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Mums create an organiser for parents

WHO: Sarah Barrett, 32, mum to Oliver, 2½, and Carter, 10 months, and Emily Larsen, 32, mum to Claudia, 4½, and Ava, 2½, live on Sydney’s northern beaches
WAS: Sarah was a marketing manager and Emily a personal assistant
NOW: Creators of the OTi (pronounced “otty”) Organiser, www.oti.net.au

Sarah and Emily met when they were working for the same financial company. Last year, they launched their answer to helping mums keep on top of things.

What’s the big idea?

The OTi (On To it) Organiser combines a week-to-a-view diary with a tabbed organiser that makes it easy to plan everything from exercising to meals and family holidays.

When did it strike?

“Emily and I were chatting one day and saying how frustrating it was that in an attempt to be organised, we had all these lists everywhere, but we still felt disorganised because the lists weren’t in one place,” Sarah says. “And we couldn’t find a product that enabled us to bring all the lists together.”

Starting out

“After about half a year of talking and researching and looking into it, we thought sod it, it’s time to put our money where our mouths are. We put a business plan together and sold it to our husbands – who were our main investors. We then found a local graphic designer we clicked with and he really helped us pull it together, and we found a printing company that felt right too. We launched the 2009 OTi last year (2008).”

Spreading the word

“We set up the website and we looked at ourselves, because we were the target market, and thought, where do we go to read stuff and listen to stuff? We did a lot of internet-based marketing and PR, and paid for some advertising. It was a lot of work.”

And now?

“We didn’t break even with our first OTi, but we got so much good feedback we decided to keep going. It’s just getting that footprint established and keeping going with sales. This time, we have employed a PR company and have some retail presence.”

How do the kids fit in?

“We work about a day a week each, spread over the week. Sometimes we go to one another’s house and one of us minds the kids while the other works, or we work in the evenings. It would never have worked if it wasn’t a partnership. We pick up for each other if one of us has a busy week.”

The best bits

“We love that people are interested in our product and want to buy it! And when people email us saying OTi’s helped them feel on top of everything.”

The hardest part

“Just finding the time to focus on the business 100 per cent."


Lessons learnt
1. It’s okay not to know anything: you do learn along the way. Just don’t be afraid to ask questions.
2. Take each step as it comes, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.
3. Instead of focusing on what you haven’t achieved, look back at what you have achieved. You may not have done everything but you’ll have come a long way.