Lia Murrain is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur and the owner of B Snug Inc, 2012 Ltd & London Kids.
What makes an opportunity exciting to you – in business or in life?
I love excitement and I love opportunity. Looking at a business venture, idea or product and knowing I can add value to it gets my mind racing at the endless possibilities. I love taking a new brand/product from its infancy to a global platform; making it a must-have brand with a feel good factor.
When you first started your career, how did you know you were ready and what made you start?
I moved to England to obtain my Master’s Degree and when I graduated I was hired by a world-renowned investment bank. The wheeling & dealing was exciting, and the vast number of zeros on the end of a deal were thrilling, but the buzz wasn’t mine, the hustle wasn’t mine, I wasn’t the boss. This clearly wasn’t me… so I quit.
I had just given up a well paid job and a path to The City, London’s financial district. I surely didn’t know if I was ready but I also knew success would come. I was going to be what I’d been dreaming of since I was three… an entrepreneur, and so in my early 20s, I set up my first company.
If you could give your past self some advice, what would you tell you?
Thoughts are creative, and our power is immense if we visualize the things that we want as already ours. Working hard is just as important as believing and having faith in the outcome and knowing you have already won before you even begin. A positive mindset positions you at the forefront of your game and success will, without a doubt, be realized….. Oh and NEVER, EVER, take no for an answer.
What has been your favourite experience you love to share?
I had long been a fan of the multi-award winning brand Buggysnuggle™ within the baby/juvenile goods industry; an industry which I have been a part of for nearly two decades.
Established in 1998 by a mom who identified a need in the market, the brand went from an idea at a baby show to a dining room business, to a small factory in Salisbury, England where it grew quickly to supply retailers such as John Lewis, Mothercare & Babies R Us.
On a professional level I admired the brand & products, the ethos, the consumer following & love and the impressive retail channels they had succeeded in.
As a mom, I always smiled when I was stopped in the street (globally!) to be asked what that snuggly footmuff my daughter was in was called. When my amused friends & family would ask me why I wouldn’t create something similar, I would always reply that I didn’t want something similar – I wanted to own the Buggysnuggle™ brand one day.
Fast forward several years later without hesitation, I boldly reached out to the company knowing I wanted to take it to its next phase. Twenty years (and a few days) after the Buggysnuggle™ company had first launched, I acquired it and my years of subconscious acquisition had been realized.
What are you up to right now that people should know about?
My team & I have been working hard at the re-launch of our brand since the acquisition. We have set up a new factory & warehousing as well as a powerhouse team comprising of designers, international sales managers & distributors. Furthermore, we are giving the brand a complete makeover to include new logos, packaging, our brand’s voice, a new website, social media presence and so much more; complete with a new collection of bespoke designs & prints.
We are super excited to be launching this month and have had so many proud moments; especially when we receive messages from our fans expressing their eagerness in purchasing the new collection and their love for our brand. Many of our fans have been using our products for over 22 years, first with their children and now with their grandchildren, which is a testament & achievement in itself.
Our post-launch goal for this year is to further secure global distribution in territories where we don’t currently have a presence.
