One story of a ‘Mompreneur’. (Fredericton, NB)

We moms are fairly savvy when it comes to baby products. We know our brands, the hottest products on the market, and what styles are on trend. We’re also dialed in to what’s happening in our community. So, would it surprise you to learn Fredericton is home to one of the top Canadian baby brands that is distributed globally to over 25 countries AND run by a local mom?!

Dawn & kids

Dawn Pottier is a mom to two children – a son and daughter, age 14 and 7. Dawn relocated to Fredericton 15 years ago and is now proud to call it home. She is an outdoor enthusiast and loves running, biking, swimming, and sailing. She coaches middle school boys badminton and volleyball teams and enjoys baking and sewing with her daughter. Like many moms, her work life is busy; conference calls across time zones means working late hours, travelling to trade shows, juggling multiple projects, the never ending to-do list, and always pushing to do more and better.

The series of events that led Dawn to become a business owner was organic. In university, she studied international business and finance and later went on to be a project manager in IT. In 2009, while on maternity leave, she was inspired to make a ring sling baby carrier for herself. She liked using it and thought perhaps this was a product other mothers would want, too. She took her sample to Room2Remember in downtown Fredericton and asked if they would carry her product. They selected six items and two weeks later, they called requesting 12 more – everything had sold!

Dawn did not have business experience at the time, but, after this first success, she felt the gratification of creating and selling her own product. She quickly gave her company a name by combining the nicknames of her two children – and Lulujo was born! Soon, she was working with a local graphic designer on the creation of a logo, brand, and web site. She set up sewing machines in her basement and, with the help of other moms, started producing and filling orders. Lulujo’s products quickly got the attention of retailers and, in 2010, just a year later, she set out to find a place in the national market. In 2013, in a new partnership with two investors and after much success across Canada, Lulujo was set to launch in the United States and globally. Today, product line looks much different that when she started and the brand can be found in the UK, Australia, Japan, France, Poland, China, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands, and Iceland, among others.

dawn2

We talked to Dawn to learn more about her story and her experience as a ‘mompreneur’.

Check out what she had to say HERE!

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