Transforming her kitchen into a studio marked the beginning of Brenda Farr’s Inky Feet franchise.
Inky Feet began in 2004 when Farr decided that she would run her business around her children instead of returning to a conventional workplace. Placing an ad in her local paper, Farr began creating handmade ceramic plates and tiles featuring children’s hand and footprints.
Inky Feet’s family-friendly business plan meant that it could easily transform into a franchise, as a perfect option for entrepreneurial mums who don’t want to return to a traditional workplace, says Mrs Farr.
“When I developed Inky Feet as a franchise, I kept my ideal franchisee in mind – a fellow mother who wanted to run a business around her children and contribute to the family income,” Mrs Farr said.
Inky Feet franchisees are fully trained in the art of ‘inking’, with franchisees able to make imprints of infants as young as four and a half hours old. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and the prints take about two weeks to finish.
The bright, colourful hand and foot prints are a lovely way to remember your children when they were tiny and the ease of the process makes the option even better, says Mrs Farr.
“We often share one of the most special times with families when they invite us to ‘ink’ their newborn in hospital. It really is a perfect moment we capture so well. Their newborn hands and feet are so delicate and our Inky Feet tiles are reminders of how tiny they once were.”
“Inky Feet has recently introduced a brand new product range to make it even easier for our franchisees to ink groups of children at one location. This also makes Inky Feet’s products readily available for group activities or a great fundraising alternative because we can incorporate kid’s artworks into our designs,” added Mrs Farr.
Inky Feet recently launched a range of personalised items aimed at the corporate market, such as coffee mugs and keyrings. The business is also expanding to include maternity hospitals, day care centres and playgroups.
