Be it Rain or Shine

Working Mom Summer Hours

2010-08-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

All I want to do this summer is play with my children in the beautiful weather. The reality of owning your own small company is that although you may have provide yourself with flexibility, you still need to get the work done. Your company will not grow if no one is moving it forward. I should say MY company will not grow if I am not moving it forward. I have to learn to be easier on myself about providing the girls with a fantastic summer & also what I am able to accomplish with RoSK while my girls are at home with me. I can get myself into trouble by continuously setting my goals higher & higher without taking a moment to enjoy the goals already met.

RoSK is getting into our busy season. This will be the first time we start the season with the new brand & so far the response has been wonderful. Protective, fun, functional, spirited, & urban is what RoSK is all about and our attachable stroller gear will be a wonderful addition to any stores product lines this fall. As we have grown we have also been able to reduce our cost of manufacturing, & in doing so lower the cost of our WooBee blankets - now $62 & $64, from $70. Good stuff. Our unique silkscreened CityScapes will be $70 & are AWESOME!

Steal of the Day

2010-06-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

The RoSK new organic UPF 30+ Sun Cover is on BabySteals.com today as their 'Steal of the Day'. Great product for those who have infants & babies and prefer to stay away or limit sun block.

You might be wondering why would I put my brand new product on a website that sells it at half price? I have good reasons. The first being that Baby Steals receives over 75,000 hits to their site within the first 2 hours of launching their 'Steal'! It is impossible to get that many people in your target market to see & read a full page about just your product any other way. It is by far the best way for me to introduce this new item to a large audience and still make a sliver of a profit. I have also been having a nightmare shipping experience bringing this product in. The Sun Covers should have been on shelves in March, but we have met one delay after another and here it is mid-June and we JUST got the product in our warehouse. Not optimal (understatement). Baby Steals can help me move large amounts of product so I don't sit on inventory and again, I don't take a loss.

The Baby Steals women are amazing and professional. I love to support mom owned companies.

Check out the new Sun Cover and did I already mention my new awesome website by the talented Sarah Strachan? www.roskbaby.com - check it.

Rain or Shine Kids Annual Sale!!

2010-05-23T22:18:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again people, the RoSK 'Annual Sale'. All WooBee products are 20%-65% off. Bibs for $9 (from $15), Burps for $5 (from $14), WooBee blankets $40-$49 (from $70) & the new CityScape WooBee's for $55 (from $70).

Head on over to RoSK web site and check out the cool new look and pick up a few kick butt shower gifts, and a little something for yourself. You'll also find the new organic UPF 30+ Sun Cover. Sun protection without chemical sunblocks, perfect of infants.

Sale lasts until June 7th (or until stock lasts).

Import/Export Discussion

2010-05-18T14:34:00.000-07:00

Just got back from the Seattle SBA where I was a panel speaker on a discussion about Import/Export and manufacturing. This is a topic I like to talk about with new businesses in the soft goods industry. Whether or not to produce your product in the US should not be taken lightly. It's good to remember that after you pay all the sampling fees, shipping, duties, etc. your product may not actually be that much cheaper than producing in the US. Explore ALL the costs...and I mean ALL before you decide where to manufacture. You do not want to get stuck with a large amount of inventory just to save a few bucks. Sometimes paying a little more and moving all your product is a better deal. Weigh it all out.

stroller blankets, strollers, stroller blanket, stroller...

2010-03-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

The title of this post has to do with my recent dive into SEO for the new site. The Rain or Shine Kids brand make-over will be released soon, which includes a long overdue new look for our site. Although we are just re-modeling the old dog (baby steps) I have been rewriting the text so that the search engines can find us better. The number one piece of information I have found most valuable, you can have to many keywords on a page. Try to choose a few to reiterate in the text so that the search engines can detect a pattern. It is these patterns that they pick up on. I am new to the wonders of SEO so be sure to research it yourself.

Here is a seek peek at my new logo.

You know what's great about this logo? It supports growth in the company, it has iconic design, and it just looks very cool. CorHouse consulting did a great job. We will be using the icons in some fun ways which will help our customers find the RoSK product that best fits their needs. Loads of possibilities.

Rain or Shine Kids 20% off Coupon Code

2010-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

I just released a coupon code the blog fivedollarshake.com. Use SHAKE20 at checkout to recieve 20% off your total order at www.rainorshinekids.com. Offer expires Feb 5th!

Keep an eye out for good things to come this spring from RoSK!

Branding in 2010!

2010-01-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

To say that I am excited about RoSK in 2010 barely scrapes the surface. I started to think about this year and how I need to make a huge change to my brand. My excitement was fading as Rain or Shine Kids started to move into this very comfortable, safe branding position that wasn't my vision, but what I have been financially able to manage. Well I said ENOUGH! I decide to kick down the money for a kick ass branding company that would catapult my company to the next level of serious business. I needed someone that would help set RoSK apart from the competition in a way that would set us up for ridiculous success...branding that allows & encourages growth. I contacted CorHouse (I worked with co-owner Cor at BabyLegs and know her brilliance) and I cant wait to share with you what they have done for RoSK...which is what my 'urban gear' company will be referred to as...RoSK (Rain or Shine Kids). The logo is BRILLIANT! The possibilities it gives us for future products is amazing, and they have given me back what I was starting to miss in my brand - a smidgen of attitude. Moms like me are my customers. We are urban, educated, start companies, travel the world, have children and like products that make our lives easier. We are not shrinking violets, wall flowers, or debbie downers. We appreciate a good sense of humor with just a hint of sass. That's my new brand, and I can't wait to show you. Expect good things from RoSK in 2010!

HOLIDAY SALES for WooBee's

2009-12-01T11:20:00.000-08:00

I know, I know...you are being bombarded with relentless holiday specials from every company possible and now I'm doing it too...I made a special code for a customer that I am leaking to you all. Enter code 'SALLY' at checkout on www.rainorshinekids.com and receive 25% all WooBee products and 'b' blankets. Sweet deal.

OR

I am also running a web site special buy a WooBee blanket & get a WooBee bib for free ($20 value). That coupon code at checkout is 'BIB'.

Hope you are all healthy and happy. I am swamped and have to go, but I'll be back soon enough.

Business Growth is a Beautiful Thing

2009-10-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

Rain or Shine Kids has noticed a wonderful sales growth this quarter despite these unfriendly economic times. It makes me wonder why now, in a recession, buyers are purchasing new lines again. Could it be that people are feeling that the worst is over? Maybe their companies have already made all the layoffs necessary to survive the recession so there is a stronger sense of security and spending is starting to resume? Could it be the switch in media focus to healthcare and off how bad the economy is that is lifting the dark spending anxiety cloud that has been looming over us?

I like to think that the reason Rain or Shine Kids is experiencing this growth is because buyers are finally understanding the value of our 5-in-1 protective blankets. That the marketing decisions I have made are actually showing there ROI (return on investment), and that more of our multi-function 'b' blankets are out in the world thanks to BabySteals.com - where we are now in their books as one of the fastest sell-outs (300 b blankets in 20 minutes!!). Actually, the 'b' blanket was so successful on BabySteals.com they are posting it again on Monday the 19th as their 'steal of the day' for $17.99!! Spread the word.

Rain or Shine Kids is also very excited that the high end Japanese department store Isetan has picked up our all weather WooBee product line. This is the perfect way to launch a high end product into the Japanese market. The launch is Nov 1st in one of their Tokyo stores and 3 blankets will be listed in Isetan's advertisement going out to 500,000 Japanese homes. I am looking forward to a long and successful partnership with this company via my distributor.

Hey - I just did a talk on the King 5 morning show about baby gear. You can check it out at http://www.king5.com/video/?z=y&nvid=406685. I will also be doing an interview on the Fox Q13 morning show live on Monday morning at 9:45. Should be interesting.

Hope everyone else out there is feeling the economic flow starting to move again.

Multi-function Confusion

2009-08-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

It is actually amazing how much I have learned in the last 3.5 years of owning These Two Girls, LLC. and running our brand Rain or Shine Kids. When I have conversations with industry people, or even business folks not from the children's industry, I can hold my own now. I understand terminology and processes I had no idea about even 2 years ago. It is very rewarding.

One big thing I have learned about when dealing with large stores (REI, Target, Babies-R-Us, etc.) is that a multi-functional product has a much harder time being placed with these big boys than specific use products. Here is why. Buyers from big box stores have what they call an 'open to buy', i.e., their budget for buying product in their specific category. So a blanket/bedding buyer will only be looking at products that fit into blankets and bedding. Say a blanket product can also be used as a nursing cover, stroller accessory, etc. the buyer is more likely to skip that product and focus on something that fits nice and neatly within their category description. Should they decide to choose the product for the online store, it can be very difficult to have it placed in any other category than that which the buyer purchases for. So although a product might be a stroller blanket, if the blanket/bedding buyer purchased it, good luck getting it listed as a stroller accessory, or carrier accessory. It's crazy. Also, multi-functional products cause problems with big-box stores when they try to merchandise it. Does it belong with strollers, blankets, carriers, nursing covers? This alone can keep buyers from picking up the line.

So, although all the research says parents are searching for good quality multi-functional products for their babies, getting these products on the shelves is harder than you would think. I guess we need to stop thinking outside the box people. OR, you can design both multi-functional and specific...hmmmm.

ABC Show

2009-08-26T23:12:00.000-07:00

I just bought my tickets to go to the ABC Kids show in Vegas in September. I have chosen not to get a booth this year, but it is important for me to see what's out there and new in the children's industry. I'll be shacking up with the friends for the 4 nights and am realy looking forward to being surrounded by industry people. Being the sole person running a company can be lonely. I have consultants I use for numerous tasks but it does not replace brainstorming and bouncing ideas off a team. My life has been so crazy with the girls home this summer that I am actually really looking forward to time away.

Doing a photoshoot on Friday! I am very excited to get some new pics. Look for a new all weather WooBee for winter.

Remember...the Rain or Shine Kids all weather WooBee summer sale is over Sept 1. Get over there and score a protective blanket at a great price!

Ah, interns

2009-08-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

My life suddenly got better. I placed ads for interns on Huskyjobs.com and found my first intern, Fei. Although Fei is currently in China at a summer internship she has agreed to help me with some smaller projects until she returns to Seattle. I sent her 5-6 photo's that needed white backgrounds and she returned them the next day! It takes me forever to white out backgrounds! It makes me all tingly just thinking about it. The deal with bringing on interns is to have clear objectives for them and the experience needs to add some enrichment to their education...what can you do for them? I can offer interns clear project descriptions, with room to implement their own process to get the desired end result. I do not want to micro-manage someone. The opportunity here is that my interns will be able to list specific projects they were able to accomplish to move my business forward. It's all about how it translates to their resume folks. It has to be a win-win. In the process, you get (hopefully) good help and a fresh outlook. So frickin' awesome! Oh, and incidentally, I am still looking for one or two good peeps. If you know anyone that wants to gain experience in building a social media program or with PR give me a holler.

So...tired...must...sleep

2009-07-12T23:51:00.000-07:00

Very quickly because like i may have mentioned, I am very tired.

The cool new thing I am working on is hiring non-paid interns to do specific project work for me. It does take some time to organize what exactly you are looking for and pitting the add together, but I have already had two resumes turned in and i just posted on the UW college site. Consider the projects you may have that could give a college student some well needed real-life experience and post away on craig's list or at the local college.It could be the best thing to do for your business.

I'll let you know how it goes and when it goes.

