If you’re on the lookout for new yoga gear or swimwear, you’ll love the newly created Mila. J & Co. This mother-daughter business was created by Samantha Broughton — a former superyacht chief stewardess — who came up with the concept when her daughter Mila was away in Australia with her father. “I had this sudden urge to be close to her,” says Broughton.
Thus the budding entrepreneur decided to start a business with her 10-year-old daughter. “I hope to build something with Mila, for Mila, so that her future has one little business on the go before she even starts out in life,” says Broughton, whose daughter was thrilled at the idea. “She opened up one of the design apps straight away and started to create some patterns for the leggings,” Broughton says.
The team’s website features a (growing) variety of clothing, such as leggings, swimwear, yoga shorts, vintage-style tees, and racer back vests. They recently launched the “mini me” children’s leggings “to match mum.” The proud mompreneur gushes about her now-11-year-old daughter, who has a great eye, lots of opinions, and creative input on the designs. “All the leggings are named after her friends,” Broughton says.
The ex-superyacht chief stewardess hasn’t been hesitant to delve into the technical stuff with her daughter, like profit margins and website editing. Mila helps with the designs and placement of patterns, too. “She has a keen eye for detail and even called me up from her ski holiday to say she had an issue with one of the bikini prints and placement,” says Broughton. “It made me laugh, mainly because she was so right.”
Before starting the business, Broughton had a tough time transitioning from yacht life. “It was a slow pace to what I was used to, and everything felt like a hurdle,” Broughton recalls. For those who are considering leaving the superyacht life, her advice is to “get preparing your side hustles whilst you are on board. It’s really hard when you jump off into nothing. It’s best to side step off and into something you’ve been able to create at the same time as yachting,” she says, adding, “You’re surrounded by the best business brains in the world. Watch and listen.”
Photo credit: Christopher Scholey