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Special-Needs Business Profile: ID4U Designs
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Nicole Braidwood started ID4U Designs –- "Individually Designed 4U" -- with partner Lee-Anne Kerr about a year ago. The friends are both parents of children with special needs.
About their Business:"We hand-make ‘individually designed’ emergency ID bracelets crafted with Swarovski crystals and glass beads," says Braidwood. "We also supply high quality and fashionable accessories for those with illnesses."
Parenting Connection:Braidwood's older daughter has diabetes, and ID4U donates $1 from every bracelet sold to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. "She has five injections each and every day," Braidwood says. "She has noticed no one in her class has diabetes and no one in the whole school. She has good and bad days. She gets sick of the needles and sick of it all. I do too." Braidwood's younger daughter is pre-diabetic and at high risk for the disease. "Siblings of those with diabetes have a 1 in 4 chance of developing it as well."
Time Investment:ID4U is a full-time job, and "it’s growing every day." The best thing about the business, according to Braidwood, is "knowing we’re doing something good and making a difference." The hardest part is "just juggling everything between home and work. Your health is everything. Without it, you have nothing. When you have a family member who is not well, it is a lot of extra work. There’s always doctor appointments and when they’re sick they take a lot longer to recover. But it’s all worth it –- they are our inspiration."
Success Story:"If we have helped one person to give them peace of mind, support and a positive outlook then that is huge," Braidwood says of the success of the business. Customers have been in contact "by Email, by phone and in person. We’ve had overwhelming support. People have been so positive and supportive. It makes our day when we hear feedback –- it gives us goosebumps. It spurs you on." Her daughter is among ID4U's fans: "She loves it and comes up with designs for bracelets and suggestions all the time. The only difficulty is choosing which bracelet to wear each day for school. It’s tough being a kid!"
Future Plans:Braidwood hopes to "educate people on signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia and how they can treat it to prevent coma and death. Teach people how to use a glucometer properly, including hospital staff. Recently on a visit, a nurse didn’t test properly. That is clearly unacceptable. Raise awareness of diabetes in general and clear up some misconceptions. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told -– you just give insulin don’t you. It’s more than that. It’s interwoven into everything you do. When you exercise, when you’re stressed, the type of food you eat –- it’s there night and day."
More Inspiration and Advice from Nicole Braidwood:
How did you find out your child had special needs?
My daughter became ill when she was 2. After taking her repeatedly to the doctor and hospital she didn’t get any better. I remember my sister saying to me, 'Follow your gut feeling.' I did. On one visit, hospital staff asked me what I wanted to achieve by coming there. I told them, take a look at her, this is not my child. She was dehydrated and in ketoacidosis.
How did her diagnosis affect your family?
She was placed in Intensive Care and was very ill. It’s something you don’t forget too easily –- seeing your child attached to many tubes. It’s been stressful and continual. It’s difficult knowing you haven’t been able to pass on the gift of good health to your child. You want them to have the best.
What inspired you to start your business?
Living with diabetes day in, day out. We had to do something. There was an apparent lack of products available to fit their small hands.
How did you go about getting it started?
We researched everything. We spoke to so many people. We sourced different kinds of beads which led us to design and make them. We asked everyone -– family and friends -- to wear one and requested their feedback. We tried so many different bracelet combinations until we came up with the best quality and the latest product for our particular market. We read up on small business management and familiarized ourselves with the operations of running a small business.
What advice would you give to other parents about raising a child with special needs?
Look after yourself. Take the time to put your feet up and don’t be hard on yourself. Learn to ask someone to help you, if you can, even if it is just coming to visit you for a talk over a cuppa tea/coffee. Learn from your child. They will teach you a lot about life and what it is like in their shoes. They are amazing little people finding their own way.