Growth & Trade Show Q&A

2009-07-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hey. So I received an email from a fellow mom business owner who is just starting out and wanted to ask me some questions about my experience with trade shows and business growth. Again, these answers are based on my views. I know many other companies with different experiences. Here is the Q & A:

1. How long did it take for you to see sales really pick-up?
Rain or Shine Kids has been in business for 3 years (the first year we made our own product, which was a slow going process). The last year I seen an increase in sales in certain catagories. The economy has drastically affected my boutique sales, but large stores have filled the gap and lead to a more promising 2010. Keep in mind that increased sales means increased cost of doing business. You may have this monthly amount in your head that you need to bring in to allow you to quit your job but do keep in mind that there are many fees and manufacturing/marketing costs that go along with success and that monthly sales amount may have to be readjusted.
And, what, in your opinion, were the things that most positively affected your sales growth? Some of the things that affected my sales the most were also the things that raised my monthly cost of doing business. It was a big step for me to use a distribution center to mail all my products. It saves me an amazing amount of time and is necessary for my business now (you can also hire people to pack and ship your products, but I did not want to manage that department) but it is a new expense to occur. When I work with Big Box stores like Target.com (and I am working on a gift set for Costco.com) which dramatically increase sales opportunities, there is always a large set-up fee. Each store uses a company for to accommodate their system for shipping, invoicing and tracking inventory. Target.com uses EDI (and there are numerous companies that provide that service), Costco.com uses Commerce Hub, etc. Each of these companies charge around $1500 for a se up fee an then charge for each transaction. ALthough they are necessary for growth, it costs into that monthly sales figure. Also, Sales Reps (good ones) can dramatically affect sales, and as a mom who works they would be essential for your national growth.

2. I will be attending the Baby Show NYC in October. It's my first tradeshow ever, and I really want to make the most of it. I read a number of your entries on tradeshows, but I'm curious what you found to be the most helpful, and conversely, what you found to be the biggest waste of time? The less complicated the better for your booth. Try to keep it simple and easy for buyers to view your product. It is better to have 1 or 2 excellent quality posters than 3-4 okay ones. I would put your time into preparing professional looking marketing materials (your catalog handouts, posters, and a press kit for the press room - I woul prioritize your other marketing materials first though) and less time on the little details that a busy buyer would overlook. It is very easy to get lost in the little details. Also, consider having a candy dish or some source of sustanence for the buyers is a good thing.
3. I am clearly learning as I go along, but I'd like to bring effective materials to the tradeshow - do you have any suggestions on what I should prepare to bring with me? I covered most of this above. A clear way for the buyers to view your product is most helpful. Also, did you bring any inventory to sell at the shows or did you have anyone place orders with you right there at the tradeshow? I sold samples at the end of the show to people at wholesale. I did not bring along extra product and there were only a few sales. Most orders I get from tradeshow are placed at the shows. Rarely orders sent to me later, but that's my company. How did you handle that? Have order forms on hand with prices, etc. It is also good to offer a trade show specal...10% off or a lower fixed price per piece, something like that. The buyer will sit down with you to put the order together. It is good to have a few packages put together so they don't have to think to much (they are seeing a lot of people), a good, better, best choice where you have already combined the products for them in three different quantity levels and you can attach a discount to each of these levels increasing the discount in the larger "best" package..."best" pertains to the best deal they wll get on your products if they order this amount. Does that make sense? Decide how you are going to ship the product for buyers and place that on the order sheet, along with how they need to pay for the product...will you give them net 30 (30 days to pay the bill), take their credit card number at the show (many will have you call when ready to ship for the number), etc. Make sure you have a copy of the order to give the buyer or you can ask if the would like it emailed to them.
4. Finally, if there is one piece of advice you can share to boost my business, what would it be? I'm all ears!
The one piece of advice I would give is to find sale reps. Knowing your situation (mom & working) you need help spreading the word and a good sale rep group will do that for you. You will need to be organized to work with them...have marketing material they can use (using a sumo-postcard work well for a first catalog) and have a price sheet available.

Whoa! Time Flies!

2009-07-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been 7 months since I've blogged. Crap. I had wanted to write at least 4 times a week. Sometimes you just have to let a few things go for the greater good of your sanity...I mean business:)

BabyLegs, LLC. was acquired by a NYC company and I was laid off April 1st. Almost the entire Seattle office was dissolved except for the individuals that are needed to keep business moving forward. They have a good core group still hanging in there. I am very happy to have had all the experiences my job there has given me. I learned an amazing amount about the children's industry, manufacturing, how I want to run my business, and relationships in general. I made some very good friends and business connections, and again am so grateful to have had my position as BabyLegs Business Dev Manager for almost two years.

Here is what I did not really realize, working at BL while I was trying to grow my own business and take care of my girls was making my crazy. I was always concerned about doing good work for BL and putting my company on the back burner. I knew if I tried to hard to grow and succeeded there would not be enough hours in the day for me to do all the work. Even hiring contract workers takes time and effort to manage. I would not be able to handle that load, take care of myself, and be the mom I want to be.

Since I am able to focus on my own business I have lots of exciting things happening. I am working with Costco.com on a Rain or Shine Kids gift set...don't worry, all-weather WooBee blankets will not be offered. The set will be a 'B' blanket with a matching WooBee bib & burp. There are also some other large balls up in the air that could mean big things for RoSks, but I never get to excited until I see the money in my account.

I just signed a New Zealand distributor and Rain or Shine Kids will be represented at the huge CMB Expo in Shanghai at the end of this month. I am working with a great guy named Andrew French on expanding business in Asia. If you are interested in doing the same checkout Andy's site www.asiamtm.com. Let him know Heather sent you:) Look for a new all weather WooBee Asian influenced gift set for the holidays - it's launching in Shanghai.

Gotta get some sleep. I'm Tweeting now...kind of. @Rosks .

Inauguration Sale!!

2009-01-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

I am in the mood to celebrate! Change is coming and I strongly believe that this country will feel a shift...it won't be overnight, but pay attention because it will happen.

What am I doing to celebrate? I am having a sale at www.rainorshinekids.com. WooBee blankets $55, bibs $14 & burps $10. I also have $20 samples of the new 'b' blanket available. People are really enjoying these newest additions to the Rain or Shine Kids product lines. The 'b' blankets are modern, useful & have a recession loving price. Check it out!

Don't forget to watch the inauguration...history in the making.

CPSIA Testing - If the economy doesn't kill you...

2008-12-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

For everyone who owns a children's company (or knows someone who does), please read this link below. Happy Panda's owner graciously shared her experience searching for testing prices. I felt really lucky to have stumbled upon her blog.

http://www.happypandababy.com/blog/2008/12/16/cpsia-testing-research-for-happy-panda/

And those of you who do not know about the CPSIA new testing regulations starting Feb. 9th 2009 on all products made for children 12 years and under, please read about it (even if your company doesn't qualify) and contact your representative to STOP the INSANITY! Yes, we are all for safe products for children but there needs regulations and processes that will not break small businesses. Check out this Fashion Incubator link for a more comprehensive overview of the new law.
http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/cpsia-requirements/

Also daddytypes.com has a recent post that's good.

Happy snow fall for all those in the Pacific NW...oh, and Vegas had snow today too. What's up with that?

WooBee Holiday Sale!!

2008-12-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

I know they are a lot of wonderful sales out there, but the perfect gift for the baby/family on the go are WooBee all weather blankets, bibs & burps. Enjoy 20% off until Dec. 21st by entering the coupon code 'holiday20' at check out. Great time to stock up on your favorite shower gift too.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

Thankful during tough times

2008-11-22T12:24:00.000-08:00

Even though the US can't seem to say it out loud we can all feel it...we are in a recession. I have been in contact with numerous companies that are all feeling this crunch. The number one problems for manufacturers, retailers are not buying products. They are running their inventory down to the bare necessities before reordering and they are not willing to take a risk on new products. They are sticking with their tried and true brands. It is not just little companies that are feeling the pain. Below is a list of stores that are all closing. Some of them took me by surprise.
http://community.babycenter.com/talk/a2724225/stores_closing

I have heard horror stories of big box retailers that have worked with companies on large orders & even large custom orders only to back out after production has already began. That is the kind of move that can bury a small company. Be weary out their folks. Contracts are also a very good thing.

Check out www.rainorshinekids.com for a look at our new B Blankets! While your there you will probably notice our new look (which I love), kind of modern nature. The WooBee part of the site is currently under construction, but when it gets done (which will be a while) it will be amazing!

Thanksgiving is coming. Even though times are tough there are numerous things I can be grateful for...big fat number 1 is all the ridiculous sales! Now even though this is at some of our expense I can still appreciate the screaming deals that are going on out there. Perfect of the holidays. Number 2, I am grateful that my husband gets to start his 401K plan now. If you have money to invest in the stock market now is a great time. It may go down a little more, but just think about how much it can go up! Amazing! Number 3, I am always grateful for my healthy children and our life. From first hand experience I have witnessed that just when you think things are really bad, they can always be worse. Those days are long gone, but I will never forget how to be grateful for everyday. Last but certainly not least - number 4...I am grateful for witnessing the presidential election because no matter what side of the political coin you are on there is no doubt that the inspiration around Obama is contagious. The significance of his win goes way beyond political parties. It speaks to how far we have come as a country, and just how much further we may be willing to go toward true equality for all people.

I wish you all an amazing holiday season. Do not forget to shop at www.rainorshinekids.com this holiday season!

Oh, China

2008-10-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I have mentioned the new 'b' blanket coming next month from China. Since I can drive 15 minutes to my WooBee manufacturer the whole experience of working with a factory in China has been very enlightening. There are many challenges including quality control, shipping (duties, harmonization codes, ect), cultural challenges, and minimums. Not to mention the timing. I will need to place another PO before the first order is even shipped out.

I have recently found out that there is a very large percentage of my new product that has flaws in the fabric. They are only 1 or 2 small dots, but it is just enough for me not to be able to sell that product to retailers and my distributors. What does that means for shoppers on my website? There will be cheap 'b' blanket "samples" for sale on the site. Stay tuned for a smokin' deal on these very cool blankets.

Recession? I Prefer Recess

2008-10-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Last year when I was looking into my crystal ball, projecting the enormous growth I could almost taste, this wasn't exactly the financial environment I saw the world in. Though I am grateful for having a great product line that people feel is worth their hard earned money (gotta love your Rain or Shine Kids all-weather WooBee). I am also grateful for my international distributors in Singapore where despite the warm climate, families love Rain or Shine Kids products, and Japan is getting into their testing right now which is a lengthy and expensive process, but the market is ripe for cool baby gear/items and Rain or Shine Kids is getting fantastic response. I guess gratitude is pouring out of me because I am over the top grateful that my new Urban black WooBee is available and the new 'b' blankets will be here at the end of next month (hopefully) and they look fantastic! Here are some pictures of all (missing is the Squares 'b' blanket).

Bottom line, times are hard but when a company can experience growth during times like these you just know that the future is very bright, and Rain or Shine Kids future is gleaming. I wish the best of luck to all those companies, employees, and small businesses that are struggling. What goes down must come up so hang on!

Trade Show Post-Partum

2008-09-19T22:30:00.000-07:00

Rain or Shine Kids had a good show at ABC in Vegas. I had enough room to actually display product in the BabyLegs booth, and I put as much marketing material with incentives for buyers together as I could justify. But every time I come home from a show I think about all these things that I could have done differently and what I wasted time on. What I need to remember is that it is really all about getting the leads. That is how you will increase your ROI (return on investment), following up with buyers interested in your products. Beat your companies name into their heads. They may not pick up your line the first or even second time they see it, but the more they are exposed to your brand the better chance you have.

I still haven't taken my suitcase upstairs with my extra clothes in it and I got room last Friday. I gotta do that tomorrow. I'll put it on my list.

