The mum helping other parents find the best prices on baby products

Nicole Dellipiani is the founder of Bump to Bambino, a search engine for parents to compare prices on maternity and baby products from leading brands and retailers.

The entrepreneur had the idea for the business while pregnant and spending a long time searching many websites for the products she needed.

Nicole turned to the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme for advice on starting her new business and after watching tips on how to secure press coverage, she got her brand featured in several media outlets

Read the story of Bump to Bambino.

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in 218 bitesize videos.  
 
If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log-in to your member dashboard to access the e-learning. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.

How did you come up with your business idea?

"When pregnant with my two children, I spent hours of my time on my mobile phone jumping from website to website looking for maternity clothing and newborn essentials. What I came to realise was that the pregnancy/baby market was extremely fragmented and the shopping experience made me feel rather stressed.

"What I felt I needed whilst pregnant was a website that brought together products from leading pregnancy and baby brands/retailers that would help parents shop and price compare products all in one location.

"I couldn't find such a website so I looked into building it myself. I did this by firstly teaching myself and understanding the technology behind a price comparison website and then armed with this information I set out to identify website developers who shared my vision and could turn my idea into reality."

What start-up challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?

"There have been several!

"In the early stages of development, we were rejected by many retailers and brands who didn't know what Bump to Bambino was and the purpose of the website. This was quite soul destroying and you end up questioning why you started on the journey in the first place.

"However, perseverance was key and we have grown exponentially and are now partnering with very well known leading pregnancy and baby brands/retailers and new products are being added to the website, daily.

"Secondly, being a small business owner can (at times) feel very lonely.  I've since realised that you can't and shouldn't be doing this journey on your own and to build a network and a community of other business owners to engage with and bounce ideas off. This has been instrumental in helping me reach the stage I'm at right now."

How has the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme helped you?

"As a new start-up I knew that I needed a strong presence on social media but I was unsure how to deliver it. The Amazon Small Business Accelerator breaks everything down into bitesize pieces and has supported me on my entrepreneurial journey.

"The module which has helped me the most so far is 'Build a Brand'. As a small business I've looked to do my own PR and the videos from Liz Slee, head of media at Enterprise Nation, on 'how to write a press release' and 'how to get coverage' have been instrumental in helping me secure opportunities to market my business.

"Using my learnings from these videos I have been able to secure extensive coverage in a variety of media outlets, which has helped me reach many new customers."

What are your plans for the future of your business?

"Bump to Bambino has been growing steadily and we are now able to look at scaling the business and expanding our product offering. Our mission is to become THE shopping destination for every parent in the UK!

"We are also in the process of applying to join the Amazon Affiliates Programme so that we can feature pregnancy and baby products sold on Amazon on the website which is very exciting."

How did COVID-19 affect your business?

"Bump to Bambino launched during the COVID-19 lockdown. It allowed me the time to work steadily through the modules in the Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme. I cannot rave enough about the programme. It has been created to help with the basics of starting a business and supports you through your growth journey. It has helped me tremendously and I have recommended the programme to so many people in my network!"

Which other entrepreneurs have inspired you and why?

"I have recently had the absolute pleasure of receiving advice on my business from entrepreneur Alex Depledge MBE. Alex is a tech entrepreneur who I admire for finding gaps in the market and using technology to turn ideas into profitable businesses.

"Secondly, entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, who is a strong advocate for boosting the high street and supporting retailers. I align myself with his purpose as Bump to Bambino brings together multiple retailers onto one website bringing these retailers in front of a wide target audience who maybe otherwise may not have thought to shop with them."

What are your top tips for business success?

"When you have an idea, you can spend a lot of time fine tuning and making your product or service as perfect as possible before you go to market! My advice is to start your journey and launch as soon as possible and let your customers provide the feedback on how your product or service can be improved.

"Don't build a business that serves too many people as you can't be everything to everyone. Pick a niche and use a targeted marketing strategy to understand your target audience.

"Make sure you understand who your competitors are. What are they offering and how can you offer something that is unique or different to them? It's not about reinventing the wheel, it's about making sure you tap into what makes you different to your competitors and build on it."

The free Amazon Small Business Accelerator e-learning programme is advice from more than 30 business experts in 218 bitesize videos.  
 
If you're already an Enterprise Nation member, log-in to your member dashboard to access the e-learning. If you're not an Enterprise Nation member, you can join the Amazon Small Business Accelerator for free here.