From a cramped and humble loft studio in rural Wallalong, a children’s clothing empire is beginning to reach the world.
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Donna McMahon started her business about five years ago under the tag Little Macs Clothing.
Excited to sell her first dress online, she had no idea that just a few years later her range would go global.
Selling her garments through the site Etsy, Mrs McMahon’s store now named Bonnie and Boo, has customers across Australia, the United States, Malaysia, Norway and India.
“To think there is a little person wearing my outfits on the other side of the world absolutely amazes me,” she said.
The business started when Mrs McMahon was looking for a Christmas dress for her then four-year-old daughter Grace.
“I couldn’t find anything I liked so I decided to make her one and didn’t that open the flood gates,” she said.
With a background in commerce, Mrs McMahon said she has the perfect background for running any type of business.
“I guess you get to a point where you need to follow your true passion and enjoy what you do,” she said.
Mrs McMahon said Bonnie and Boo provides something a little different to what you find in shops and caters from newborns to size six.
“I use 100 per cent cotton, designer fabrics mainly imported from the USA,” she said.
“I tend to gravitate towards bright patterned fabrics and I love combining different fabrics along with laces sourced from all over the world to create unique one of a kind designs.”
Mother of three, Mrs McMahon also works four days a week as a school secretary.
“Thanks to my amazing hands-on husband, David, I am able to devote every spare hour to my business,” she said.
Mrs McMahon said she used little capital to start Bonnie and Boo.
“If you are patient and willing to work hard you can start with almost no outlay at all,” she said.
“I’d be lying if I said running a small business is easy but when you’re doing what you love you don’t really count the hours.
“I didn’t plan for things to go the way they have I have just rolled with it and I can’t wait to see where it leads. If you go into it thinking you will make a lot of money you will be disappointed. It is possible but it takes time. Think of it as a marathon and not a sprint.”
