Oh, China

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!