Balancing baby with business

Kagi Jewellery turns 10 this year. But for its creator Kat Gee, another special little birthday late last year is proving to be far more life changing. The new ‘mumpreneur’ has found managing a baby and a business her biggest challenge yet.

Over the years the kitchen table has launched many exciting business ventures in New Zealand. Many fledgling brands and innovative ideas have gone on to become household names around the world.
Kat Gee’s jewellery business, Kagi Jewellery, had the very same humble beginnings. And as Kiwi jewellery brands go, it has been, and still is, remarkably successful. 

So where exactly did her passion for jewellery come from?
Kat says her “love obsession” with jewellery started with her grandmother Joyce, who came to New Zealand after the Second World War as an immigrant – having spent three years in a prisoner of war camp in Indonesia. 
During those three years of imprisonment Joyce’s family lost everything, but she had hidden some of her best jewellery in her undergarments and when they were released from the camp, all she had to make a new beginning with were those jewellery items. 

“Grandma Joyce sold the pieces in order to pay for passage to New Zealand to start a new life, but she held onto a single string of pearls,” says Kat. “Those pearls are still held by the Gee family today and hold a special significance for me. They really laid the foundation for my love of jewellery and intrinsic understanding that jewellery is special and to be cherished.”
Kat purchased jewellery manufacturer BellaQuartz in early 2006 and got stuck into building the business. Many offshore supplier relationships had already been established. 
After rebranding the business, she grew Kagi from 20 client accounts to 90 in the first 12 months.
It’s almost hard to believe that Kagi is turning 10 this year. That’s a long time for a modern jewellery brand. Kat admits it’s a great achievement in the sometimes difficult fashion industry. “It’s a testament to just how well supported our brand has been by New Zealand and Australian women and our retail partners. 
“The business has grown from me being a DIY jack-of-all-trades to now having a fabulous team across the different departments who each make Kagi what it is today. In a way I’m now the conductor of the orchestra, as opposed to playing an instrument,” explains Kat. “At first with Kagi there was a lot of experimentation; we now know who we are and focus on what makes us unique.”
There have been many milestones along the way. Kat is especially proud to have contributed more than $20,000 to the Child Cancer Foundation through the sale of her ‘Hope’ ranges for the charity. 
“And for the first time ever we have used REAL women to model our collection. For me the decision was simple. Real Kiwi women have helped Kagi get to where it is today and I wanted to celebrate this. Our brand is really about celebrating women. Our jewellery is as unique as the women who wear it, so why not use real women?!”
There have been trials and tribulations too. “Having a business means you’re constantly confronted and extended,” says Kat. “But looking back now, many of the times that I found challenging were actually just preparing me for even bigger challenges ahead. 

“As the business has grown, so too have the challenges and my resilience and ability to cope with them.”
Kat remembers sitting on her bed at 2am one morning after first starting out, surrounded by strands and strands of gemstones and thinking ‘how on earth do these go together?!’ 
“I recall in the early years having 3,500 necklaces arrive all threaded wrong. We had to recall them all and rethread them in our office. Even our accounts lady was threading necklaces and I had to rope in my poor friends to help.”
Kat recalls another time when she was working late on a Friday night in Auckland and received a call to say her sister had just delivered her first baby in Christchurch.
“That was a bit of a wakeup call for me as to what really mattered in life,” says Kat.

New arrival
Last year Kat met her partner Phil. They had an instant connection, enjoyed a whirlwind romance, and and were soon both surprised and thrilled to learn they were pregnant. 
Weighing a tiny 2.8kg, Xavier arrived on December 12, 2015, induced at 38 weeks. Kat had stayed working right up until the day before, in the middle of the Christmas sales rush.
“For me falling pregnant was the wakeup call I needed to realise I couldn’t continue working so hard on Kagi and needed to get a life,” says Kat. “Yes, it was a surprise, but by god Xavier has been the best surprise of my life, hands down. I can’t imagine now life would be without him. 

