Necessity is the mother of invention - as Plato’s ancient adage goes - and Brisbane-based mothers Sarah Thomas and Stacey Phillips are proof of this. When Sarah couldn’t find a travel-friendly food option for her son, Lewis, who is tube-fed, she created Wholesome Blends. When Stacey couldn’t find locally-made feeding accessories for her son, Callum, who also eats through a tube, she started Tubie Fun.
Now sending out thousands of pouches of pantry-stable, healthy blended meals to families across the country, Sarah’s Wholesome Blends is making news headlines. Stacey won the 2020 AusMumpreneur Handmade Business Award for Tubie Fun, which currently offers a colourful range of products including button pads, belts and backpacks for tube-fed kids.
In the lead-up to the Brisbane Source Kids Disability Expo, where they will gather with more than 120 disability product and service providers, we asked Sarah and Stacey about starting out, staying motivated and what advice they have for other self-starters in the sector.
Why did you start making your product?
Sarah Thomas: Because I couldn’t buy it myself. I couldn’t find it and I couldn’t import it. And I realised that other people wanted it, as well. I knew it would be good for so many people.
Stacey Phillips: I was Googling every night trying to figure out what was going on with my child. And I thought to myself, you know what? I’ve got to do something to get my mind off this. I couldn’t find the button pads that I needed in Australia so I thought, well, I’ll just make my own.
Why did you decide to turn your idea into a business?
Sarah: I wasn’t even thinking of a business - that probably should have entered my head at the start! I just wanted convenience. I’m from New Zealand so I was travelling a lot, and wanted something that I could throw in my bag that didn’t need to be refrigerated. I had to go the manufacturing route to make a safe, shelf-stable product.
Stacey: People started asking if they could get some of my button pads, because they were running into the same issues that I was having. The medical sector produces a lot of waste - everything comes packaged, because it has to. Also, most of the products in the disability space are really medicalised. People wanted something that was reusable and fun.
What’s the biggest business challenge you’ve come up against so far?
Sarah: Finding a manufacturer that would understand what I was doing and understand that it wasn’t something scary. Also, explaining that taste wasn’t a factor. That was quite a big challenge.
Stacey: Trying to balance family life and work. That has been my biggest challenge. But I’m lucky to have an outlet outside of being a mum and carer. With our never-ending appointments, I could never have a standard nine-to-five job.
What motivates you to keep going?
Sarah: The feedback that I get from families - it blows me away. When you first start out you have this belief that you don’t deserve these accolades that people are giving you and I’m still in that phase. I still can’t believe that I’m privileged enough to be coming into people’s lives and forming relationships with families. I never take that for granted.
Stacey: When I get feedback it definitely gives me that little boost that I need. Sometimes I think, why am I doing all of this? Is it worth it? But knowing that it’s making a difference to someone else’s life - that’s why I do it.
Where do you hope to take your business in the future?
Sarah: I hope to have a variety of products that will suit as many medical needs as possible. I hope to educate people to confidently blend at home, and I hope to have the support of the medical industry behind me. I’d like to be stocked in a retail outlet and go international, as well. We can sell in New Zealand easily enough under our safety standards laws, but I’d like to go to the UK, because there’s a need for it over there.
Stacey: I want to keep reaching as many people as we can and keep helping them. If it helps, that’s all that really matters. Spread the work, spread the love and make it fun.
What advice do you have for other parents in the disability sector who have an idea for a product or business?
Sarah: Believe in yourself. If you have experienced something that you think can be done better, do it, because it will help other people as well.
Stacey: Go for it. If it’s going to help your child, the chances of it helping someone else are probably pretty high. Why not try? What’s there to lose? Even if it helps just one other family, it’s worth it.
Meet Sarah and Stacey in person at the Source Kids Disability Expo Brisbane, July 3-4 at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Register now for free tickets to attend.