It started with a baby—a literal one, my little girl Sienna—and a baby business, too. Back then, I was a sleep-deprived parent juggling life’s chaos and a tiny seed of an idea: creating something meaningful from my experiences of motherhood. What started as a side hustle grew into Sienna Baby, a company that brought beauty and practicality to families just like mine.
I remember vividly the moment I sold my first product—a pair of soft-soled baby shoes. It wasn’t just a sale. It felt like someone had said, “I trust you to be part of my family’s life.” That trust ignited something in me, a drive to grow beyond just making products, to creating something bigger—a brand that truly connected.
The First Lessons: From Tiny Shoes to Big Ideas
Sienna Baby taught me that success isn’t about the product alone. It’s about:
Storytelling: How you make people feel when they encounter your brand.
Curation: The careful design of every detail, from packaging to customer touchpoints.
Listening: Understanding what families need and evolving to meet those needs.
It wasn’t easy. There were late nights packing orders, moments of doubt, and the relentless voice in my head whispering, “Is this enough?” But with every order, every heartfelt message from a customer, the vision grew clearer: I wasn’t just selling baby shoes; I was building a trusted partner in parenting journeys.
The Leap: Scaling Connection
As Sienna Baby grew, I learned a key principle that would guide me in every venture since: scaling isn’t about selling more—it’s about designing better.
I realized that the parents buying from Sienna Baby weren’t just looking for products; they were looking for stories that resonated, values they could trust, and solutions that made their lives easier. So, I leaned into that.
Curation Became the Core: Every new product wasn’t just a thing—it was an answer to a need, thoughtfully crafted and beautifully presented.
Community Became the Compass: Parents became my collaborators, sharing what they loved and what they needed next.
Frameworks Became the Foundation: I started creating repeatable processes for launching, growing, and sustaining new products and services.
Sometimes scaling isn't the answer. I was going through a personal divorce and juggling complex financial issues, being offered money to scale felt too risky for me at that point in life, so I kept the business simple, scaled back distribution and allowed the business to go into hibernate, sometimes holding is the right thing to do.
From Shoes to CEOs: The Wired for Wonder Evolution
Years later, I took these lessons to a completely different stage—curating Wired for Wonder, an immersive innovation and leadership event. This time, I wasn’t serving parents; I was serving Australia’s top CEOs and the start up community in Australia. And yet, the principles remained the same.
I applied the same intentionality I’d used with Sienna Baby:
Every touchpoint was part of a bigger story.
The experience wasn’t just intellectual; it was emotional, personal, and memorable.
And it worked. CEOs, the kind of people who’d “seen it all,” were moved to write back. Handwritten letters poured in, thanking us for reigniting their imagination, for helping them see their work in new ways. One handwritten letter on a gold embossed letterhead simply said, “You reminded me why I started.”
The Frameworks That Make the Show
From Sienna Baby to Wired for Wonder, I’ve realized that growth—whether in a side hustle or a billion-dollar business—requires a few essential ingredients:
Start with the Story: Every business is a narrative. What story are you telling?
Curate Every Detail: Like designing a stage, every product, touchpoint, or interaction should be intentional.
Think in Frameworks: Build systems that can grow with you. Whether it’s how you create products or how you scale, frameworks turn ideas into results.
Lead with Heart: The biggest successes happen when you connect deeply—with your audience, your team, and your purpose.
What This Means for You
Sienna Baby wasn’t just a business—it was the first chapter in a philosophy I’ve carried into every venture since. Whether you’re launching a side hustle or scaling something massive, the principles remain the same:
Start small, but think big.
Tell a story that resonates.
Design for connection, and the growth will follow.
Now I want to ask you: What story are you telling in your business, and how are you setting the stage for your next chapter?
Let’s explore it together. Because whether you’re making baby shoes or billion-dollar ideas, the frameworks can make the impossible happen. 🌟
Sarah
Commentaires