Signed a distribution with a Japanese company that I am really excited to work with. Now for the testing process to start. Everything that is sold in Japan needs to go through quality control testing. It is expensive and over the top, but with our financial markets being a bit iffy I will focus my company on international sales and distribution. Go Japan! I think a WooBee blankets sells there for $130. Seriously.

Signed up with a New England rep group while at ABC. If you are in New England and want WooBee email John Giacobbe and Associates jsgtoy@aol.com. If they prove to as good as think they will it would make the entire Vegas trip.

Gotta go to bed...tomorrow is our 11th wedding anniversary. Unbelievable! It honestly seems like just yesterday we were just snowboarding on Mt. Hood without a care in the world - nope that was 13 years ago. Holy crap.

ABC Kids Show

2008-09-13T09:12:00.000-07:00

What a crazy trip! Well, not "crazy" like a week in Vegas may have been 15 years ago, but crazy meaning super productive, long, tiring, and exciting (work wise). Traveling to Vegas for seven days as a member of the BabyLegs team and for Rain or Shine Kids was a fantastic experience. The show was completely overwhelming with over 800 exhibitors, but my number one regret is not having the time to visit more booths (so sorry Stella) and talk with more vendors.

What is the show like for me as BL's business dev manager? I meet with companies interested in partnering with BL and since bumGenius launched its custom co-branded bG BabyLegs there was many interested in our program. I go to evening meetings and press events. I also meet with companies we are currently working on projects with and companies BL have befriended over the last 3 years. Since I am the only person at BL that has been to all the ABC style shows (JPMA & 2 ABC's now) I remember many of the people who have been consistently ordering with us. It is always wonderful to have a buyer walk into the busy BL booth and be able to say you remember them from the past years.

What is the show like for me as Rain or Shine Kids owner? Much different (I need to preface this by saying that I am extremely grateful that Nicole offers me a spot in the BL booth and feel very lucky to be given this trade show opportunity). Sharing a booth with BabyLegs is great for many reasons but also has its challenges for Rain or Shine Kids products. When people come into the BabyLegs booth they are there to buy BabyLegs...totally focused on that product and the over 100 styles to choose from. To get them to be interested in looking at anything else is very challenging. Having a booth of my own would allow me to showcase my images and product in a way that brings people in to see what Rain or Shine Kids is all about, and not as a side note to another popular brand. Next year BabyLegs will have its own booth since it is a growing company and really needs all the room. Will Rain or Shine Kids make it to the show? I'm not sure yet. We'll have to see how this fall goes. We are getting so busy with big projects spending our money in another direction to support the company may make more sense. We'll just have to wait and see.

The coolest thing that happened to me at the show? I met Peggy O'Mara, the editor from Mothering Magazine who is even more lovely in person than I had imagined.

Busy Bee

2008-07-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

So, I am swamped (what's new) and have numerous cool things happening. The biggest thing...Target.com is picking up the WooBee line for their new Baby Boutique. What does this mean? This means I have been spending hours trying to get my infrastructure set-up so I can become a Target.com vendor. I have had to become EDI (electronic data interface) compliant, got my insurance up to par, I have had to choose a distribution center, and get back into production. At the same time I am working on the new line due out this fall which is being manufactured overseas, working with my new distributor in Singapore (covering Malaysia/Indonesia & Korea), getting ready for the ABC trade show and here's the biggie...I am changing my company name!

So yes, I am basically committing PR suicide by changing my company name. Why am I doing this to myself? Because I had no idea what I was doing when I chose the name Woobee for my company or how to do an adequate search to see who else was using it. Let me be clear - no one is threatening legal action on my company. The truth is my current business goal is to build this company to amazing potential and then sell it to a company who understands that potential. In doing this I need a name I can trademark and a name that speaks to my growing product line in it's entirety. So keep your eye's out for Rain or Shine Kids which will feature the WooBee luxury line and every future product I manufacture that is water resistant. Why am I still using the WooBee name? Because I have spent time and money on branding the WooBee name and even though the name will not be front and center it is still the same wonderful products and Rain or Shine Kids needs different product line names for the different levels of products. Consider Fleurville diaper bags...they have the Mothership, Re-Run, Escape Pod, etc. all different products based on the same materials and style sensibility. It is all very exciting and I feel like the timing is perfect - new product line coming out, ABC Kids show to launch the new Rain or Shine Kids name to thousands of buyers, and we are still a small company. Not to mention the timing is perfect for my distributors and reps who just picked up the line to introduce the new "umbrella" company name.

Pictures of camping over hubbies b-day and the girls being summertime girls (and sporting Super Woobee's the perfect blanket/towel for the beach - shameless I know).

Atlanta Gift Show

2008-07-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well summer is upon us and I have been completely MIA from my blog. Adjusting to life with the girls out of their normal schedules has been interesting to say the least. But I promise to make a better effort now that I am over the shock of having to parent my children for so many more hours in the day.

I just arrived in Atlanta a few hours ago. I am traveling with Nora, the sales manager from BabyLegs (who I love) and we will be meeting with the BL Atlanta reps in the morning. It will be great to tour the Atlanta Gift Mart during this show and scout for WooBee reps, check out what's new on the gift scene, and see how they do things here in the South. We are staying until Monday morning when we will fly to Chicago to meet with the BL reps there (and go out from some good steak) and check out the Chicago Gift Mart. Flying home on Tuesday morning in time to pick my girls up from summer camp.

A lot of Woobee stuff going on these days. I now have a distributor in Singapore who also wants to cover Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea. That has been very exciting and much work. There is also the big ABC Kids show coming up in early September which I will be at with Woobee and BabyLegs for 7 days. I plan on making WooBee really stand out at this show which is taking a lot of work. And BabyLegs has had so much to do in my department - which is great. So this trip is like a little vacation.

Enjoy the weekend!

HARO Rocks!

2008-06-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

So, there is this guy named Peter Shankman who started a popular facebook page which turned into a website, yada, yada, yada (you know the success story) all about connecting reporters/journalists/editors who are writing articles and literature pieces with the people to write about, base information on , quote, etc. You need to go there and get on the email list - http://www.helpareporter.com/. Heather from Mom4Life was spreading the word about this PR source...anyway to get your name and your companies name in print is a GOOD THING and it is FREE. Maybe 5% of his inquiries relate to me or These Two Girls/Woobee (and he sends out inquiries 3 time a day) but I answered one about kids at the beach, pitched my Super Woobee and got a response to send two blankets to an editor for a photo shoot that was taking place 5 days later. Since my Super Woobee's retail for $115 I wanted to know what publication this was for before I flew out $230 worth of product...turns out it was the beauty editor for PARENTING magazine and they now have two Super Woobee's no doubt enjoying how lovely they are, and oh so soft. The shoot was Tuesday so we will see if they actually make the magazine, but that's not the point. The point is Shankman's HARO (help a reporter out) emails have the attention of editors you want to reach. Now sign up!

All Work and No Play...

2008-05-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't blogged in awhile, but I have been thinking about it (does that count?) I have also been working hard on something special for fall from These Two Girls. I will tell you all more about it as it gets closer, but I can say that I am working with a wonderful designer named Laurie Brown that has made developing this product a dream.

What else have I been working on? Getting Woobee Kids into the international market. This is no small task. Getting your products into the right distributors hands and making your price point attractive to them is all very tricky. I now have connections with Japan, Israel, Australia, Sweden, Germany, & Switzerland. Most of these relationships still need to grow and solidify, but just having the interest and contacts is a good first step. I anticipate some of the markets doing better than others. Where the US dollar is the weakest lends to better price points and more money for the distributors. A $70 blanket here in the US is around $45 in the EU. Crazy.

It is a little ironic that the product I am currently committed to having manufactured in the US I am looking to export. I find it very interesting that other countries value US made products more the US consumers. It has been my experience that many countries are willing to pay more for quality products and have less things, while the US consumer would rather have lots of "great deals". This is why selling to Target, Babies-R-Us, or Walmart are essential if you want a multi million dollar children's company. That my dears, is a whole other bag of worms.

Check out this picture of Ava and her Super Woobee, the perfect luxury beach towel.

More Celeb Baby Stuff

2008-05-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

The Ellen Show choose other baskets for today's show. Oddly, I am not disappointed. It was actually stressing me out to think about life post Ellen. I know it is one of those opportunites every company dreams of, but I have some other goals I am working towards with Woobee and that could have put me so deep in the weeds I would need a snorkel and weed wacker just to see the light of day. So I push on without an Ellen show under my belt.

I know I have talked about celebrity gifting suites in the past, how I have done them but don't always believe they are worth the money and time you spend. Well...Woobee Kids is currently at a gifting suite this weekend in Beverly Hills called the Silver Spoon Baby & Doggie Buffet. Bizarre. Anyway, Victoria from a LA based e-retailer called The Traveling Tot contacted me to ask if I would like Woobee to participate in her boutique booth at the event. She was asking for a small fee and would display/market the blankets as a travel must-have, as well as order the minimum wholesale order. I only sent a handful of blankets to hand out to a select few celebs. So, yes I did do another random celeb suite BUT I have wanted to market to the travel market which she is doing, I have opened a new retail account, and she hired her own photographer so I may also get some good pictures as a bonus. This is my kind of event!

Happy Mother's Day to all you that are mothers! Try to stay away from big brunch's...it is never the restaurants best food and your kidding yourself if you think your children will behave, and no - your husband will not be the one who reins them in because they will only want you.

The excruciating pain of waiting

2008-05-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

I am in a holding pattern so ridiculous it's scary. The Ellen DeGeneres Show had told us that we would hear back yes or no by the end of the week if our fabulous gift basket (SaraBear Basket, Woobee's & BabyLegs - awesome!) was going to be the audience give away for the Mothers Day Show (which btw airs this thursday). We haven't heard back yet and Friday has come and gone, but a handful of PR people tell me not to write it off yet. Apparently they could contact you as late as the day before the deadline so you spend enormous amounts of money on overnight shipping. What a nightmare!

We were forced to ship all the product to the BabyLegs fulfillment center, which is in California, just to be prepared in case we get the call. That's preparing and shipping product for 300 people just in frickin' case. It's crazy. The real issue for me is that I am unable to pursue any other large sales opportunities until this one exhausts itself. I need to have the inventory in stock to support the possible windfall of attention that Ellen could cause. Aaarrgghhh! My husband is getting a little tired of my neurotic behavior but not as tired of it as I am.

I gotta give a shout out to my PR girl Liz from 32FlavorsPR for getting Woobee into the May issue of Pregnancy & Newborn - yeah Liz!

The Ellen DeGeneres Show

2008-04-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

We have had some potentially great news this week (I think it's great news). The Ellen Show called BabyLegs and asked for one of the gift baskets BL's sells on their site to be considered for the giveaway on the Mother's Day Show which airs May 6th. What is in these baskets? It is an adorable SaraBear Diaper Basket, 7 pairs of BabyLegs, and a Woobee blanket, bib & burp. What does this mean for Woobee? Well, a few things.

Let's start by saying they want 300 free baskets for their audience (at least half are moms-to-be). So that's 900 pieces of free Woobee product, and did I mention that it would all have to ship sometime next week? Does that stress me out? Hell yes! Why? Because I am a company that manufactures in smaller batches 15 miles from my Seattle home and I do not hold on to a ton of stock. Letting go of this much inventory for free is a little hard to swallow, especially if the show is a success. Why would a successful show be a potential problem? Having "enough" (and there is no way to tell how much "enough" is) inventory left to meet the demand of the viewers and retailers that may see the show and want the product is key and there just isn't enough time to produce more Woobee's before the show airs. I think I have "enough" but who knows? Becoming an overnight success comes at a price. Yes, it means more money but it can also put the company into a position where everything is reactionary - you're putting out fires all the time and not making strategic steps toward responsible growth. Don't get me wrong. I want our basket to be chosen for the show and for Woobee to be an enormous success, I just wish I had more time to prepare so I could make sure inventory and customer service was up to potential flood of attention.

