What online shopping is to busy moms is like quenching thirst in a desert – we love getting it all done from the comfort of our clacking keyboard! So when we came across children’s lifestyle brand Tiny Bitz, we did a little squeal and just had to find out more about it’s innovative founders, Sera and Petina!
Tell us about the company.
We’re a boutique baby-gifting brand with the focus in bringing “thoughtful gifts for growing kids”, and providing a convenient and breezy online shopping experience for busy urbanites.
Do you have a signature gift?
Our best-selling Growing Kit has been very well received among mothers and gift-givers alike. It’s a set of three onesies, each in a different design and in different sizes (zero to three months, three to six months, and six to twelve months), so it’s essentially a gift designed to grow with the babies! The Growing Kit comes in three versions: girls’, boys’ and unisex versions, and two size ranges.
What inspired you to start the business?
Our nieces and nephew. We were searching tirelessly for stylish, practical yet affordable gifts for them, and our friends were constantly asking for advice on where and what to get for baby showers. We also realised that babies outgrow their outfits too quickly – that fuelled the concept for the Growing Kit.
How easy was it to set up the company?
It took us two years from having the initial idea to the soft launch, and then another three months before we had our official launch in March 2013. It was a relatively easy and quick process! We’ve had production hiccups along the way, but this is when the phrase “keep calm and carry on” comes in handy; sometimes you just have to improvise as you go.
Do you each have different roles in the business?
Yes, it’s a good match between our skills set and personalities! Sera is the mastermind behind design, production and inventory management; Petina drives marketing and sales and general administration of the brand. We have a lot of respect for each other’s expertise and we also get very hands on, from packing each and every gift set or hamper that gets sent out to running pop-up shops and the not-so-exciting monthly stocktake!
An Aussie connection
While both women were born in Hong Kong, they’ve also spent formative years in Australia. Sera studied Fashion at Sydney’s Whitehouse Institute of Design, and established Sewn, a ready-to-wear women’s fashion line; she continued her career as a Production Manager at a fashion house in Hong Kong. Petina majored in Marketing and Hospitality at the University of New South Wales, then honed her expertise in the pre-opening team at both Hilton Sydney and W Hotel Hong Kong, before becoming Senior Project Manager at Marc & Chantal Design, Hong Kong.
Got some tips for shoppers?
All orders receive free gift-wrapping in our custom-designed packaging. Shoppers can also leave us a gift message and we will include it in the gift. We offer free delivery within Hong Kong for orders over US$70, and we do international delivery too.
Plans for the next few years?
Tiny Bitz is currently stocked in Hong Kong and New York and will soon be available in Melbourne and Tokyo; we hope to continue to expand our distribution internationally, and also develop more products.