visit https://www.momswhobuild.com/home/shannon-mclaughlin-ubuntu-baba-episode-012. *** Connect with Shannon McLaughlin on: Website | TwitterConnect with Ubuntu Baba: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Blog***If you have a moment, please consider leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes. It helps us to get more amazing guests on the show and grow the podcast. Thank you!***Be a Guest on the MWB Podcast!Nominate Someone for the MWB Podcast!***For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com. Connect with Margie & Moms Who Build:Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuildInstagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuildYouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild
Shannon tells us how, as a new mother, she created Ubuntu Baba to solve a problem and how she grew the business and fought a battle with Woolworths. She also has excellent advice for parents on what to buy and what not to buy when expecting your first child.Join us on twitter for real conversations about family finances:@FamFinanceShow@DianaGranouxWebsite: www.familyfinanceshow.com
JacPod — Shannon McLaughlin took on Woolworths head on, and won. Controversy and a David vs Goliath story can make a brand famous overnight. Craig and Dean chat to the founder of Ubuntu Baba to hear the story about what went down.
Ray White interviews McLaughlin, about three months after she shot to fame for taking on the alleged copycat, Woolworths.
Founder of Ubuntu Baba, Shannon McLaughlin, shares her battle with retail giant Woolworths who were accused of copying and selling her baby carriers. This episode contains valuable lessons for SME owners who have been involved in Intellectual Property disputes.
JOHANNESBURG — Local baby carrier business Ubuntu Baba has been in the headlines the last few days after Woolworths was exposed for copying its products. It all started with a blog post that Ubuntu Baba founder, Shannon McLaughlin, wrote on 7 January in which she explained, in-depth, as to how Woolworths had started stocking products strikingly similar in design and concept to hers. That post struck a nerve on social media amid Woolworths having been previously exposed for displaying similar copycat behaviour in the past with the likes of Frankies as well as another hummingbird design fiasco. Despite the challenging situation that McLaughlin has faced in the last few weeks, Woolworths has been forced to back down and engage in discussions with her. In this interview, McLaughlin gives us the latest update as well as the backstory to what happened. - Gareth van Zyl