So what am I doing all weekend instead of playing with my kids? Packaging product that may or may not go to the Ellen Show. What happens if our basket doesn't get picked? It just doesn't get picked, but someone at the Ellen Show would have seen my wonderful Woobee's. Also, all my inventory will be packaged and ready to go. All the way around in goodness.

Customer Service? Anybody out there?

2008-04-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

So from one customer service person to another, do you ever feel that technology has dulled our societies ability to creatively problem solve. Here is why I say this...I ordered a poster today from Staples in California for someone else to pick up for a local event and their on-line service does not offer a payment option for in-store pick up items so I call the store to pay via phone but they couldn't figure out how to make that happen, so I asked for the total so I could send the person picking up the poster a check, and they did not know how to get that information without ringing the poster into the computer, so I asked what the local sales tax is (so I could add it up myself) and they had to find a manager. Hummmm. What happens if the magnet strip on the back of a credit card isn't working...total disaster?

As an owner of a company, and customer of many others, is it too much to ask that young people (I sound 80) know a few basic things like:
1. get a manager when it is appropriate (like when a phone authorization is requested, instead of saying "Um, I don't think we can do that").
2. know how to use math skills without a computer.
3. know what their local sales tax is, especially if you work in retail...hello.
4. know how to take someones phone number down AND call them back when you found an answer to their problem.

Am I asking too much?

Video weight

2008-04-07T20:24:00.000-07:00

A fabulous PR girl/journalist named Whitney Keyes asked to interview me about running These Two Girls, LLC. Here is the link to one part of the interview, it is very odd to watch yourself in an interview - kinda fun, kinda not. It seems like I remember myself much younger (and thinner)...

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-biz-bite-with-these-two-girls/3576899453

Here is another part of that interview, just in case you didn't get enough of me the first time...
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/the-biz-bite-with-these-two-girls-1/1639173008?icid=acvsv1

Quickbooks is Lame!

2008-04-05T21:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am compelled to vent about wasting my entire Saturday trying to fix my Quickbooks entries to reflect all my shopping carts little fees and random deposits, arggghh. I honestly don't know whether to more irritated at Quickbooks or my shopping cart. My reality with shopping carts...fees, fees, and more fees. If anyone knows a wonderful inexpensive shopping cart I am all ears.

Wondering why I am still doing my own books and trying to get them sorted out? Well, I have had bookkeepers but none that have been consistent. I am working with an account right now who I know personally that specializes in getting financials in order and doing sales projections for the upcoming years. I am so excited to get it all together and really start mapping out the direction of These Two Girls and Woobee Kids. She does however encourage me to not pay her to do bookkeeping since her hourly is quite a bit higher than a person who enters receipts and reconciles statements. So I suck it up as a responsible business owner and do it myself. Quite honestly, I am not very good at the whole Quickbooks thing. I just do not find the program very intuitive and often spend more time doing something over because I did not get it right the first time. I have got to suck it up and find a bookkeeper.

Have a great weekend!

Own Company = Better Snowboarder

2008-04-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

You may think it's a bit of a reach to say owning These Two Girls, LLC. has made me a better snowboarder, but I think it has. Why you ask would I make such a random comment? Because a few weeks ago (which was probably more like a few months) I actually went snowboarding for the first time since I started making the amazing All Weather Woobee's (shameless plug). Nicole Donnelly (owner of BabyLegs) invited me up to the BabyLegs cabin (20 minutes away from Stevens Pass ski area) for an overnight "work" snowboard trip. Nicole used to be a pro-snowboarder and knew I loved to ride since I lived on Mt. Hood (and Mt. Baker) for years slinging drinks and snowboarding - doing my damnedest to hold-off adulthood (which is how I met my husband). Well, since hubby and I decided to leave Neverland and caved in to growing up, going back to school and institutionalizing our commitment to each other, there has not been a lot of snow time. And the more children the less time. A new company, less time. Needless to say I hadn't been snowboarding in years and do you think I was little nervous to get back on my board with an ex-pro leading the way, ummmm yes! I was totally worried that I would not be able to keep up with Nicole and that I would be so bloody sore the next day I wouldn't even be able to lift my arms to my laptop(stay with me, here this is where I tie in the owning business thing). Here is what I discovered, since owning These Two Girls my analytical skills, confidence is my decisions, and general focus have sharpened considerably. Multi-tasking at such a heightened level has taught me to block out surrounding activities and quickly assess a situation to chose the next best move. When I was on the hill it was just me, no children, no Woobee, no BabyLegs, just me picking my route down the mountain. It was liberating! I have never appreciated my time on the mountain as much as I did that day. My new ability to truly focus, analyze my situation successfully, and appreciate the moment allowed for an awesome day of cruising through fresh powder, moving through trees (which I never really liked before), and whooping down long fluid runs...pure magic. The cherry on top, since I was so on my game (and on my board) I wasn't sore the next day. So, Nicole and I got some girl time sans kids, got some magical mountain time, and came back to the cabin to get some work done. A perfect 24 hours. The one nasty surprise...lift tickets were $59! Last time I skied I had a season pass so I was shocked. Was it worth it...every stinkin' penny!

ENK Show

2008-03-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

Hey folks. I flew home Wednesday night from a 6 day trip to NYC for the ENK trade show. If you have ever worked a trade show you know they are hard work and very little play, but I believe an integral part of creating longevity for your brand. You know what I find most valuable about doing these shows? It's meeting the people you do business with face-to-face. It is amazing to see what happens when you can shake a hand, share a laugh, and answer questions in person. A relationship gets built and from that relationship comes loyalty which in turn brings sales. For example, if you had a limited budget for re-ordering say kick ass blankets (ha) and two of your lines had similar sell-through rates but you could only re-order one. If you had met and really liked the owner/rep for one of those lines chances are you'd re-order from that company. There is a lot of competition out there for customers dollars, you have to be able to differentiate yourself from all the others and a smile and friendly personality is one of the easiest ways.

The show this season was apparently slower than normal (the BabyLegs booth is always busier than most) but Woobee had a great "coming out" to the East Coast buyers. Our booth had three lines in it - BabyLegs, Woobee, and Vintage Onesies. The booth looked great and the lines complemented each other well. Vintage Onesies is owned by Matt and Kim (who have 3 adorable kids 3 years and under) who are salt-of-the-earth kind of people. Their onesies (nice and thick with funny sayings and cool colors) match BabyLegs perfect and they created a wonderful display wall that has given us lots of ideas for future shows.

The East Coast has many differences in buying trends for apparel that I witnessed. I was shocked at the booths that were the busiest. Clothes for little girls that I affectionately referred to as Jersey Shore 80's Pageant wear. Now, no one get mad. I am by no means making gross generalizations that everyone from the Jersey Shore has slutty, shiny, flashy style. It was just amazing that very grown-up, flashy, short, and black clothes with crazy patterns were the most popular in little girl fashion. It made me nervous for my daughters and especially my husband. Hey, but more power to those companies that obviously know what their customers want. East Coast buyers are also very upfront about what they have time for, which is refreshing in many ways - it saves me time and energy to not have to pitch products they are very honestly not interested in. Which is why I think having a great rep on the East Coast is so important - they hold the relationships and know how to introduce their reluctant customers to your products. When selling Woobee I can easily tell if I have an interested buyer buy their reaction to the retail price ($70). Only certain stores carry inventory in that price range.

Alright, I am still in mommies home! mode and I am number one choice to get the girls everything. Gotta run. Have a great weekend!

Inspiration - in all shapes

2008-03-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

We are all inspired in our lives by unique things or moments. People ask me all the time how I was inspired to start Woobee Kids (that's easy, I had a baby and needed a kick ass blanket). But what I have really discovered is that Woobee Kids has given me inspiration in unexpected ways.

By starting Woobee I have been inspired to really define my sense of style through exploring the Woobee Kids brand and identifying the soul of my company (for example I love modern style, for home - specifically Danish modernism). I have been inspired to reach out to other mothers through NWEM's and make myself available to answer question about my experiences in business. I am inspired to know (and truly understand) my limitations as a mother that owns a company and works so I can still prioritize my wonderful daughters.

I am also inspired to acknowledge who I am & who I am not. I am a women that can & will grow a successful international company - Woobee world domination! I know that I do not want to be a CEO forever. I know I would like to be more available for my daughters during the pre-teen years and on. I know that I will make a crap load of money to make that happen, and now more than ever that I am capable, smart, and strong.

Well, there's a whole bunch of personal information...I'm feeling a little exposed...hold me.

Here is a site that feeds my love for modern style http://bloesem.blogs.com/bloesem/ . Irene does an wonderful job bringing us fabulous finds from designers all over the world. You can see a Woobee / BabyLegs review on her sister site for children http://bkids.typepad.com/. This woman and her blogs provide me with an amazing amount of inspiration - thank you Irene!

Need to Post

2008-03-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

I know I had a subject in mind when I opened my lap top to post an entry. I am so tried I can't remember what it was...I gotta go to bed. I will try again tomorrow when I am all perky from a frsh cup of coffee.

Welcome 21st century, Damn Glad to Finally Meet You.

2008-02-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

I don't know about any of you, but raising a family and a business is so filled with daily details I find it impossible to remember everything. The other day when I almost missed two important meetings I finally decided to take control of the craziness. I went down the street to a cell phone place, kicked my old ghetto cell phone to the curb, and got the new Touch phone (Sprints version of the iPhone). Now if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you would know that i am not a tech savvy person (still don't know how to text), well that is all about to change! This phone is remarkable/ridiculous. I am totally out of my league here folks. It gets more cable stations than I have at home. I was on my treadmill yesterday morning (yeah!) watching episodes of Desparate Housewives.

How is this phone changing my life? I run Woobee, do business development for BabyLegs, am the vice pres for NWEM, and carpool my girls before and after school everyday. This phone allows me to be synched into my Outlook calendar (which i just recently learned how to use) keeping me on task with all the little details of my day, check all three of my email accounts (personal, Woobee, and BL) which is allowing me more time with my girls, and I can get on-line when I need to do a few quick searches. What i have now realized is how much time I wasted at my laptop whenever I checked my email. Computers are TIME SUCKERS! I have found that being able to glance at my phone to see my emails has liberated me. I literally have twice as much time in my day. I feel like I'm on vacation.

Understand that the phone is only as effectient as the user. Friday morning it suddenly dawned on me at 9:15 a.m. (with both girls home sick) that I was supposed to provide a main dish for Ava's schools kindergarten teachers appreciation lunch...italian theme...and it was to be delivered by 10:30. I threw the girls in the car, ran to the store for the fast shopping trip of my life, came home and made rigitoni with meat sauce, and dropped it off at the school at 10:30. Had I remembered to enter that task into my phone the morning would have been a lot more relaxed.

Knowledge in Business

2008-01-27T07:41:00.000-08:00

Recently I have had the pleasure of meeting with a few key people that have loads of experience in business structures, buying/selling businesses, international business, and are just all around good people. I have Nicole from BabyLegs to thank for providing me access to a few of these wonderful key people. As a person whose only business back ground is through osmosis from growing up with a business owning mom, these meetings are crucial for understanding how to grow These Two Girls, LLC & the Woobee line successfully. I am finally starting to understand the depths for what I need to do to make These Two Girls a multi-million dollar company, and whew, it's going to be a ton of work and take some help. Although for the first time since Oct. 2005 (when I sold the first Woobee blanket) I feel empowered to make the right decision to move forward.