“Sometimes it takes a bomb under you to make you reprioritise – becoming a mum has certainly done this for me!”

“Sometimes it takes a bomb under you to make you reprioritise – becoming a mum has certainly done this for me!”
Before Xavier Kat says she would quite happily work 70-plus hours a week and wouldn’t think twice about working over the weekend. “I was burnt out and exhausted and couldn’t see a way forward. Now I realize there is a whole lot more to life than just business. I’m finally getting some balance and decompressing after a very full-on 10 years.”
Did she initially think she could carry on managing the business as normal? 
“I didn’t know what to expect to be honest,” replies Kat. “I think I went into the business/baby combo a little gung-ho – not really understanding just how little sleep and ‘you time’ you would actually get!” 
For the 34 year old it was no longer ‘business as normal’. 
“For the first six months I’d walk around like a foggy-headed-zombie who could barely keep my eyes open let alone work on business strategy! The phone rang the other day and I picked up and answered a glass of water instead!
“When I first became a mum I couldn’t believe that this little bundle would rely on me to look after and care for him. He was just so cute and minute – such a tiny wee pixie. 
I won’t say it was instant love as I think I was too dazed and confused, but over time I came to think he is the coolest wee pixie in the world and I’d do anything for him.”
Life post-baby has understandably required some adjustments. Phil’s a part-time builder, which assists Kat in terms of juggling baby and business. Moving back to Christchurch to be near her family and hiring a nanny to help out a couple of half days a week has also made a big difference. “There’re some days when it feels like my greatest achievement is putting on some washing and getting Xavier to fall asleep,” admits Kat. “Quite a stark contrast to my previous life being hands on daily with Kagi and achieving targets and goals. It’s been hard going from a life of full independence and freedom to one where I sometimes may not even leave the house at all. 
“I miss [the days of] jumping on a plane whenever I needed to and the simplicity of life before baby – that you don’t realise until you have one!”

When two worlds collide
Kat had her first flight up to Auckland for meetings the other day – without Xavier. 
“I was excited that I was able to wear all my sparkly jewels – no little hands were going to rip them off or coat them with broccoli puree! 
“I felt such a sense of freedom when I boarded the plane baby free. But that feeling of glamorous freedom didn’t last very long. I ended up having to use a breast pump whilst sitting on the floor of the parents’ room at the airport. 
“The reality of being a mum kicks in when you have massive photo-shoot lined up with more than 20 people attending, five models and yourself modeling, and you only get a couple of hours sleep the night before. You arrive at the shoot fuzzy in the brain, yet somehow have to pull yourself together to make it happen.”
Kat’s grateful for the support of her partner Phil, whom she describes as her ‘rock’. 
“He keeps me grounded and is great to bounce business ideas off,” she says. “He doesn’t have any formal business training but has great common sense. He backs me 100 percent and always encourages me to find a solution if at first it isn’t obvious. 
“The greatest part of our relationship is that our attraction for each other had nothing to do with me being an entrepreneur and, as such, I try to keep Kagi and my personal life as separate as possible.”
Going forward, the plan is to continue to juggle [commitments] as best as they can. Kat will continue to fly up to Auckland every few weeks to check in with her Kagi team.

Caring for her business baby
Despite the enormous distraction a new baby brings, Kat hasn’t lost any enthusiasm for her brand or business. It’s ten years old now and, like a child, still demanding of her time and attention.
“For me [the future of Kagi] is about continuing to drive innovation across our product offering,” she says. “At the end of the day we are a design and marketing led company and, as such, need to continue to lead the way with innovative designs and new concepts that women love.
“Sales wise I would like to continue to see positive growth across our accounts and retailers continuing to replenish their stock weekly. Our sales team has worked very hard to ensure we are in the top destinations in every area, so now it’s about strengthening our retail partnerships and continuing to grow like-for-like sales.”
And despite their busy lives the couple still believe there’ll be time for more children down the track.
“But right now, one is more than enough,” says Kat. “On top of my Kagi baby I certainly have my hands full!”