The weather man is predicting snow in Seattle this weekend. I am fine with snow - I grew up in Alaska and am not affraid of a little snow. However, I am affraid of Seattle drivers in the snow! If you haven't been to Seattle picture a landscape of ridges where neighborhoods exist, which is awesome for scenic views but tough when it comes to snow and ice. Cars are literally parked all over the place randomly and people freak out (and of course I don't mean everyone in Seattle does this). It's crazy. Snow for the weekend is good timing though. I can't leave the house anyway because I have a huge order to send out on Monday. I am going to be in my house tieing Woobee Guides and tagging bibs and burps. I swear if people knew how much goes into packaging and sending out a piece of product (also called fulfillment - I didn't know that when I first started) they wouldn't bitch about the price of Woobee's.
So I have had some exciting news come up...my sales report tells me that I have increased my business this month by 500% compared to last year! Yes, i did type 500! The wonders of Woobee are starting to spread around the world. Hooray!
i would like to give a shout out to my friend Deb at Bellysock who gave me a great business tip...go to Costco and spend $70 on an external hard drive. You can download your whole hard drive onto it which will save your ass if you loss you laptop, break it, or it gets stolen. With my girls twirling and whirling I definately need that.
My GHTA tip...this one is from the panel I sat in on with Editor of major gift trade publications...
When putting together a press release focus on the 3 w's what, when, where, and how. Do not grand stand and talk about how "there is nothing else like this anywhere" or "this is the best product ever" etc. They want the information with no fluff and easy on the adjectives. Always include a picture 300dpi, 3 inches that is LABELED.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Gooble Gooble
For the record everyone - I have tried to post this numerous times but am having trouble with blogger...anyone else having difficulties? Let's see if it works today...
Happy holidays everyone! I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful weekend with friends and family. Seattle had unusually beautiful weather and we spent a few nights and Thanksgiving in Anacortes (the first San Juan Island that you can actually drive to) where my mom has two retail stores that my sister helps manage. Great stores downtown...a home and garden store and a lingerie style store.
(I am attaching a picture of Lola in front of my moms condo riding her stick horse. Notice the Woobee tied around her shoulders keeping her very cozy.)
Last weekend I went to San Diego representing BabyLegs (and Woobee) at the Gift and Trade Home Association conference. The GHTA is an organization whose membership are gift retailers, manufacturers of gift items, and sales reps / rep agencies in the gift market. The organiation is designed to bring communication and synergy to these three businesses that depend on each other for success by offering key note speakers, peer group discussions, and panel discussions from all different areas of the business. I found a lot of this information very useful in growing Woobee, but I also found an even larger sense of pride in BabyLegs. Nicole has worked hard and fast at implementing systems into operations that most of the companies I heard speak would love to have. I will be revealing tips Iearned at the conference with each post for a while.
Tips from the GHTA Conference 2007:
If you sell your product to retail stores provide them with a great sign...the word is that a good sign can increase sales up to 600%!
Happy holidays everyone! I sincerely hope you all had a wonderful weekend with friends and family. Seattle had unusually beautiful weather and we spent a few nights and Thanksgiving in Anacortes (the first San Juan Island that you can actually drive to) where my mom has two retail stores that my sister helps manage. Great stores downtown...a home and garden store and a lingerie style store.
(I am attaching a picture of Lola in front of my moms condo riding her stick horse. Notice the Woobee tied around her shoulders keeping her very cozy.)
Last weekend I went to San Diego representing BabyLegs (and Woobee) at the Gift and Trade Home Association conference. The GHTA is an organization whose membership are gift retailers, manufacturers of gift items, and sales reps / rep agencies in the gift market. The organiation is designed to bring communication and synergy to these three businesses that depend on each other for success by offering key note speakers, peer group discussions, and panel discussions from all different areas of the business. I found a lot of this information very useful in growing Woobee, but I also found an even larger sense of pride in BabyLegs. Nicole has worked hard and fast at implementing systems into operations that most of the companies I heard speak would love to have. I will be revealing tips Iearned at the conference with each post for a while.
Tips from the GHTA Conference 2007:
If you sell your product to retail stores provide them with a great sign...the word is that a good sign can increase sales up to 600%!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Woobee Mom at the Boom Boom Room
Hey People.
I get more emails with questions about the Boom Boom Room! I am glad to have had the experience to share my thoughts with you all. I'll shoot out a disclaimer that this is only my opinion based on my personal experience with Woobee Kids. You can also view my achieved entry Celebrity Swag and the Tattered Mompreneur for some more strong opinions on this subject.
