Meet Layla the lovely mama behind PaperJam Designs
Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do: My name is Layla, I’m 24 (I actually had to check that! 😂) and I have two beautiful boys (3yrs and 11months), two businesses, and one very supportive and loving partner.My first business is Paperjam Designs where I create personalised educational toys and decor. My most popular products are my name puzzles which are all painted by hand in an array of colours and designs picked by my customers.My very first products were decoupage wall letters which I started creating for those that have unique names like myself and didn’t have ready-made personalised products available in stores.My second business that most of my customers wouldn’t know about is a cheerleading gym called Zero Gravity Cheerleading. I am one of three owners and we have 10 recreational classes and 6 competitive teams with ages ranging from 3yrs to 29yrs.
Age when you had your first baby: I was 20 years old when I had my first baby boy, just 7 weeks away from my 21st birthday.
What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant? Absolute disbelief and excitement! We had been trying for 6 months, which I know is a completely normal time to wait, but it did feel like forever when my friends were falling pregnant at the drop of a hat.
What has been your biggest challenge with running a business and being a mama at the same time? My biggest challenge would be managing my time as there is truely not enough hours in the day! And part of that challenge is ensuring I get enough time with my boys and trying not to feel guilty when I am working.
How do you balance Home and work life? (any tips/tricks to share?) Is not sleeping an acceptable answer? I must admit, it is a huge challenge and I do really struggle with this. I’m terrible for taking on more than I should and staying up till ungodly hours of the night to get my work done. I think the most important things (that I’m working on improving) is setting out a bit of a schedule so I have particular time for work, time for family, and hopefully 🤞🏼 some “me” time too.Writing lists are a big part of each day for me, and making sure they are achievable so I’m not left feeling disappointed with what I got done that day.I also like to plan out an activity each day to do with my boys - whether that be a little walk to the park or a cool crafty idea off Pinterest.
Best piece of advice you were given about parenting: Spend twice the amount of time with your children and half as much money. Kids love to spend time with you, to show you their creations and clever tricks as well as hearing how proud you are of them ❤️
What would you do if you weren’t doing your current job/running your business? I honestly couldn’t imagine not doing something creative, it’s one of my biggest passions! But one job I had while studying psychology at university is working at Healthcare NZ which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes it would just be cleaning people’s homes and sometimes more serious stuff like personal care but I love helping people so this job suited me well. I also may have found myself going further with my degree and possibly venturing into counselling or social work 😊 Have you met any challenges being a mama in your 20s? I haven’t met too many challenges, the only one I can think of is when I took my 3 year old to our under 5s free play cheerleading class and one of the mums that came in asked if I had brought my little brother along 😂 I have received a lot of support and I don’t feel I have ever been treated differently for being a young-ish mum. Actually another challenge which isn’t to do with my age bracket is that my mum loves 2 hours away from me in my home town Taranaki. I would love to be able to pop over for a coffee some mornings and for my boys to see her more often. What has been your biggest challenge in your 20s (non-parenting related)? Being an adult and paying bills 💸💸 But on the plus side you can eat ice cream for dinner so I guess that makes up for having responsibilities If you could give one piece of advice to twenty-something’s pre kids what would it be? If you think you and your partner are ready (obviously weighing up weekly income and all the other important things that comes with having children) then just go for it! There is not one thing I would change, my boys are my world and they push me to strive to be the greatest version of me I can be. Some people say to travel while your young and experience the world. And if that’s what you want to do then definitely do that! But let’s be real, I didn’t have enough money for that, and I also couldn’t tell you what the capital is of half the countries around the world (terrible I know but true).