Having a ball with Moo & Roo's

After a career in event management, Sarah Homer-Hutton's move to Luxembourg at first saw her stay home and raise her children. But a failed search for children's party equipment sparked a business idea that has since turned into Moo & Roo's.

In a nutshell, describe Moo & Roo's

Moo & Roo's is a family business named after my two older children who are nicknamed ‘Alfie moo & Setharoo!’ We supply soft play and bouncy castles for children's parties and events. Recently I have gone into partnership with my mum Kath Homer and extended the business with the acquisition of the already established business Party In A Box, who offer themed party boxes, including a complete array of fancy dress, party theming and games.

Why did you decide to start your own business?

Moving to Luxembourg gave me the wonderful opportunity to stay home and raise my children and the time to consider my career options having previously worked in event management. Before we moved here, we held a party for our oldest son and hired soft play equipment. We searched for something similar here, however we felt there was a lack of purse-friendly party options here in Luxembourg and felt it was our chance to bring something new to the county, which was and remains very popular in the UK.

What has been the biggest challenge along the way and what advice would you give aspiring entrepreneurs?

My biggest challenge with running my own business has been finding a balance between family life and work. Running your own business like this does involve lots of weekend work and long evenings!

Based on this my advice for entrepreneurs would be: Always be honest with customers. I tell them we are a family business and involve my children in deliveries and setups. The older ones are becoming experts at setting up a bouncy castle – especially when they get to test it afterwards. Also, make sure you love what you do as you will spend most of time doing it. Have a good support network. I am lucky to have some family here and some great friends!

If you had one wish, what would you ask of political decision-makers to help support the Luxembourg start-up scene?

If I had the chance, I would recommend they make it easier to discover ways to access support for setting up your own business.

What's next for Moo & Roo's?

Having recently taken on Party in a Box, we plan to continue the merger between the two party businesses to offer a more complete party experience. We also acquired a web shop which we plan to promote further to offer more exciting party options and gifts at great prices.