The Boom Boom Room event was one of the most unorganized events I have ever been part of. I felt the people were unhelpful and ungracious...and I have never received the photo's promised in the contract, and I asked numerous times. It was expensive to pay for the table at the event, car, fly down, the hotel and its food was VERY expensive ($20 for room service breakfast - simple eggs, meat, potatoes). Not to mention the 150 pieces of product you need to give away.
Do I think I got my money's worth, not really. Am I happy I went? Yes, it was a very interesting experience to add to the books and I was able to get to know my traveling companions from BabyLegs better. Would I do it again? No, as a small struggling company I truly believe I would be better off using that money towards a PR person. A-list celebs never show up at these type of events. If they have any interest they send their stylists who you would never be able to pick out of a crowd. It also turned me into a crazy person looking at the tabloids all the time for a Woobee blanket siting. I feel like I get more for validity from retailers and definitely more sales from national press in magazines and TV shows - the kind of thing a PR rep can get you.
I have also found easier and much cheaper ways to reach celebrities...especially the types of celebrities that press actually cares about. Numerous companies / pr firms do celebrity gift baskets delivered right to the celebs door. Also, I always consider whether or not the products these companies are asking for will get photographed with a celebrity...my bibs and burps are not going to be in a picture of a celeb walking down the street, so I don't do a lot of those requests.
I remember the feeling of anxiety when asked to attend the Golden Globe Boom Boom Room event. So conflicted about whether or not to take this chance...what if you don't go? Did you miss an amazing opportunity with a big celebrity? What if you do go and you spend a ton of money and give away the farm in product and nothing comes out of it? If you do decided to go for it - you will always have the experience and every experience is worth something. If you decide not to go I found a PR person (and not all are $3500-$4000 per month- there is a wide $ range out there) to be very helpful at helping to take my company to the next level. And for the record, as much as I don't like the way this world always spins I do believe that doing celebrity out reach can be useful in growing a company in this celeb crazy world we breathe in.
As a business owner I always go with my gut feeling, so if any of your guts decide you should go email me and I can give you some tips on how to make the most of your experience.
I get more emails with questions about the Boom Boom Room! I am glad to have had the experience to share my thoughts with you all. I'll shoot out a disclaimer that this is only my opinion based on my personal experience with Woobee Kids. You can also view my achieved entry Celebrity Swag and the Tattered Mompreneur for some more strong opinions on this subject.
The Boom Boom Room event was one of the most unorganized events I have ever been part of. I felt the people were unhelpful and ungracious...and I have never received the photo's promised in the contract, and I asked numerous times. It was expensive to pay for the table at the event, car, fly down, the hotel and its food was VERY expensive ($20 for room service breakfast - simple eggs, meat, potatoes). Not to mention the 150 pieces of product you need to give away.
Do I think I got my money's worth, not really. Am I happy I went? Yes, it was a very interesting experience to add to the books and I was able to get to know my traveling companions from BabyLegs better. Would I do it again? No, as a small struggling company I truly believe I would be better off using that money towards a PR person. A-list celebs never show up at these type of events. If they have any interest they send their stylists who you would never be able to pick out of a crowd. It also turned me into a crazy person looking at the tabloids all the time for a Woobee blanket siting. I feel like I get more for validity from retailers and definitely more sales from national press in magazines and TV shows - the kind of thing a PR rep can get you.
I have also found easier and much cheaper ways to reach celebrities...especially the types of celebrities that press actually cares about. Numerous companies / pr firms do celebrity gift baskets delivered right to the celebs door. Also, I always consider whether or not the products these companies are asking for will get photographed with a celebrity...my bibs and burps are not going to be in a picture of a celeb walking down the street, so I don't do a lot of those requests.
I remember the feeling of anxiety when asked to attend the Golden Globe Boom Boom Room event. So conflicted about whether or not to take this chance...what if you don't go? Did you miss an amazing opportunity with a big celebrity? What if you do go and you spend a ton of money and give away the farm in product and nothing comes out of it? If you do decided to go for it - you will always have the experience and every experience is worth something. If you decide not to go I found a PR person (and not all are $3500-$4000 per month- there is a wide $ range out there) to be very helpful at helping to take my company to the next level. And for the record, as much as I don't like the way this world always spins I do believe that doing celebrity out reach can be useful in growing a company in this celeb crazy world we breathe in.
