‘Her baby choked’: how a cafe accident and £400 turned into a genius business idea about to go global
Only 18% of businesses in Britain are run by women, and although data shows that female entrepreneurs are on the rise, men still receive more funding and are entrusted with higher average loans to help them get started.
In an eight-part series, Money blog reporter Jess Sharp speaks every Tuesday with women who are leaders in their field. She hears their stories, struggles and advice for those who want to follow in their footsteps.
This week she spoke with Jenni Dunman, the founder and owner of Daisy First Aid…
Many people dream of starting a business all their lives – for Jenni it was literally an accident.
“I had the day off and went for coffee with a friend. She had her daughter in a high chair, her daughter was choking and she didn’t know what to do,” Jenni explained.
“As a police officer I had already had first aid training, so I was able to pick her daughter up and give her back blows, remove the blockage very quickly and she made a full recovery.
“I went home that night to my husband and said, ‘Why don’t parents know these basic things?’”
The genius idea of first aid classes aimed at giving children medical attention was born – and now, starting with just £400, Daisy First Aid is about to go global.
It’s been quite a journey for Jenni, who left education at 16, moved out of her parents’ home and worked three jobs just to make the rent.
She was living in Crystal Palace in south-east London at the time and said she wasn’t surrounded by the best crowds. After losing a child and ultimately attempting suicide, she decided to make a drastic change.
“I went through a very dark time in my life and decided at that moment, after hitting rock bottom, whether I should try again and be successful or change my life completely,” the 44-year-old said.
Jenni joined the Metropolitan Police.
“I didn’t live in a particularly nice area or hang out with particularly nice people, so I decided I was going to cut ties with everyone completely,” she said.
At the time of her training, police covered the costs of housing and food for new recruits during their 18-week course, she explained.
“I actually had a place where I could completely restart my life. It completely changed my life. I loved it.”
Jenni eventually worked her way up to detective sergeant, met her husband on the force when he came to her rescue, and was one of the first officers on the scene during the 7/7 bombings.
“I think that’s probably where I initially found my love for first aid,” she said. “I really liked that side of things”.
The emergency that gave rise to her idea
Several years later, now a mother of two, Jenni found it difficult to combine work and her busy family life.
While pregnant with her third child in 2013, she came up with her business idea, sparked by the cafe incident.
“They teach all these great parenting classes, but if your baby stops breathing, or he’s choking, or he’s having a seizure, why don’t they teach this basic first aid?” she said.
Jenni started searching online for what major organizations were already offering, and discovered a gap in the market with classes aimed solely at parents.
One pavilion, two customers and a kind favor
She initially started by setting up a first aid class at her local pavilion in Sutton and posting a message on Facebook inviting people and their babies to come along.
The two-hour class taught people about the signs of meningitis, how to deal with burns and seizures, and broken bones in a way that was “simple and easy to remember.”
Her initial start-up costs were £400, which was mainly spent on mannequins for the classroom.
“I had two bookings, both paying £25, and I asked all my friends to join in to make it look busy, so they all came with their babies and we had a great class,” said Jenni.
After that, word spread quickly and she gained more and more clients as her business grew organically.
“I took a career break from the police and started getting bookings from London, Surrey, Kent… I realized I was really onto something,” she said.
Learn, learn and learn again
As her business boomed and she struggled to meet demand, Jenni began researching how to structure it.
From the start, she wanted a work-life balance that wasn’t afforded her in law enforcement, and she worked her hours around running and picking up from school.
Using Google and teaching herself, she came up with the idea of franchising.
“I knew nothing about starting a business, I knew absolutely nothing, so I learned a lot along the way. I learned how to franchise and tried out the model,” she said.
“I took on two franchises, both female police officers who lived in other areas, and taught them how to grow their businesses and do what I was doing.
“It just exploded beautifully and grew very quickly into what it is today, with 115 franchises in the UK with plans for global expansion.
“We have helped save the lives of hundreds of thousands of babies.”
‘I receive offers for investments, but I turn them down’
Daisy First Aid now plans to launch in Dubai by the end of the year, with Jenni aiming to take it to Australia and Europe as well.
“What should have been a small business for me, to help me get some statutory maternity pay, has ended up being life-changing for me and my other franchisees,” she said.
Unlike many other companies, Jenni never made any investment, funded the initial setup herself and has since expanded.
“I probably get investment offers twice a month, but I’ve never made an investment, so I own 100% of the company. Some people think I’m crazy, but I’m just really happy,” she said.
“The model we have works so beautifully and we know we can replicate that anywhere.”
What about the challenges?
Jenni said the “biggest battle” she had overcome was her own mind, and it was something she still had to work on every day.
“I think most of us learned from our parents, our ancestors and beyond, to just survive life and stay safe… you know, go to school, get a job, get a pension, retire and then you die,” she said.
“I really think now that we can remove those blocks, just to open up, because we are meant for more.”
She explained how she has had to work over the past twenty years to overcome the fear of failure, as well as the “fear of bragging rights and success.”
“My biggest challenge by far is myself and my own self-sabotage,” she added.
“We all have so many fears that keep us from achieving more.”
Jenni’s advice
Jenni confessed that she was “hugely obsessed” with learning, and advised others to explore the skills they are missing and teach themselves.
“All the information is available online, whatever you need, you can find it, but also don’t be afraid to ask other experts for help,” she said.
She remembers the first time she hired an accountant, and she asked him to explain everything to her as if she were ten.
‘Sometimes, as entrepreneurs, people expect us to know everything, but we will never know anything. However, we can be brave enough to ask other experts.
“There are so many people willing to give up their free time to help you, and there is so much information online, so it doesn’t have to be expensive.”
She also takes these five daily steps to keep her mindset positive:
- Practice gratitude – take time to remember and be grateful for positive things in your life
- Determine your goals, write them down and illustrate them
- Be aware of your words, stop moaning and don’t be negative. Changing the words you use out loud and in your head can have a positive impact
- Create a wave of happiness – do one thing a day to make someone else happy – it will encourage them to do the same
- Leave positive reviews and give compliments. If someone has done a good job, tell him/her about it.