We interviewed Zoe Keeping from Rock The Bump - Pregnant Belly and Body Casting.
Introduce yourself and your business:
My name is Zoё, I am a work at
home mum to two young children and Owner/Artist of Bournemouth based
business - ‘Rock the Bump – pregnant belly and body casting’.
Rock the Bump works with mums-to-be to create a bespoke, artistic,
keepsake of their pregnancy.
When did you start your small business and why?
I found out about belly casting
when I was pregnant with my second baby in 2013. I wasn't aware of
anyone offering pregnant belly casting locally so got all the kit
together so hubby and I could create one ourselves. As is often the
case with DIY casting kits we just never got around to doing the
casting before baby arrived. A year later I started to explore the
idea of creating belly casts for other expectant mums and Rock the
Bump was born!
Is your business a full time, part time or spare time operation?
As a work at home with two under 5s
(and number 3 on the way!) every day is different as I juggle to fit
in my "bump work" (as my two little ones call it!)
alongside everything else. Weekends are when I get the most time to
focus on Rock the Bump, often seeing clients for casting sessions on
Saturdays and spending time in the studio on Sundays getting messy -
strengthening and smoothing casts, painting, finishing and preparing
casts ready for clients to hang/display in their homes.
What was your most memorable keepsake made?
Last year I had the pleasure of
casting Rebecca’s pregnant belly with her husband’s and
4-year-old son’s hands cradling her beautiful bump. This was
really special as Rebecca’s husband works abroad so was only home
for a very short time to see the birth of his baby and we were lucky
to be able to create the cast just in time! I relish the opportunity
to work with women and their partners to create custom design,
artistic pregnant belly casts that are personal to them, often
incorporating artwork that evokes memories not just of their
pregnancy but of the life and love they shared before the arrival of
their precious newborn baby.
What is your most affordable item?
Prices start from as little as £35
for a basic belly only cast. Customers can then opt for plain,
classic, deluxe or custom options to include strengthening of the
cast with high grade casting plaster, smoothing and painting/artwork
and varnishing. Price is very much dependent on individual
requirements based on time and materials involved.
What short term goals do you have your your business?
My focus at the
moment is improving my Social Media presence on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram, interacting more with my followers, starting a blog and
increasing the visibility of my posts to help spread the word and
reach more customers.
What is your long term goal for your business?
So far, I've had
the pleasure of casting beautiful baby bumps from Bournemouth, Poole
and Christchurch to Salisbury, Basingstoke, and Wiltshire with
bookings already confirmed for April for two lovely mums-to-be from
Surrey and London! Ultimately I would like to see the Rock the Bump
brand grow and become the go-to pregnant belly casting studio for all
expectant mums.
And now for some fun questions...
City or Countryside? Bit of both. I grew up in the
countryside but love Bournemouth as it offers the best of both
worlds.
Custard or Cream? Custard.
Cats or Dogs? Both.
Tea or Coffee? Black coffee all the way - needs
must…
Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Facebook – I still struggle to
keep it brief on Twitter and Instagram but am getting there…slowly!
Reading a book or watching a film? Neither – I used to love both but
have the attention span of a gnat since having children, plus there’s
never any time!
Obsessively Tidy or Organised Chaos? Organised chaos…
If you want to see more from Zoe, visit the website or Facebook Page
.
