Shannon McLaughlin - Ubuntu Baba (Episode #012)
Shannon McLaughlin on 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 McLaughlin
Shannon 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.
This conversation is filled with honesty, heart, vulnerability, and laughter. Shannon generously opens up about creating a product that she needed for herself, fourth trimester struggles, overcoming postnatal depression, building a product and brand that people love, and growing to 10,000 customers. Please enjoy!
Listen to Episode #012 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast player.
Ubuntu Baba founder, Shannon McLaughlin, and Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang, have a heartfelt and vulnerable conversation about Shannon’s journey of building a product that people love, creating brand ambassadors, growing to 10,000 customers, fourth trimester struggles, overcoming postnatal depression, the significance of “I Am Because We Are”, letting people know that they matter, and the meaning of whole body yesses.
Show Notes
The 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]
The African philosophy of “Ubuntu” and its meaning: I Am Because We Are. [20:28]
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]
What was your favorite takeaway or quote from this episode? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below!
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Shannon McLaughlin on:
Connect with Ubuntu Baba:
The Handmaid's Tale | Hulu
Outlander | Hulu
Sara Blakely | Spanx
Listen to Episode #012 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast player.
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Connect with Moms Who Build host, Margie Chuang
Twitter: twitter.com/momswhobuild
Instagram: instagram.com/momswhobuild_
Facebook: facebook.com/momswhobuild
YouTube: bit.ly/youtube-channel-momswhobuild
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Past Interviews
For past interviews with inspirational moms building inspirational things, visit momswhobuild.com.
Quotes from Episode #012
““We all know the first trimester, second trimester, third trimester. But, fourth trimester is a whole new world because babies are on the outside. It just really opened my eyes to the lack of support for women, and the lack of understanding about what the mother and the child needs during that time.””
““I was so obsessed with getting this product right and it definitely wasn’t healthy. I had lost a lot of weight as well after pregnancy and I wasn’t in a healthy space at all. But, I was just pushing through. And I think as an entrepreneur, when you’ve got this idea and you want to make it work, you have this drive inside of you that just gives you more energy somehow and helps you get to the finish line. And so, I had that going on at the same time. But what I realized after telling the story over the years, is that, I suffered with postnatal depression.””
““Learning to say no. And rather understanding, ‘What’s the value of my business?’, ‘Why am I doing this?’, ‘What path am I trying to go on?’, would have saved me a lot of time. Intuitively, I would have always known when I said ‘yes’ to something and it didn’t feel quite right . . . I think I heard Marie Forleo say, I can’t remember which other podcasts I heard this on, but she said, ‘If it’s not a whole body yes, then I’m out. I’m not interested.” So now, that’s kind of my gauge is whenever there’s something that comes up or someone offers advice, I always listen and I say thanks. But, you know, if it’s not a ‘whole body yes’ for me, then it’s a no— just keeping it simple and focusing on what I’m really drawn to . . .””
““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.””
““I’ve completely designed this business to suit my lifestyle and suit what I think a business should look like. I think people don’t take advantage of that as business owners and entrepreneurs these days, because they think, ‘Oh, this is what it looks like to be entrepreneur. This is what it looks like to be a business owner’. They follow a laid out example, which you don’t have to do.” ”