As a business owner I always go with my gut feeling, so if any of your guts decide you should go email me and I can give you some tips on how to make the most of your experience.
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Down Low about Reps and Trade Shows
I have been receiving a few emails lately from people with questions about sales reps and trade shows. This issue is fresh in my mind since I am currently signing two new reps, which would mean I have three reps total and a distributor in Australia - one step closer to Woobee world domination!
I believe in using reps, especially if you have a family. Why? Because it takes an amazing amount of energy (and money) to travel around pitching your goods. If you can find reps that do the trade shows even better! That should actually be a goal, to find reps that travel to the shows. A sales rep will cost you between 10-15% depending on the type of product you have...mine are in the 15% category. So when you are figuring out your pricing make sure you structure that cost in. That's what took me so long to get reps, I could not afford them. Woobee's are expensive to manufacture...each blanket is hand pinned because the materials slip. I have been slowly chipping away at my cost so I can afford a little help.
How to find a good rep? Check out the companies you feel are good fits with yours and see who there reps are. Shoot them an email with a link to your site and a brief description of your product (why they would want to carry it), and if you need to make a follow up call. You should know that it does cost extra for your rep to take your product to a trade show. It depends on the cost of the show, ENK is very expensive, ABC is not as expensive.
Trade show cost a lot of money. I have heard stories about small companies that sink $30,000 into one show, although doing it cheaper is easy. Generally, the booth space can cost around $1,500 for a 10' x 10' depending what show it is. If you want a 10' x 20' it would be $3,000, etc. The more booths you stack next to each other the better rate you can get. What you put into that space to strut your stuff and draw people in is where you can save money by being creative.That price is from the ABC Kids Expo in Vegas, which I believe is a good show. I have been very lucky to travel with BabyLegs to shows and sharing a booth space for a percentage of my sales from the show, and that is the only way I would be able to attend. This is why I think sales reps are the good guys. Find ones you really like to take your company to the next level. i am signing up with Rhonda Kilvin from Baby Gear Junkie in Boston/NY and can not be happier, and also Trinkets and Trappings in Chicago which I think will be a great relationship also.
Good luck out there! It is tough work!
I believe in using reps, especially if you have a family. Why? Because it takes an amazing amount of energy (and money) to travel around pitching your goods. If you can find reps that do the trade shows even better! That should actually be a goal, to find reps that travel to the shows. A sales rep will cost you between 10-15% depending on the type of product you have...mine are in the 15% category. So when you are figuring out your pricing make sure you structure that cost in. That's what took me so long to get reps, I could not afford them. Woobee's are expensive to manufacture...each blanket is hand pinned because the materials slip. I have been slowly chipping away at my cost so I can afford a little help.
How to find a good rep? Check out the companies you feel are good fits with yours and see who there reps are. Shoot them an email with a link to your site and a brief description of your product (why they would want to carry it), and if you need to make a follow up call. You should know that it does cost extra for your rep to take your product to a trade show. It depends on the cost of the show, ENK is very expensive, ABC is not as expensive.
Trade show cost a lot of money. I have heard stories about small companies that sink $30,000 into one show, although doing it cheaper is easy. Generally, the booth space can cost around $1,500 for a 10' x 10' depending what show it is. If you want a 10' x 20' it would be $3,000, etc. The more booths you stack next to each other the better rate you can get. What you put into that space to strut your stuff and draw people in is where you can save money by being creative.That price is from the ABC Kids Expo in Vegas, which I believe is a good show. I have been very lucky to travel with BabyLegs to shows and sharing a booth space for a percentage of my sales from the show, and that is the only way I would be able to attend. This is why I think sales reps are the good guys. Find ones you really like to take your company to the next level. i am signing up with Rhonda Kilvin from Baby Gear Junkie in Boston/NY and can not be happier, and also Trinkets and Trappings in Chicago which I think will be a great relationship also.
Good luck out there! It is tough work!
