ENK Show

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

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

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.