So the husband-wife duo decided to take matters into their hands. They had always wanted to run their own business. A few months before their baby arrived, they discovered their niche - a one-stop shop catering to people like them.

Setting things up was relatively easy. The first step was hiring a company secretary to do the ground work and guide the couple through the process of arranging business registration and opening bank accounts. Before making any key decisions, they consulted other experts such as accountants and lawyers. They also started contacting suppliers and arranging logistical support. At the same time, they scouted around for potential customers and looked for a suitable location. The entire process took about five months.

The first full-time employee taken on was an administrative assistant, who was hired two months after the company was formed. When the first store opened three months later, two full-time sales staff were added. Initially, the couple did all the deliveries themselves.

'If you are opening your own business, you have to be prepared to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week,' Ms Walker said. 'Cost is a big issue as your overheads are enormous. Also, you don't want to overstaff and then have to make people redundant.'

Finding staff was easy since the couple chose to open their shop in Horizon Plaza, which is home to dozens of retail outlets.

'If someone opens a shop in Ap Lei Chau, people approach them and ask if they need staff,' Ms Walker said. 'Our most successful recruits were found through word of mouth.'

Three years and two children later, the Walkers have managed to build Bumps to Babes into a thriving enterprise. The company has two retail outlets, a warehouse, two delivery vans and a 20-member staff. It has an inventory of 7,000 products, including toys, maternity wear, children's clothes and shoes, baby food and toiletries. The firm sources products from more than 300 suppliers around the world. In late 2004, it launched an online store offering 2,000 items. To help first-time parents, it even offers an innovative checklist suggesting what to buy - divided into essentials and 'nice to haves'.

'In the beginning, everyone did everything,' Ms Walker said. 'But when we opened our store in Central, the job descriptions started to become more specialised.'

Describing their first six months as 'horrific', she said the biggest - and most unexpected - challenge was discovering that one of the staff had been stealing.

'We had to get rid of someone because of theft,' she said. 'We were a very close-knit team and it really affected morale. It left a very bad taste in our mouths and we have had to institute better security.'

Other developments include the introduction of a sales-based monthly bonus, a health-care scheme and greater overall flexibility.

'To keep the people you want, you can't be restricted by red tape,' Ms Walker said. 'You have to be flexible.'

Mr Walker said: 'If you have good people in the right jobs and the work is structured, you can save time. You've got to have processes.'

Ms Walker offered encouragement to those who might be thinking about setting up their own retail business, but made one thing clear.

'Just don't do it when you're having a baby,' she said.

Hiring good staff is one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs, though in most cases HR policies simply evolve, as they did with Bumps to Babes. The start-up phase requires a small group of people who can do almost anything. As the business expands, more personnel are needed to handle specific responsibilities.

'The types of people you need in the first couple of years are different from the ones you will need later,' said Daniel Muzyka, dean of the Sauder School of Business and professor of entrepreneurship at the University of British Columbia.

'At the outset, people have to be jacks of all trades. The problem is, after a couple of years they will start to get in the way. You will then need people with more specialised skills.'

One of the challenges of establishing your company is that there is no standard set of rules to follow.

'It depends on the kind of business, your partners and investors, the nature of your suppliers and customers - there are so many factors,' Professor Muzyka said. 'All you can really do is look at books and consult universities, government agencies and trade associations to understand the norms of the particular industry. One of the best things you can do is talk to other business owners and find out how they operate.'

According to Steve Foster of British firm Northgate Human Resources, issues relating to staff can be a huge burden for small business owners. A machine can be replaced but that is not so easily done with people, who can be difficult to manage.

Mr Foster suggested outsourcing human resources to a specialist provider, the way the Walkers had outsourced functions such as accounting.

He said small business owners have outsourced catering, cleaning, IT and payroll for years. If they did the same with HR, they would not only make cost savings, but also improve staff management, reduce the risk of litigation and provide better quality service to everyone.