Photos: Babiche Martens
This week, the Weekly chatted to three CEO superstars who are achieving great things in motherhood as well professionally.
Find out how their kids played a part in inspiring their female-led businesses and how they balance work/mum life below.
Dani Harrison, 37, founder of Antler Apparel
Mum of three Dani started Antler Apparel in 2020 from her dairy farm near Balclutha. She’d been making warm, comfy and waterproof clothes for her kids, which included hi-vis safety features for when the family went hunting. Others then asked her to make clothes for their children. With encouragement from husband Shane, Dani, who is mum to Pagan, 18, Lilly, five, and Hunter, two, now sells kids’ and adults’ clothing throughout Australasia.
What did you do before your business?
I’d previously worked as a coordinator for home-based healthcare provider Access. I left school at 16 to do a fashion design course, then after having my first daughter at 18, continued fashion at = Christchurch’s D&A College. My customers love that everything’s handmade and can be personalised.
What have been some of the biggest challenges?
Creating a website was horrific! It’s been a game-changer and led to many more orders. It’s also a challenge between August and November when I’m feeding calves.
Did you ever imagine yourself running your own business?
Heck no. I didn’t think I had it in me. I was lucky recently to be on a Rural Women New Zealand Activator session, which helps women progress their enterprises. That was a huge boost. They’re so supportive, including listing Antler Apparel on their online business directory.
Bonnie Slade, 44, founder of NaturKidz
Bonnie started NaturKidz in late 2023, making fruit crisps freeze-dried to retain around 97 percent of the nutrients. Her company has saved nearly 19,000kg of “perfectly imperfect” fruit going to waste.
How did your kids inspire you?
As a busy working mum [to Willa, 10, and Finn, seven], I couldn’t find genuinely healthy and nutritious pre-packaged snacks. My daughter’s apple returned from school so many times, I joked I’d enrol it. I wasn’t prepared to buy pre-made easy options if it meant feeding my kids rubbish, so I made my own snacks. I wanted to develop something children would actually eat.
What hurdles have you overcome?
I’d worked in sales and operations in the food and beverage industry, but starting a business from scratch was challenging – and terrifying. I went straight into export markets to access more customers and that was tricky. It involved flying to Vietnam to source a distributor and finding buyers in other countries too. Doing that on my own was a big leap!
Highlights?
Going to Taiwan last year – knowing I’d started from literally nothing – and attending the grand opening at a national retailer because Naturkidz was the first New Zealand product in their 110 stores. That was epic! I also took my husband and kids to Vietnam while I found a distributor.
How are the kids involved?
They’re my taste testers and love it! They’re all over my marketing and super-proud. It’s a highlight to show them what’s possible to achieve.
Amy Johnson, 39, founder of Boost Your Learning
Amy started Boost Your Learning after her sons experienced learning difficulties at school. Finding out her eldest had dyslexia inspired the mum to Arthur, 14, and Hamish, 11, to quit work and homeschool him. “I’m a teacher, but I realised understanding dyslexia isn’t part of our training, so I retrained specifically,” says Amy. Now Boost Your Learning offers one-on-one tuition, in-person and online, to 180 students a week, with 35 teachers specialising in English, maths and science.
What hurdles have you overcome?
I didn’t know anything about running a company, but I loved learning and got help from the local Business Trust. It was important to establish credibility with each child’s school because parents love that we connect with our students’ other teachers, which helps make learning opportunities even more effective.
Dreams for the future?
We’re planning to expand internationally, starting in the UK and Middle East, where there’s a large expat community. We’ve been selected as part of The Ministry of Awesome, which helps Kiwi start ups go global.
Highlights?
Seeing our families flourish.
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