The Reality of Building a Business While Raising a Family

How Adelaide Hills entrepreneur Nikki Hutt built Real Rustic Sourdough by creating the kind of business that could grow alongside motherhood ,not compete with it.

When people ask Nikki Hutt what she does, the answer is never simple.

She’s a stay-at-home mum raising four children in the Adelaide Hills.

She’s also an entrepreneur.

Over the past eight years, Nikki has built three evolving brands, each reflecting a different season of her life. What began as Babyhutt Co grew into Ecohutt, and today her focus is firmly on Real Rustic Sourdough ,a business helping everyday Australians discover that sourdough doesn’t have to be complicated.

From the outside, people often see the finished product.

What they don’t see are the late nights spent designing packaging, building websites, writing guides, answering customer emails, developing products, creating educational resources and packing orders after the kids have gone to bed.

“People often see me as ‘just’ a stay-at-home mum,” Nikki says.

“And I am. Being home with my children is something I’m incredibly grateful for. But behind the scenes I’ve also been building businesses in the small pockets of time that motherhood allows.”

“There are definitely moments where I wonder what my business would look like if I had uninterrupted workdays. But then I remind myself that these businesses exist because of my family. They’ve grown alongside them.”

Building Businesses With Purpose

Nikki never set out to become a serial entrepreneur.

Her first business, Babyhutt Co, began in 2017 after becoming a first-time mum. She wanted to support Australian businesses while creating a carefully curated store of products she genuinely loved and trusted.

As her family grew and her interests evolved, so did the business.

Babyhutt Co became Ecohutt, expanding into conscious living and eco-friendly products for families wanting to make more informed choices at home.

“I’ve never created businesses around trends,” Nikki says.

“They’ve always come from our own life. Every product I’ve sold is something I’ve genuinely used or believed in.”

That same philosophy eventually led her to sourdough.

When Passion Found Its Place

While Ecohutt continues to operate, today Nikki’s passion is Real Rustic Sourdough.

It wasn’t something she planned.

It grew from changes her own family made around food.

“Three of us in our family couldn’t tolerate regular white bread,” she says.

“For years I thought feeling bloated and uncomfortable after eating bread, pasta or pizza was just normal. I honestly believed that’s what eating carbs felt like.”

Nikki says that experimenting with fermented bread became a turning point for her family’s approach to baking and food. While she emphasizes that everyone’s experience is different and makes no claims about how others may respond, the process sparked a deeper interest in learning about sourdough and eventually inspired the direction of her business.

Then she hit another obstacle.

Learning it.

“There were so many rules,” she laughs.

“As a busy mum, I remember thinking, ‘How does anyone actually fit this into everyday life?'”

Instead of giving up, Nikki started experimenting.

She questioned the traditional methods, simplified the process and eventually developed what is now known as her No Fuss Method ,a practical approach designed to fit around busy households rather than demanding people fit around sourdough.

“My philosophy has always been that baking should work around your life ,not the other way around.”

Building More Than a Product

As Nikki began sharing her approach online, she realised people weren’t just looking for sourdough products.

They were looking for confidence.

What began as a handful of products inside Ecohutt quickly evolved into its own business.

In 2022, Real Rustic Sourdough was born.

Since then, Nikki has designed and developed her own range of dehydrated sourdough starters, beginner baking kits and practical tools that remove much of the overwhelm from getting started.

But creating products was only part of the vision.

She also built an online Learning Hub filled with free recipes, tutorials and troubleshooting guides, wrote comprehensive beginner resources, created educational content, developed her own e-commerce website and established a growing wholesale network ,all while raising four children.

Today, Real Rustic Sourdough is stocked in six independent stores across South Australia and one in Victoria, with plans to continue expanding into more retailers so customers can discover the brand closer to home.

Looking back, Nikki says the business has become everything she hoped it would.

“This is where my passion really is.

“I love helping people realise they don’t have to be perfect to bake good bread. Seeing someone bake their very first loaf never gets old.”

Redefining Success

Like many women in business, Nikki admits it’s easy to compare yourself to businesses growing faster or backed by bigger teams.

But she’s learnt to define success differently.

“My businesses have been built slowly, organically and around my family.

Would I love more uninterrupted time? Absolutely.

But I’m also proud of what I’ve created with the time I’ve had.”

That perspective has shaped the future she wants to build.

Rather than chasing growth at any cost, Nikki’s focus is on continuing to expand Real Rustic Sourdough into more independent retailers, developing new educational resources and creating products that genuinely make sourdough simpler for busy families.

For her, success isn’t just measured in sales or stockists.

It’s knowing that something she created alongside motherhood is now helping other families bring homemade bread back to their tables.

“I hope my journey shows my children that you don’t have to wait for perfect conditions to build something meaningful,” she says.

“Sometimes you just start with what you have, keep showing up, and trust that the small steps will add up.”

Award-Winning Recognition

Real Rustic Sourdough was recognized by Evergreen Awards as the Best Sourdough Starter in Australia of 2026, acknowledging the brand’s commitment to making sourdough baking approachable and accessible for home bakers.

Today, the business offers a range of dehydrated sourdough starters, beginner baking kits, and educational resources designed to simplify the learning process for those interested in baking sourdough at home. In addition to its products, Real Rustic Sourdough maintains an online Learning Hub featuring recipes, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides that support beginners as they develop their skills.

As the business continues to grow, Nikki remains focused on expanding into additional independent retailers while creating practical resources that help make sourdough baking more approachable for busy households.

Connect with Real Rustic Sourdough, the Free Sourdough Guide, the Learn Hub, Instagram, and Facebook.