About Me
HOW DID THE JAMM'N BEGIN?
From Hairdresser to Hashtags
TLDR: Settle in for 3 minutes of glorious procrastination and read this WHOLE page or cut to the chase and see if we will be a good fit here.
After a baptism of fire as a freelance copywriter in the early 2000s, I hit the e-commerce ground running in 2012 with zero experience or any proper understanding of the industry while juggling 2 hair salons and a young family. What could go wrong?!
THE GENTLE BREEZE OF
E-COMMERCE
I imagined the world of e-commerce as a gentle breeze that would gradually blow me in a new direction. I was absolutely unprepared for the tornado that catapulted me into a wild storm, and a parallel universe where I was about to experience the full range of human emotions and then some.
RUNNING A BUSINESS IN SOUTH AFRICA
What an adventure! [Also known as wine and crying.]
A post office strike that tested my sanity and almost brought us to our knees in our 1st year, load shedding schedules that were never on time, unreliable couriers, corruption, theft, fraud, near impossible government red tape, and customs clearance headaches.
At first, the country’s only South African manufacturers with a supply monopoly were not keen to supply us.
They didn’t know who we were, and we were not going to place an order with a 6 figure invoice and were just not worth their time.
So we reached out to international suppliers, bit the financial bullet, cried through the exchange rate and clawed our way forward.
Lift Off
WE STARTED TO DO IT!
Despite the challenges and the fact that I was totally unequipped for e-commerce life, we were thriving.
When Falke South Africa stepped into the local hosiery game and immediately agreed to supply us, it was a game-changer.
Every insane risk we took, every expensive customer service promise we stoically stood by – it was paying off.
We won awards; we were interviewed, and the media started to take note. It was a feeling I can’t describe.
By year three we had over 40,000 customers who recommended us to their friends, colleagues, and family, and the fan base continued to grow.
But then we were hit with a curveball.
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
In 2017, New Zealand made my husband an offer we couldn’t refuse.
We packed up 2 teenagers, 2 dogs and one highly unimpressed cat and with the support of our families, grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
I left behind 20 years of hairdressing, packed up 2 salons, and 2 online stores, and said goodbye to my squad of amazing clients, and all of our friends and family.
A New Chapter
When it came time to do something new, I knew that it was time to take everything I had learned – also known as wine and crying – and bring it all together like a weird little marriage between my love of e-commerce, words and my infatuation with analytics.
And so House of Jam Creative Communications was born.
THE MISSION
I know now that if I had had someone like me to cut through the clutter, help me prioritise what to do first, and where to spend first to help me scale in a realistic way that I could manage with the resources available while also identifying the opportunities around us that I could do myself, I know I would have made different decisions.
I wouldn’t have felt so lost or like I was flying by the seat of my pants without a cooking clue on how to measure the outcomes.
Work with Me
Out of the office, I am a proud Mom of two amazing adult daughters, wife to my long-suffering middle-child husband, a Labradorian Dog Parent, plant nut, hummus addict and aerial fitness enthusiast.
I have also survived bringing up teenagers mostly on my own while my husband worked away in Afghanistan. (That should be considered a life skill!)
If you are still reading at this point, you may need a glass of wine or a medal!
- You won’t find any fancy titles, long-winded corporate fluff or anything that tangles us up in our own hair
- I like to keep things simple – less meetings, more sunshine and time with your dogs
- When we work together, we won’t waste each other’s time or money and we won’t make each other guess.
What you see is what you get. Bring your dogs.
*Behold the bonus pic of what you will see on Zoom vs the fancy pics the photographer took.
THE WEIGHTS ON MY WALLET
THEY WHO RUN THE OFFICE
KENZIE
"Baby"
Rescued from Lab Rescue in South Africa in 2013. Has no idea how to interact with other dogs. Must be the centre of attention at all times. LOVES all Men. Walkies, car adventures, swimming, snacks or parties – she will be there. Has her own pet fantail called Kimchi, which thoroughly enjoys teasing her relentlessly.
IZANDILE
"Izzy"
Bonafide street dog hybrid. An abused rescue with a plethora of issues – hates parties, noise, men, the sound or sight of any puffer jacket, water, sand and waves (we live at the beach). Preciously pampered, she sleeps in a bed with her human prefers 800 thread count sheets. She must have her own pillow, otherwise don’t waste her time.
PIXIE-STRAWBERRY-GEORGE
"Kitty"
The free-range parenting result of letting your pre-school-aged children name your cat. She came to us as a kitten and never knew anything other than a life of pampering and luxury. Born in 2005 she travelled with us from South Africa and enjoyed her golden years in NZ before crossing over the rainbow bridge in 2023.
