Olga the Mum-Boss

Owning businesses has always been a big dream of mine and I always thought it would be the first thing I would do if I ever won a lottery. As you can see there is no photo of me holding a winning lottery ticket.  Instead of that imagine having a six month old baby, not enough sleep, full nappies, poop explosions, spews, no personal space, no personal time, never enough coffee. It is an amazing and beautiful but also a very difficult time. On top of all that, imagine spending your days in the hospital visiting your injured relative.

Definitely, not the way I would imagine the beginning of new businesses.

Hi, my name is Olga. I moved from Prague 5 years ago for my now husband. I have over 10 years experience in finance.  From the beginning, I saw moving countries as an opportunity to change my career.

But let's get back to the crazy beginning of my business. Two years ago my dad came to visit me and on his walk got hit by an SUV travelling at 80 km/h.  He was fighting for his life in hospital for a few weeks, followed by a long recovery afterwards. With his limited knowledge of English, I needed to be there for him, take care of him and translate everything.

In those crazy times with my dad in the hospital and a crying baby at home, shopping for clothes was the last thing on my mind, but my daughter was outgrowing her bodysuits quickly!  That is when I remembered using handy extenders with my first daughter. 

The problem was that I couldn’t find them anywhere in Australia.  With a newly discovered passion for sewing, my first thought was “I can make them.” My friends with babies loved the idea, and I quickly realised that this might be it, the start of my own business.

After a few prototypes and troubles finding the right buttons, Bellelis Launched in May 2018, with a single product the ‘Snap & Extend’ baby bodysuit extender.

The extender attaches to the bottom of baby’s bodysuits, and that way extends the length and life of the suit. They are compatible with most major Australian brands and we are expanding our list with compatible brands as we go.  

Did you know that a baby can go through 35-40 bodysuits in their first year of life?  That is one year, one child, one piece of clothing! Fast fashion is a real issue and I hope my extenders can help with that a little. Extenders can double the time of use so that may cut this number in half. They are perfect when using modern cloth nappies, hip dysplasia harness and when a baby has a long torso. I believe that babies love well fitting clothes as much as we do. It is such a shame to have to reach for a new bodysuit, just because it is too short to button up, as babies usually outgrow the bodysuit in length first.

I love to produce high-quality products that last and that are reducing waste. I designed and use compostable packaging from recycled paper with no plastic. No plastic is our policy.

As demand is growing and I’m expanding Bellelis product range, I will shortly need more than my two hands. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to keep production here in Australia. The plan is to establish a workspace where like-minded mums or grandmas can come and work, or take work home if they would prefer that. Connecting with other mums is very important for me as being a new mum can be quite isolating. I want to offer a space where we can create, learn and laugh.