Sooo, my husbands home!!! The journey home from Taiwan was long and the time change is crazy so he hasn't been exactly functional, but whatever. I am just happy he is home, and it sounds like he had some great experiences while away.

I am now a much saner mom...well, that's debatable.

Check out the Woobee post on Apartment Therapy's childrens link Oh Dee Doh http://www.ohdeedoh.com/. It's a giveaway, so enter yourself to win a blanket.

4 More Days!!!!!!

2008-01-22T21:03:00.000-08:00

Yeah! My husband will be home in 4 days...whew! You know 14 days without my very helpful spouse would not be so bad if it weren't for needing to run a business. It turns out that I get most of my work done when Hands On Hubby is in the game. Now I have to make a decision whether I want to make food or enter orders and receipts into Quickbooks (tax season is a tough time).

I need to give a holler to Melissa from Destee Nation for totally hooking me up by handling my server transfer and email switch. For 2.5 years Melis and Matt have had me on their personal server for free, and when the switch to another server needed to be made Melis took care of everything. I feel so blessed to have a friend that carved time out of her very busy day to help her me (her non-tech friend). Thank you Melissa!!! Check out her site www.desteenation.com if you like cool tees shirts and support local businesses.

Time Warp!

2008-01-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

Whoa. I haven't blogged in a while, although it feels like just yesterday. With hubby away for 6 days w/ 8 more to go I feel like time is flying by with the business of life yet standing oh so still...there is still 8 MORE DAYS! Urrgghhh! I am trying my hardest to keep with the New Years resolution to take time for more "adventures" with the girls, and that is actually going well. It turns out we leave the house more when hubby isn't home to organize our day with.

I am going to the MAGIC trade show next month for a few days to do some sourcing for Woobee and I will tie in some BabyLegs work as well - visit people we work with and want to work with. It should be interesting. If any of you out there are going to the Magic Kids show let me know and I'll swing by and say hello.

I need to give a huge shout out to my friend Deb Grover from BellySock! If you ever think you have a lot going on you should shoot her an email and instantly your load will seem lighter. Deb has two young girls 3 and 1, she runs BellySock, goes to graduate school for her MBA and is starting yet another wonderful business. Crazy girl! Anyway, in Deb's international business class they are doing a very cool project and Deb convienced them to use Woobee as the company - so cool! Thank you Deb!!

I gotta get some sleep...single parenting is as tough as I always thought it was! Below are a few pictures from the photo shoot we did last weekend.

Mommyland - gray and dark here.

2008-01-06T22:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks. I hope you all had an amazing holiday season. Lots of lovely family time and for those of you with businesses, I hope your pocket books are bursting.

During Christmas my girls were out of school and pre-school for TWO WEEKS! Why the capital letters? Because. Since my work is so flexible (thank you BabyLegs) and my husband goes to an office 5 days a week, the girls schedule all defaults to me. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a pity shout out I love my girls. This is just the way of the parent world - the one with the most flexible job takes care of the kids when their sick, handles days off from school, and carpooling. My husband is aware of how he is skating out of all these hidden obligations, and grateful to Woobee and BabyLegs work-from-home attitude for saving us from spending a fortune on childcare. Although working with two young girls around is a joke, and i have been awake a lot later having to get work done. I am SO GRATEFUL that school is starting tomorrow.

Work wise...Woobee and BabyLegs are still working on a contract. Nicole and I are not sure what the shape of it will be now, but we want to make sure everyone is benefiting.

Have a great week everyone.

Where Did the Year Go?

2007-12-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

I don't know about all of you, but I can not believe a whole year has past! It is bizarre to think that Woobee has been in business for over 2 years and Lola is going to be 3 next weekend. In my youth it seemed like it took forever for 1 year to pass. The year between 20 and 21 took an eternity (although I never let a thing like age stop me from having a good time). Now it seems that every time I catch a breath and look up another year has gone by. I can say that the years are getting better, which allows me to stomach the pace.

Business stuff...I just want to make sure all of you who read my blog and own your own business know about the FREE service Google provides for tracking traffic to your site called Google Analytics. Definitely go to Google and sign up for this if you don't have a way to track your traffic already, or even if you do Google has amazing options on ways to analyze the data.

I am about to hit the blog circuit again for BabyLegs and some for Woobee. Spreading the good word by giving away product. I do recommend sponsoring a giveaway when dealing with blogs. It has been my experience that it increases traffic to your site. Now, Woobee has never received a ton of sales from these reviews. Companies with lower priced products may notice more direct income, but it is still wonderful PR and people are starting to know the Woobee name and products. That is worth its weight in free merchandise.

This is how I choose blogs that may review Woobee or BabyLegs - I look at blogs I like or that I know are very popular first, then I look at their list of blogs they like, and the blogs they like and so on. I email the blogger and ask if they would be interested in reviewing the products or if we could sponsor a giveaway (may cost a little money or more product). This usually opens a dialogue on ways to work together. I have developed some wonderful relationships with bloggers (like Asha from Parent Hacks and Kelli from Tangled and True) and encourage you all to use this wonderful way of low cost marketing.

Have a wonderful and safe New Year!!!

Strength

2007-12-18T22:10:00.000-08:00

Hey Blog readers. I am about to sound like a total sentimental weeny...I love the show the Biggest Loser. I am watching the grand finale and I tell ya' obesity runs thick in my family and seeing these people lose over 70-175 pounds is unbelievable. It totally blows me away and often brings me to tears.

Another blog that is sure to catch you attention if you like stories of hope and the strength of the human spirit is http://www.sixmaybemore.blogspot.com/ - The House is on Fire. I won't give it away, but I laugh and cry when I read it...and the blogger is a huge Woobee fan.She sent me the most amazing email about Woobee's giving comfort and security to two of her children through a very rough year. Check it out.

I have a question to all you small business owners? Do you spend every available moment working in some way? Whether you are fulfilling orders, emailing, graphics stuff, what ever it is, are you always doing something? My goal is to get to the point where I can hang out at night and choose what I want to do - without working AT ALL on Woobee Kids. I love my company, but I would really love to read a book for fun again.

HoHoHo...

2007-12-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

Okay, have you elfed yourself yet? Office Max has this free fun program were you can insert you and friends/families faces onto elf bodies and they dance around. Ridiculously fun and I would say the best free thing I have done yet this holiday season. Here is my family - don't tell my husband I gave this link out...http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1349405231. If you do decide to do this yourself, the first picture you insert will go on the girl body that my husband is on (that's sounds a little off, but you know what I mean).

The wonderful Asha from Parent Hacks gave a fabulous review of our new Super Woobee http://www.parenthacks.com/2007/12/the-most-luscio.html - check it out. A huge warm Woobee thank you to you Asha for spreading the wonders of Woobee all over the globe!!! Here is a picture of Lola (pink hat) and her friend with a new turquoise/pewter Super Woobee.

Well business is certainly picked up from last year this time. I believe that that is do to good PR, lots of word of mouth, and a great product. People are finally starting to know to ask for a Woobee for holiday gifts. Thank God. Part of this months success also has to do with BabyLegs buying a butt load of Woobee product for their site. The BL site now exclusively offers the Ultimate Gift Baskets equipped with BabyLegs, Woobee product and a SaraBear Basket (which I love). There are three different price ranges and they make the PERFECT baby shower gift (especially for those that want to go in on a gift or make a BIG splash).

I have my husbands company party tonight. I actually don't know most of the people he works with because his office is 45 mins + away. But, honestly - how hard could it be to get along with a bunch of guys that design and sell bike parts?

Okay the next GHTA tip of the day. This tip is from one of the main speakers and I think it embraces the importance of how others perceive the success of your company:

When someone asks how your company (or you) are doing you answer with one simple word (and only this one word) - UNBELIEVABLE! Now, even if things are going badly this one word covers that without being negative or lying, and the importance of appearing successful will not only allow people to talk about how well you are doing (which will perpetuate success), but you will manifest your own success.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone.

Christmas for the children...

2007-12-05T10:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Happy holiday season! Welcome to the time of the year where money actually flies out your a*s. This is the first year in a while that we have actually been able to spend a little money on the girls. Now that my hubby is out of school and employed full-time I have planned what I think is going to be a fantastic Christmas. Now, I don't consider the amount of presents the judge of what makes a "fantastic" day. As a matter of fact, I am quite against getting a child loads of presents and everything on their list. A few choice gifts that you know they will love is really enough to create a magical holiday feel. What did we get the girls this year? Well, since they have all the Woobee's they could possibly want, we chose some wonderful toys. My in-laws always send me a check to buy presents with which I love. So, Santa is bringing the girls a Plan Toys Chalet Dollhouse w/ some furntiure. They can move the floor plan around or seperate it in times of crisis - I love its modern feel. Lola is getting a rolling backpack (very small) with a bear on the front that can be strapped in. She saw it at the store and fell in love! Ava is getting a set of 3 wigs that she has been dreaming about for the last 6 months. Lola is also getting a Plan Toy activity bus and Ava is getting a dragon/dinosaur costume that is awesome from Magic Cabin. I also ordered stocking stuffers like felt animals, color pencils that look like twigs, and a few other little things from Sonya's Toy Garden. I bought all Lola's presents and Plan Toy gifts at a local favorite Urban Kids Play (and they sell Woobee's) and they also had a great book for drawing people that Ava will totally dig.

GHTA Tip of the Post: Creating a design (plan) for a request allows the person to deliver the expected outcome. If you do not give them a design, they will fill it in themselves and it may not be what you are looking for. A design should be replicable.

Snow in Seattle

2007-11-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Gooble Gooble

2007-11-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

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%!

Woobee Mom at the Boom Boom Room

2007-11-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

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.

The Down Low about Reps and Trade Shows

2007-11-12T19:28:00.000-08:00

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!

Beauty, Karma and Barbie

2007-11-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

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.

Flexible

2007-11-07T23:23:00.000-08:00

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!

Pretty in Puke - CAUTION Graphic pics

2007-11-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

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!

Piper Down!

2007-10-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

So, I have finally managed to catch the sickness that has been milling around these parts. I feel like crap, but it has definately been worse (once you have two 9.5 pound babies naturally nothing else seems that bad).

Parenting while been sick is by far my least favorite thing (besides parenting with a hangover - which I've only done once and quickly learned that my vodka days were far behind me. Besides, I felt like a total loser!). I have learned to be easier on myself when I plug the girls into the TV so I can think about only one thing at a time, because as many of you know when you are your own boss & only employee there is no one else to take orders to the post office, take extra fabric to the manufacturers, or order more frickin' snaps.

When I am in peak form I can run Woobee Kids and parent my girls without even thinking twice. I have mastered making errands fun for all, cooking dinner and emailing symentariously, and have my girls believing driving 1/2 hour to one of my sewers house is actually a treat - she has a little dog they love. Anyway, enough complaining.

Check out the Northwest Enterprising Moms web site. It is a wonderful non-profit just starting out to help support moms that own/run their own companies. We are getting quite the roster of experienced business moms. We are having an amazing event in November...fashion show, vendors, kids kick butt craft area, etc. Anyway, I am the current vice president of the org and really think it is going to be a wonderful help to moms all over the world.

Some Relief for the Tattered Mompreneur

2007-10-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Lola has tuned a corner in her development that is making my life soooo much easier. I just realized the extent of this change and I have to yell it from the mountain tops! LOLA DOES NOT TEAR CLOTHING AND PRODUCT OUT OF BASKETS AND BOXES ANYMORE!!!!!!!