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Beauty, Karma and Barbie
I don't want to sound like some uptight mom here, but I hate Barbie. I hate her for all the reasons you all already know - her bust to waist ratio, for perpetuating unrealistic body images, all the little crap she comes with (to much plastic makes me cringe), and most of all I hate the commercialism of Barbie. Where and I going with this? Bare with me...What I now know about being a parent is that parenthood is like instant karma. The children that come to us (and maybe this is just my children) are pre-loaded to love, act, and be all things in which we have little tolerance. I believe they are here to teach us how to be "flexible", achieve tolerance and become better people - but you have to open (open hands open mind people). So, after I just stated my feeling for Barbie you probably know what's coming next...Ava LOVES all things Barbie. I remember the first time she saw Barbie and Disney Princess stuff...we were at Target looking for a gift for a child who also loved Barbie (Ava was 2) and we turned down the isle that is draped in pink from top to bottom Ava literally gasps! Then she turn to me with this very crusty look that clearly read how dare you keep this from me, how long have you known Mommy Dearest, then she ran into the isle eyes darting from shelf to shelf memorizing every single little thing, which she spoke non-stop about for months and months relentlessly. I had broken the seal of all things Barbie and was entering into a new world that challenged every aseptic of my parenting style (Ava went to a Waldorf pre-school). To make a long story short(er) I had to talk with myself about beauty and self esteem. What would be more damaging to my girls, owning and playing with Barbies or having a mother who tells them what they believe is beautiful isn't or is unacceptable? As a mom trying to practice conscious-parenting, I choose allowing my daughters to express their love for things without judgement, and I believe that will give them the self-esteem to overcoming any bust to waist ratio Barbie has to offer. Now, my house is not full of Barbies and all of her accessories, and I do prefer Barbies new line of toys that comes from a more imaginative place like Fairytopia & Mermadia (since my girls know they are not growing up to be/look like a fairy or mermaid and don't think that was a mistake from Barbie producers - brilliant marketing), but we also practice moderation in our house - so Barbie isn't the only thing limited.
*disclaimer - I respect all styles of parenting and parents toy choices (accept for styles that are against the law - obviously). Being a parent is hard enough without other people passing judgment.
Woobee business: Look for Woobee Kids, BabyLegs, and the wonderful Parent Hacks doing more cool stuff together. I encourage all you business peeps to reach out to your favorite blog. If you don't have one yet, find one...they offer fantastic partnerships.
*disclaimer - I respect all styles of parenting and parents toy choices (accept for styles that are against the law - obviously). Being a parent is hard enough without other people passing judgment.
Woobee business: Look for Woobee Kids, BabyLegs, and the wonderful Parent Hacks doing more cool stuff together. I encourage all you business peeps to reach out to your favorite blog. If you don't have one yet, find one...they offer fantastic partnerships.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Flexible
Hi there people. I swear I always plan to blog more but I feel like I am behind "schedule" - HA! A schedule is kinda a joke for this Momprenuer. I pretty much figure out what has to happen in the girls day and fill in the blanks, but always remaining flexible. I teach my girls about being flexible. If you ask Ava what it means to be flexible she says, "it means when your plan doesn't work out it's okay, you get another plan". Words to live by from a 5 year old. Here is a picture of Ava sitting on one of the new Super Woobee's. These are the best blankets!
Upcoming Woobee Press:
I just heard from Asha at Parent Hacks http://www.parenthacks.com/, and her Woobee review will be out within a couple of days. She loves the blankets and I love her blog - a match made in heaven! Also, The Baby Planners (who I met at the JPMA show last April and LOVE) are going to be on iVillage's "In the Loop" after the Today Show on Nov 15th talking about their favorite baby things and they asked to bring Woobee. There are no promises, but I sent a package to the studio on Friday. I also scored them BabyLegs for an audience giveaway. Cross your fingers and hope I get a shout out. Woobee blankets will also be in the January issue of Pregnancy & Newborn. They are doing a blanket article:) What else...oh yeah, on Dec 22nd the Fine Living Network's American Shopper (on cable) is doing a piece on mom inventions and Woobee Kids will be featured on that too. It is all very exciting! So exciting in fact, that I have to go to bed.
Check out Mint and Lilac my new Australian distributors - hooray! Spreading the wonders of Woobee all over the world! That's what I am talkin' about!
Friday, November 2, 2007
Pretty in Puke - *CAUTION* Graphic pics
So every year my family gets the stomach flu. Our #1 defense against messy clean ups during the day and especially in the middle of the night? You guessed it - the Woobee blanket and you are lucky enough to see this in action since we currently have the stomach flu.
Okay, this is going to be a little icky for those of you who are have a weak stomach, so proceed with caution.
Compliments of Lola on her way home from school (here's Lola - fav pink panda sweatshirt from Fooey on sale now!)
She pukes on the blanket that covers her or her bedding, it doesn't soak through and it's soft enough to wipe her poor little face -
Then I spray it off in the sink and throw it in the washing machine and presto...good as new!
It's a good thing she is so cute!
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