Now, this may not seem like a big deal to some of you, but if you have finally taken (not found, but taken) the time to actually fold those 3 baskets full of clean clothes then your toddler comes in and starts a fringgin' yard sale yanking clothes out and crawling into the baskets it could seriously put you over the edge. At least me over the edge. Even worse is getting boxes upon boxes of product all neatly stacked from my manufacturer and that same chip off the ole block toddling into the basement and ripping through that product like there was a cookie at the bottom of each box. ARRRGH! Big deep breath...the chip is only a two year old and doesn't actually understand that she is about to send her mommy into the corner sobbing.

But not anymore!! Lola can officially pass by a basket full of clothes and keep on moving. She can see endless open boxes of Woobee's everywhere and choose a toy instead of box diving. Finally her mind is getting stronger than her will and she is actually able to stop herself from doing something she knows will make her mommy crazy. Good times people!

Only now I have baskets full of folded laundry all over the place:)

The Woobee new Urban line below is finally coming in. Custom gray striped ribbon ties and the new shag plush material - soft like cotton candy - make these blankets, bibs and burp dreamy. My two favorites are the lilac/pewter (which I am so in love with I can't see straight), and the new turquoise/pewter. I have some blankets on sale at my site so make sure you do a little early Christmas shopping and Woobee the Ones You Love!

Rollin' in Woobees

2007-10-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

I have been working so hard to get a new Woobee product line out and I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor. The new shaggy plush fabric for Fall /Winter is so fun. Cotton candy soft and a titch longer and brighter in color than the current plush.

The new Urban line that will be available in the very near future is awesome! The striped gray ribbon is the perfect component that ties it all together. My favorite new blanket is the lilac/pewter Urban - it actually soothes me:) I will be doing a photoshoot tomorrow with just product shots and put some up for viewing. I am very excited about this new fabric. Dealing with textiles can be such a headache!

Keep a look out for the new Woobee products.

Halloween begins in September

2007-10-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hey. Business first. Check Woobee blankets out in the November issue of Pregnacy magazine. It's a sweet spread. An assistant editor for Pregnancy came into the booth this weekend at the Mom2B show to see if I had seen the piece (which I did not attend, but Woobee did) and said that her editor owns a Woobee blankets and loves it so much she tells EVERYONE about it. You gotta love that!

Halloween. Here is Lola in her new costume her Grandparents bought her when they were visiting. She's killin' me peep peeping around the house, pecking on everything saying "bauk bauk". Ava is Wonder Women. I can't help but sing "she's a wonder Wonder Women" every time she wears the costume. I'm stoked to have scored cool costumes. It has taken me 5 years to figure out that if you want a decent Halloween costume you have got to get to the stores in September...SEPTEMBER!!! My girls could be so over their costumes by Halloween. Ava is a Halloween kind of girl. For two years straight since when she was 3 & 4 - and I am talking about everyday for two years- Ava told me what she wanted to be for Halloween. Not the same thing, but a different costume everyday. Although her choices often repeated themselves, it was tricky to commit to anything in September or even October 29th since on the 30th she would have something else in mind. Now we are asking her to choose in September, explaining that this is THE costume she will be wearing, or she can choose a costume we already have (which are many). We'll see how it goes. So far it looks like 5 is the magical age of costume commitment. Hallelujah!

I blame my husbands new full time job for my lack of blogging. For those of you who haven't checked out my archives, my husband was injured and had to do a job retraining program. At the end of June he graduated from his program and his internship offered him a full time position. He actually could not even start full time until I came back from the ABC Kids Show. You would think I would be ecstatic about some financial stability, especially since times were so tough for so long, but even though things were stressful we had flexibility. That means we co-parented and shared car pooling, cleaning, shopping, etc. My husband is super hands on, so having him around is actually a help...I know it's not the same for all husbands, I'm lucky that way. But the 40 hour work week is definitely putting the axe down on being flexible.

I am such a big believer in the 30 hour work week, or four 10 hour days. How the hell do families get anything done with people out of their home for 40-50 hours a week? It is no wonder everyone is so stressed out in this country. Even if the dad goes to work and the mom stays home (or dad stays home), someone is spending their whole day taking care of the home, the children, and the families social schedule (a job within itself) while the other person is handling the 40 + hours a week job. My husband is so bummed that he doesn't get to see his daughters more than 2-3 hours in a day, and when he does get home I am handing off the baton and running in the other direction. It's pure craziness. How do families stay connected? And then there are those of us moms who chose to start our own businesses and are taking care of the family and managing to squeeze in 40 hours a week - total insanity. What the hell are we thinking!

Anyway, I know you all can relate.

I do want to give a shout out to my girl Heather in Little Rock. She is not only an amazing person, but she has amazing products called the Prego Planner and the Tot Tag (which would've saved me when my girls were small). Her company is called Braelyn Bounty Bug. You should check it out! She is a mom worthy of your support.

Okay I have written a book!!! Catch you all later.

Childrens Products, Sore Feet, and Vegas

2007-09-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Vegas, Vegas, Vegas. Holy Crap! The ABC Kids Expo was a crazy experience. The BabyLegs booth was on fire! We knew it would be a busy, but we had no idea this many retailers and exhibitors were in love with these adorable little leg and arm warmers. Woobee Kids and BellySock also opened new accounts, and it was great for our products to be able to attach our information to all the BabyLegs info going out.

I am very grateful for my set-up in the BL booth, but sharing space with BabyLegs has its good and bad points (mostly all good). When people come to see BabyLegs they are very focused. Retailers have a lot of decisions to make when ordering and are often overwhelmed with all the styles - around 100. Making those decisions in addition to all the other wonderful vendors surrounding them is totally overwhelming. Many buyers have a list of the vendors they need to order from and want to stay on track. No room in their day to find new lines. We were lucky to be able to slip our line sheets in with the BL's, but I can't help but wonder if I had more space with Woobee's displayed and layed out properly how they would do. Next year the three lines (BabyLegs, Woobee Kids, and BellySock) will have a 20 x 10 booth. So that should be much better for display options.

Loads of great products!!! The shopping at the end was a little crazy. I picked up some cute things for Lola and Ava, but I tried not to get out of control. So many parent owned companies. Check out Bink Link pacifier attachers. If my girls still used binkies i would own all of these! Another parent owned company and these parents are hard working and really good people. I love to know the stories behind products so I can support good people. There are way to many cool companies out there to have to support ones run by a**holes.

I'll talk about more great companies each post. Enjoy your weekend. I am still trying to go through all the contacts we made at the show...it is an enormous pile.

Shipping for the Working Mom Sideshow

2007-09-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

I am lame these days about blogging. It's not for a lack of things to say, it's from the lack of time to say it. I am so swamped! I'll stop my whining. I sound like a broken record...I'm so busy - blah, blah ,blah. This craziness is totally self-inflicted. I am just determine to grow Woobee Kids until I have achieved Woobee World Domination and doing that is exhausting while raising two young girls.

I feel like I am a total sideshow, complete with a beard and stench of cotton candy and corn dogs (oooo...i love corn dogs). I bet many of you business owning moms can relate to the day I had Friday. I started the day thinking I would do something really fun with the girls, and then everything went terribly wrong.

First there was my lesson in shipping.

I am bringing in a whole new Woobee fabric line for this fall and spent the early morning trying to pay for the shipping I arranged from LA the day before (that was unexpectedly time consuming to do). Apparently, you can't pay for shipping until the truck has picked up and logged your shipment, and for whatever reason the company will not just take your credit card number to charge you when this data is available. You actually have to keep calling back until all the info is in their system and then they'll take your money, but not a minute before. Anyway, I had arranged for a COD delivery so I could get the product moving asap and the company quoted me a $55 fee for the COD. Well when I called in the morning to pay the price had changed to $189.00! Imagine my surprise when it cost half as much as the total shipping charge. This little bit of information sent me into a tailspin. I spent a long period of time getting everyone to be cool about cancelling the COD charge in mid-transaction.

Then the day begins.

So, I started my Friday at the post office in my pj's at 8:30 a.m. sending a check overnight to my fabric company to avoid the obnoxious COD charge. I convenienced them to allow me to fax them a copy of the postal receipt in place of having the actual check in hand. I had to rush home so I could relieve my husband from his fatherly duties and leave for work. I threw the girls in the car so I could meet a friend and give her the 5 Woobees she ordered. After we met her at Fresh Flours (and getting my girls in and out of a coffee shop is no small task), back in the car and run home to fax the fabric vendor the overnight mail receipt so they'll email the shipping company and release the COD request. Back in the car to start the 35 mile drive to my seamstress in Everett to pick up some samples I need for the ABC Kids Expo. The girls are being pretty tolerate at this point, but their patience is getting thin. Luckily my seamstress has a funny little dog and a swing set so this may be the only "fun" time they'll be getting before nap. Did I mention that Lola was up at 5:15 am - therefore I was up at 5:15am. She unfortunately fell asleep for 20 minutes on the drive (which is what I was trying to avoid). By the time we drive home it is 12:00 and time for lunch then hopefully nap...wrong! Lunch time was no problem, but nap - clearly the 20 minutes was enough to reset Lola for good times. Neither Ava or Lola took naps, but I did manage to spend endless time trying to get them to go down. After I resigned to the fact that I would not be getting any peace to work on all the marketing info I needed to put together for this show, the girls went back in the car and we headed down to BabyLegs to pick up the new fabric samples from overseas and then to my Seattle manufacturers to drop off materials I had at home and purchase orders. Whew. By this time I am so tired and running on caffeine for energy. Now, it is 4:30 pm and time to head home and start dinner. The girls are a little punchy from no nap and I am just about ready for the Little Einsteins DVD to relieve me from my parental duties (I admit with a little shame).

It sucks that this was the girls day. Is making a point to be a work-at-home mom so I can be with the girls really benefiting them? Wouldn't they be better off having fun with other children than running errands with me? Um, yeah. They would be. However, good childcare cost a buttload of money and we are just not there yet financially. Do I try to make all that running around fun? Yes. We sing a lot in the car and make up stories as we go along. My girls have great imaginations and I try to feed that as much as possible. This is the way I justify dragging them along.

I know there are other mothers out there with the same type of days going on around them. I find women's stamina unbelievable. My husband is amazing and a terrific father - he bathes the girls, packs their lunches and does laundry. But, a day like Friday would bury him.

PS - Happy post-Labor Day!

Birthday Celebrations

2007-08-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

Wow. I am in some sort of time warp. I can't believe I haven't blogged in a week! I swear it wasn't until I had children that my life started flying by at a frightening pace. On Friday I turned (gulp) 37. Now, I'm not one to be silly about growing older. I do not think I am OLD now that I am 37, but this has been the hardest bday yet. I just can't say the words t-h-i-r-t-y-s-e-v-e-n without thinking of a person way older and far more mature than myself. Other than my aching back and temperamental bladder (oh yeah, and the crows feet) I think of myself as so young.

Anyway, on the business side of life...our lawyer has come up with our first draft of the contract between Woobee Kids, BellySock, and BabyLegs. It looks very thorough with a few adjustments needed here and there. I am sure Nicole's lawyer will want to alter a few things as well. It is a lawyers job to first consider their clients. We want the contract to be fair to all parties involved. We've been waiting for months and now I can actually see that this will happen. It's super important that everything is signed before we attend the 3 September trade shows or else things start to get a little murky with the finances.

I had my first really bad manufacturing experience on Friday (happy bday to me). I picked up my first batch of product from my new local guy and out of 27 blankets I could only sell 4. Yes 4. The bibs were also crap. I was only able to save 3. I did have him stop blanket production (thank God), but the bibs were already sewn - 80! The big problem is that my inventory is tragically low and I do not have any more fabric in stock for some popular colors. The fabric supplier that I've been using is back ordered on my colors until the end of September. I wanted to change fabrics and am excited about the new cozy material, but now I will have to change two entire lines. Now think about what it means to change two whole lines...not just reordering hundreds (lot of hundrends) of yards of fabric and the manufacturing, but also having samples available for trade shows, literature on hand, line sheets altered, photos done, website changed, and press kits changed. It is a ridiculous amount of extra work 2 weeks before a show. But, it can and will be done. Oh, I am also adding a new product called the Super Woobee. I'll fill you in as it comes available - it is totally awesome!

The Outdoor Retail Show "product of the entry" is Smith sunglasses. The rep was so great to us and kicked down a pair of sunglasses each! I scored a very cool (a little too cool for me) gold metal frames pair of J.Lo style shades. I feel very hip in them - and am definately giving mix signals as I cruz around in my Volkswagon Vanagon. I need a new ride for shades:).

I'm going to bed, finally.

Children, Coffee and Pajamas

2007-08-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

I am a little ashamed to admit that I did not get out of my pajamas today. Summertime is killin' me in the productivity department. Thank God for coffee or I may not have got one thing done. Ava (my 5 year old) is not in any summer programs this month. Lola has started her school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but not knowing my husbands job situation we did not commit to camps for Ava - and I don't know about where you all live, but in Seattle you have to have summer programs booked in the winter. There is a huge 'you snooze you loose' thing going on around here.

Because of the nature of parenthood I am so grateful for my job flexibility at BabyLegs. Instead of going into the office I'll be working tonight for a while when the girls go to bed, and while my husband handles the evening routine. I was able to be home today so I tried to get work done with the girls playing around me and I invited my friends husband to bring their two boys over while he ran a bunch of errands. Children are actually easier in a herd, especially when I have work to do.

Alright, so every posting I am going to end my posting with a mention of one of the great companies I experienced at the Outdoor Retailers Show. One company I think is great is Darn Tough socks with they're amazing comfy socks made in Vermont (I love products that are locally made) and the hysterical Ric Cabot running the show. Ric has a hosiery mill in Vermont that makes BabyLegs natural colored organic wool and cotton products. He hooked me up with a cushy pair of footie's and I LOVE them. Check 'em out.

Ultimate Mens Playground

2007-08-11T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry I have been away from bloggerville. I am currently in Salt Lake City (wednesday - sunday) at the Outdoor Retailers Trade Show - what a crazy place! I can't even describe the size of this show. Floors and rooms upon rooms (and I am talking Ballrooms in size) of all the latest outdoor gear, clothing and accessories. What am I doing at the show? I am walking it with Nicole from BabyLegs, scouting the possibilities of having a booth for BabyLegs and Woobee Kids at this January's OR show. It is a great market for both companies.

Anyway, the trade show is HUGE and we have been able to accomplish a lot of our goals, such as sending around a petition to have a kids section in the directory listing, source materials for Woobee Kids and BellySock, and spread the word about our wonderful products. We also ran into a girl that I met at the JPMA show who is a partner in a wonderful baby carrier company called Belle Carriers...recently photographed with Julia Roberts using it - go Belle! Now that's the kind of celeb you want strutting your product.

Tomorrows the last day of the show and then we are flying home. I miss the girls and Ron so much. I do however appreciate this time to focus on business. Nicole and I have had some amazing chances to prep for meetings and get to know fabrics and also each other even better. It is always good to be in business with people you respect and can learn from - let go of all ego, be open to the experience, and soak it up.

Outdoor Retailer Trade Show

2007-08-07T16:53:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready to fly to Salt Lake City to walk the huge and very cool Outdoor Retailers Show w/ Nicole from BabyLegs. We will be looking at cool new products, packaging, booth set-up, and other companies that may want to petition the OR group to have a children's section. If anyone out there has an outdoor product...and is interested in being part of this show, email me.

Here is the reality of being a mom that owns a growing business (here's a new pic of me, Ava, and Lola in the sunglasses). Leaving on a trip to a trade show is a logistical nightmare when it comes to girls (here they are with me at a BBQ). The idea of having my own business is that the girls don't need to be childcare 5 days a week (or even 4), and I can be available to help drop off and pick up from school/pre-school. So when something like a trade show comes up it is all hands on deck. Friends and family are called, favors are cashed in, and my husband gets a list of all the different places the girls need to be dropped off in order to have care (summertime and Ava's school hasn't started yet). Keep in mind that two children is much harder to find care for than one, especially when one is a potty training 2.5 year old. It literally takes me longer and more energy to plan for the trip than to go on the trip itself.

I really do appreciate my husbands flexible schedule Full Speed Ahead allows him (he designs bike parts - Peter Pan life). It would be impossible to do this Woobee Kids gig without that.

Hey, my friends (mother daughter team) just launched their web site and the clothes are great! The company is called Lil' Squirtz, and if you are into vintage looking original clothes you will love love love it. Check them out.

Working Moms...always working.

2007-08-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

I believe I have mentioned that I signed on with a PR firm called 32 Flavors PR. I chose this boutique style firm because I really felt like Liz (the face behind the firm) had great style and she is a mom...not just a mom of one lil' girl, but pregnant with yet another girl. Some people in business suggested to me that it might not be a great idea to hire her with the new baby due to arrive soon and that she may not be able to give Woobee Kids the time it deserves to move forward. I say FOOEY! (and check out Fooey - I love this company).

Liz emailed me some pr opportunities with questions i needed to answer on Wednesday. I email her back that night late, expecting to have an email from her when I woke up (she's in NY 3 hours ahead). No email...hummm...I have a sneakin' suspition a new baby is in route. Turns out I am right and I get an email from her via Blackberry that afternoon, "thanks" for the questions I mailed back "had baby will be back in the office monday". Wow! I sent back a little congrats email and some trade show stuff expecting not to hear from her until monday, but no, I get another email from her via Blackberry responding to my trade show stuff! ROCK STAR! Newborn on the teet, Blackberry in the palm. That is a prime example of what it is like to be a mom and run a business...multi-tasking people. Mothers in business have a sense of obligation that is amazing. I could not be happier with my choice to support another mom in business who does a kick ass job. Thank you Liz!

Success in Potty Training

2007-07-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

I gotta tell ya', there is nothing like a bad tummy to get your 2.5 year old in the swing of pooping in the potty. We had only one true successful potty plop until yesterday when Lola managed to make it to the potty 9 - yes 9 - times with a rumbly tummy. She definitely has the hang of pooping in the potty now. Today the belly is better and she is still on the right track, but she doesn't seem to understand that a successful poop should actually be in the potty. Lola seems to think that if she is outdoors the potty goal is just to maintain a clean pair of underwear. The tricky part is praising her cleanliness but explaining that the grass or patio is not the best place to release the ol' bowels. Safety first, and the bottom line (no pun intended) is poop is just not safe.

Aside from life w/ kids, everything in Woobee land is great. The article in Parenting magazine has kept me very busy filling orders. I am also finally getting the hang of my new job at BabyLegs. It was difficult at first for me to focus on a business that wasn't my own. I have been promoting Woobee Kids for so long, thinking about new ways to promote BabyLegs was an interesting challenge. It was a new mind set that I needed to acquire. But, I love the product and I think I am definitely getting my groove on now.

Lawyers - arrrrrgh.

2007-07-24T21:40:00.000-07:00

Woobee Kids and BellySock's contract with BabyLegs is at the point where we (WB & BS) need to retain a lawyer to oversee the negotiations, because as everyone knows friendships can be preserved by a well written contract that benefits all. With that said, we have interviewed two different experienced firms. And the one thing that is loud and clear - can you say trademark?!

Once you talk with a lawyer you will want to run out and trademark your beloved product, despite the expense (BTW around $2500 - $3000 w/ no complications). I personally feel kind of pinned against a wall...Woobee is a popular name for children products and i do not want to go into production on a large scale and find out someone else has legal rights to my name/brand. That would be financially and morally devastating. So I need to come up with the $2500 to trademark Woobee in case someone challenges me, or risk it until I am more financially able to come up with that money? ALL the lawyers we talked with made it very clear that we would be idiots to risk it. So now we come up with the money to trademark and then the money to have the contract drawn up.Well, I guess the girls don't get new clothes for school this year - just kidding, kind of...

Poop goes plop!

2007-07-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

When my life is crazy tasks that seem to big are set aside until I have time to clearly think about their execution. Potty training Lola has been one of those tasks. She is attending a little pre-school 2 days a week in August and the children are supposed to be potty trained. In the past every time we had asked her to wear underpants she very adamantly shouted "NO" followed by throwing herself on the ground repeating "no underpants" over and over. Now that I no longer work nights I have actually taken time to think about this task and whoa-la, Lola is potty trained!!! Well, she doesn't use diapers except at night time, oh and she has only pooped in the potty once at a friends house.

Here's another wonderful use for Woobee blankets - lay them down on the bed or carseat soft side up when potty training to protect surfaces.

The poop thing was an issue for my eldest Ava too. She was scared of the sound of the poop hitting the water - plop! Lola is actually encouraged by this and has adopted the phrase "poop goes plop" as her mantra. I am so pleased with how quickly Lola figured out the whole pee thing I am just fine being patient about the rest of it. After all, I have a good feeling that she isn't going to college wearing a diaper at night so she can have her morning poop in "comfort".

Another practical and well known use for BabyLegs...potty training. Lola is adorable cruizing around in her naked bottom and green pok-a-dot BabyLegs.

What Happens When You Get Press?

2007-07-17T17:01:00.000-07:00

Check me out. I am getting all crazy with this blogging stuff and adding pictures! This is Georgia kicking it at the park on a pistachio/chocolate Woobee blanket. Her mom Della Chang is an awesome photographer and took this shot.

The Parenting magazine August issue is out already to its subscribers. I know this because I have already had an increase in sales-hooray! This is not always the case for all press. It has been my experience that getting press does ot always equal immediate sales. Take Woobees piece in Seattle Metropolitan mag's "Best Of" July issue - I don't think I felt a thing from that sales wise. What I do get though is people seeing the product when I am out and about (I use the blankets for everything in the summer - towels, picnic blankets, wind blockers) and commenting on how they remember seeing Woobees in the magazine. So, even if it is not sales it is brand recognition which in return will bring you sales. Personally, I prefer the kind of pres that brings in immediate sales - call me crazy.

The girls are at summer camp from 10am - 3pm three days a week. I have been able to get a lot more work done with this new schedule and the best thing is I know they are having a great time. If all the stars are lined up, they will both take naps when they get home too - like today. When I have ample time to get business taken care of for Woobee and now also for BabyLegs, I am much more focused on my time with Ava and Lola. It has truly been amazing not waiting tables at night and being home with my family. I am a lucky girl!

Yeah Parenting Magazine!

2007-07-15T22:55:00.000-07:00

So Woobee's little blurb is coming out in Parenting Magazine's August issue. It is actually official, I saw it. Now we will see what actually happens. My hopes & dreams...sell so much product I am scrambling to get everything in production. I found a great new local production team and am anxious to use them.

Here's a mommy manufacturer tip: don't stop looking for a better price on your production until you are 100% satisfied. And remember when you are figuring out your products price look past just the cost of your materials. Fold in the cost of your marketing, cost of running your business (electric, Internet, shipping, rent, etc.), any rep fees, and other cost you may have. If you just take into consideration your material cost you will not make a living, but rather be very busy with a new costly hobby. I don't know about you, but I certainly do not have time for any more hobbies...I don't even have time for my old ones.

Trade shows

2007-07-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Tradeshows are one of those things that you really don't want to do, but you kind of have to if you want your brand to have weight & validity in its community. In a nutshell trade shows are exhausting, expensive and it is a miricle when you see your return in sales. Deciding which show to do is nerve racking. If you only have budget for one or two shows you want to choose well. A slow show can really get a girl down. Then there is the cost of the booth (the physical space you need to rent), the displays and posters you are going to use, shipping these items, catalogs and print material you need to give out - oh, and do not forget to have press kits for the press room! You can also find out what press will be there ahead of time and call to schedule an appointment with them to talk about your product. Taking advantage of the press that is there can help you tremendously. FREE press is the best press!

Woobee Kids, BellySock and BabyLegs will be at the ABC Kids Expo in Vegas Sept 7-10 (I will be there personally too so come by and say hi), Nicole from BabyLegs is taking us to Germany for the huge kids show in mid-Sept., and we will also be at Mom2B the last weekend of September in LA. This is one of the reasons this Woobee/BabyLegs merger is important for my company...the ability to get exposure that would not normally be able to afford. It takes money to make money - sad but true.

Here comes the Sun, do do do do....

2007-07-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

My daughters think that every time we play Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles it literally brings out the sun. Unfortunately, the weather in Seattle changes so quickly and frequently I haven't been able to disprove this crazy (but sweet) idea they have.

I have taken on the song as my sort of anthem though. Here Comes the Sun - it's been a long cold lonely winter - between my injured husband, death & sickness in my family, starting a new company while waiting tables & taking care of my girls, it seems like years since it's been here...but now I don't wait tables anymore, Woobee blankets were in the Best Of Seattle issue of Seattle Metropolitan Mag, my husband is done with school, and my eldest daughter is starting full-time kindergarten (can I get a high five for full-time kindergarten!). And I say, it's alright do do do do dodo.

PS Speaking of sun, I am looking for the best beach foods...with all this sun comes sand, and I need easy eats that are sand friendly- any ideas?

No room to think, if I had it would it matter...

2007-06-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

I find the record keeping part of business the most challenging, especially with children around. You need space to actively think when doing finances - physical and mental. Between the endless river of conversation that is my 5 year old and the mischievous nature of my two year old when surrounded by piles of paper, there is no way to carve out bookkeeping time while the girls are around. This is why I tend to go long periods of time before entering orders and receipts into the dreaded Quickbooks. I try to be practical when entering long overdue receipts and orders - I consider myself a level headed, common sense kind of girl. So why does everything seem so complicated with this accounting system? You take money in...money goes out...I enter the transactions and get back a mess of information that does not seem even vaguely familiar. When this merger with BabyLegs and Woobee is complete I will NOT be sad to see this duty go far far away.

Summer?

2007-06-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

I wonder if it's summer anywhere else in the world? Here in Seattle it still seems to be tittering on the edge of springtime and my girls are sooooo ready for nakie bottoms and beaches! Where is the smell of sweet sun kissed skin, mildewing bathing suits and ripe strawberries? Don't get me wrong, as an owner of a weather resistant baby blanket company I am ecstatic the public still has their Woobees attached to the front of their strollers/Bjorns - it does makes me warm and fuzzy every time I see a Woobee in use. July however, is right around the corner and temperatures aren't breaking 70. Enough is enough. Tonight I will have to turn on the Happy Feet Soundtrack and do a sun dance!

Whew, what a wild ride....

2007-06-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been away so long. I am making a commitment to write at least three times a week so keep checkin' in and bugging me if I am slacking.

I have been such a crazy tattered mompreneur for the last month. First of all we have been cycling through the flu...and it has been a doozy - yuck! I truly dislike holding my daughters already thin body while she is heaving into the toilet (if I am lucky) or having my 2 year old puke all over me numerous times. I feel so badly for the them, feeling their quivering little bodies, seeing the looks on their faces & trying to calm them down. I saw more puke this last month than I did in my twenties...and I was pretty naughty in my twenties.

Another reason for my craziness - I hired a PR company called 32Flavors PR. Liz Sorensen is my rep and I love her. I could see myself having coffee or a glass of wine with Liz. I picked her company because I like her sense of style, she's a mom, and she also dabbles in a children's company of her own Luna Lou. I haven't been able to judge her work with Woobee since we just signed the contract and I just sent out my new press kits to her. Hopefully she likes them and will find good responsive homes for them:) I gotta say, it was incredibly time consuming putting the kits together. I thought it would be easy since I had some for JPMA, but these are Cd's and paper copies.

The cherry on top of my tattered mom insanity, myself (Woobee) and another wonderful mom owned company called BellySock (Deb is the owner) http://www.bellysock.com/ are in the process of having a manufacturing & distribution contract drawn up with yet another incredible mom owned company called BabyLegs http://www.babylegs.net/. Nicole Donnelly is the mom owner of the fast growing company BabyLegs who invited us to join her company and utilize all the sources/connections BabyLegs now has. Deb and I are both excited to have much of the workload and financial worry lifted off our backs. BabyLegs has an amazing network for us to move into as well as manufacturing connections with Fair Trade facilities. Deb and I will both still own 100% of our companies and are now working for BabyLegs as the business development manager (me) and quality assurance manager (Deb) as well as overseeing operations of Woobee and BellySock. Once a good solid contract is agreed upon and all the millions of little details are worked out, it will be a wonderful opportunity for all companies involved.

Hope you all are having much success in all areas of your lives! I'll keep you posted on mine.

Building a company on a 14 hour week

2007-05-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

I should be clear, I have 14 hours of child free time to work on Woobee. I utilize ever other spare moment within a 24 hour day as well. The problem is - and you other moms out there will understand this - every time you start a task when your children are round something will come up and they will need you, every time. When children are sleeping is the key time to accomplish a task, that is where it gets a little sticky for me. Here is why...

My husband was hurt in an accident when my now 5 year old was 18 months, and after rehab and a lot of pain he was able to go back to work as a chef. So we moved forward with our life freshly rich with gobs of medical debt and planned our second child. While I was pregnant the screws and plates in his ankle started to work their way out. He needed two more surgeries. The first when I was 8 months along and we planned for the last surgery for 2 weeks postpartum. Then our vivacious Lola was born and at 10 days old hubby came home from work revealing that he was not able to ever go back. He just was not physically able to do it anymore. Long story short - he went into a dislocated workers program and is finishing his degree next month:) So I have gone back to waiting tables to be home with my girls during the day, plus it gives me flexibility that I need with our situation. I work on Woobee during the times the girls are at pre-school - which is 14 ours a week - and I use random moments of house harmony to do more Woobee work.

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I still feel very lucky even though I am certainly not where I thought I would be at 36. Hubby will have an education in a field he'll excel at, he has the most amazing relationships with the girls (as do I), and I get to grow a striving company. I will be happy to go down to one job...Woobee...and get a little more sleep. It won't be long now.

Weekends are made for...

2007-05-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Remember when weekends meant busy bars (which were sooooo much fun), breakfast joints at 10:00 am, afternoon movies, and/or naps. Now it seems they are made for working out deals with my husband so I can wiggle more time to work on Woobee business. I try to put aside at least 3-4 hours where we spend time doing something together as a family, but since I work weekend nights and since I only have 14.5 hours a week child free to plot my Woobee world domination I am always trying to squeeze extra time. It's a tricky situation. If my hubby takes the girls the majority of the day during the weekend, and then has all the night time routine (while I am at work) it isn't really co-parenting. We are always trying to create balance and the one thing to get pushed aside is our time alone. I miss my husband even though he is sitting right across from me.

Celebrity Swag for a Tattered Mompreneur

2007-05-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Angele Bassett and me - Angela chose camo & pistachio Woobee blankets for her double stroller.
Alley Sweeny from Days of Lives was so sweet and really beautiful. She choose a pistachio Woobee blanket and bib for her son Ben.

Celebrity swag is an interesting concept that has turned me into a total crazy person. I spend more time than I have searching for that one picture of a big celeb using their Woobee blanket that will propel my company to the next level. I know weird things about celebs, like the color of Shiloh Joile-Pitts stroller. I actually researched this so when I sent sweet Shiloh a Woobee blanket in a 1st b-day gift basket it would match. I tell ya' c-r-a-z-y!

Woobee products have recently been invited to participate in a lot of different celebrity events and giveaways, plus private requests from agents/stylists. I don't know how many of you actually know how the whole thing works, but let me give you a rundown. There is usually a price to pay to participate in an event or giveaway, ie. I was just contacted to do the daytime Emmy's and the MTV awards gifting suites. The Emmy's would cost me $12,000 plus 70 blankets to give away...and yes I said $12,000. The MTV awards would be $5,000 plus 30-40 pieces of product. Essentially you travel down to the event, set-up, and give away the farm to whoever comes by. The hope is that a celeb will graciously accept your product and pose for a picture. It is this picture and the comments the celebs make that you will e able to market. It is key to write down the comments - press want that info.

I know there are those of you out there who are totally bugged by giving free products to people that can afford it (I get grumpy about that too) but let's be honest - I am trying to capatalize on their fame. I am trying to get a piece of their action, which they have no doubt worked very hard for. I have sent Woobee products to the Joile-Pitt clan, Marcia Cross, Melissa Joan Hart, Jason Priestly, and more hoping that one day the Universe will be in line and a photographer will click a picture of them using their Woobee and it will get published in some raunchy tabloid, or better yet US Weekly:) Wow, I am starting to feel a bit like a leech. Anyway, my point is no one is given something for nothing. The celebs get free crap because we want them to help promote us. The only problem is catching the moment if/when they do.

How did I get Woobee in the celeb circuit? I was invited to bring Woobee's to a pre-Golden Globe gifting suite for kids (Big Kids Style Villa). How did I get invited? The pr firm putting on the event read reviews about Woobee's on blogs and message boards - the internet works. Yes, I paid money to be there and gave away loads of product. Yes, that is very hard for me to do since my products are locally made in Seattle and are very expensive to manufacture. Am I happy I went? Yes. The event itself was very disorganized, but the pay off has been good. I also traveled down with BabyLegs and shared a private gifting suite with them which was a blast.

You can check out Woobee at the Golden Globe gig at my site home page www.woobeekids.com. Click on the link to see the pic's and read celebs comments.

Hi Everyone

2007-05-07T14:30:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to actually be starting my blog!! As a mom at home with my two girls during the day, working at night, and running my own company during naps and moments of child harmony, starting my blog has been on my list just under "surviving". Clearly I have managed to survive long enough to start the Woobee Mom blog - amazing. I would like to thank my friend Coffee, for who without I would get nothing done.

A little background about myself...I started a company called These Two Girls about 1.5 years ago and I design and manufacture Woobee products www.woobeekids.com. I am a mompreneur, which is one of the fast growing types of micro-business groups. Mompreneurs by definition are women who started a company after having children with ideas inspired by the little rascals themselves. I have to be honest, the name mompreneur sounds a bit silly to me. It lacks a certain seriousness about it, and let me tell you - we are seriously working our buns off.

Although I would now like to blog all day, while my girls are napping I want to enter some items in Quickbooks, which is for whatever reason ridiculously hard for me to do. Not the physical act of entering receipts, but the just sitting down to do it part. I did however finally get a new laptop and learned how to network my home computers and actually set up a remote desktop to the computer with my Quickbooks file!!! I just about cried when it all came together last night. You need to understand that I am NOT techy at all and this simple change will make a huge difference in my life. The time and energy I will save is remarkable.

Hooray, it's time for my afternoon coffee:)