Posts filed under 'About Me'
I have four days to prep for the next event. This lightbulb is hitting me right now, at this moment. It’s a one day cash-n-carry show right here in San Diego (first in-town event - I can’t believe I don’t have to travel!). I’m ok with the product we have to take, but I have to get my head around other issues.
I’m happy to announce that my sales marathon is going GREAT, although my training sessions are no where near what I envisioned they would be…I can’t put nearly the hour a day into that I want to, but I am accomplishing that hour, or more, on many more days than I was previously.
The thing is that the sales stuff is going so great, and is thus so consuming, that I don’t have time to focus on the other things - like upcoming events. The surge in sales has presented all kinds of new juggling fun - which is why it’s good to grow; every new level presents new challenges.
Being a mom in business is pretty much craziness. I know I’m supposed to be sick right now, - my daughter came home with a fever today and I can feel that achiness, the hot / cold spells, the urge to sleep - but I don’t have time for that. I’m behind on things as it is. Like planning for upcoming events.
This weekend’s event is thrown by Appel & Frank. It will be held on Sunday, March 9, from 11 - 4 pm at the Abbey. I’m excited to be there - it looks like there are a couple of other children’s designers there, but I’m excited to see all the HOT, new, and fun women’s wear and accessories. How great for me, since I never ever get out shopping for myself, I can see some of the trend-setting stuff. FUN. I should also mention that I don’t really like shopping, so something like this is perfect - all in one space and all the good stuff.
If you are in Southern California and want to get an exclusive preview of San Diego’s newest and hottest upcoming designers at the Spring into Style event, just email me.
March 4th, 2008
I’m back after an extremely crazy and stressful week here in San Diego. It is so crazy that SD is going through a Firestorm again, only four years after the last one. Last time, the flames burned within a quarter mile of our house, this time our area was relatively unaffected. However, pretty much any area that wasn’t effected last time, was effected this time. Words can not express what it is like to sit in shock and disbelief and on complete alert - for 48 hours - not knowing if you’ll have to run in a minutes notice. And we have been blessed enough to never have the horrific experience of having to literally run for your life from the flames, or having to jump in your pool and pray while flames pass over your head.
I’m in a state of ‘numb’. I can tell you that our firefighters and all those support personnel who came from far away pulled off some incredible miracles. They held the line at some of the most crucial areas in our county. And the shifts that they had to work is unbelievable. So, while San Diego’s losses are horrific, I can’t tell you how much worse it could’ve been without all those brave men and women.
Sending many prayers to all those who’ve experienced great losses this week…and many thanks to all those who gave so much to protect us.
October 28th, 2007
Here’s the email (word-for-word), that I woke to Saturday morning:
Hello. I just thought that seeing as you’re aspiring for a successful online baby boutique that a potential customers comments might be of interest.I am currently looking for gifts for about three different mom’s to be….. At first glance my thoughts are as follows: The “baby fabulous” logo and colors are unappealing and not high end “boutique” enough IMO…a little gimmicky to be honest, the blankets are great but could be featured and showcased so much better - colors are not as great as they could be, sizing for the “tea” onsies is immedietely a turn off…. why not just go with typical sizing that everyone’s familiar with? You’re losing people with that despite the sizing chart…. people don’t like to have to click any more than they have to. That made me not want to buy. Your graphic onsies are unappealing as a whole…… the graphics themselves look cheap and “run of the mill”. Again, not near the “boutique” level that I gather you are trying to reach.
Sorry if this seems harsh, but judging from your blog…. you need honesty and frankness. The only other thing that I can say is that you seem to doubt yourself WAY too much. Set your sites, take critisism constructively and just DO whatever it is that you’ve set your sites on. There’s nothing holding you back. You’ve got so much of it together, but you still doubt yourself every other step…. it will take you twice as long to get there at this rate of insecurity and doubtfulness. The ultimate goal will never be acheived unless you truly believe it can be a reality and you just get it done!
Of course, receiving an email like this sets off a bunch of emotions, but I’ve opened myself to critisicm all my life (from talent shows and creative writing courses to editing for the college newspaper), so no big deal. The thing is that there is a difference between constructive criticism and unconstructive criticism.
Here’s the good critique I can twist out of this email:
- It would be great if you could have better product pictures.
- It would be great if you could offer more color and print choices for your blankets.
Otherwise, if you don’t like our style, walk on by. We’re not aiming to please everyone, and we have no grandiose delusions that our style would be the first ever that everyone loves.
As far as doubting myself too much, I strongly agree and disagree. No one who “holds themselves back” could’ve designed, developed, and launched their own products. Not to mention that within one year of business we have a strong customer base, celebrity clientele, and we can boast of numerous positive product reviews on television, in national print publications, and online. And that is all within our first year of business. It’s true I beat myself up for not doing more all the time, and I always believe I can go stronger and longer and do it better. This is why we’ll succeed. But I also believe it’s important to pay attention to my spirit and my family and spend time with them - in the end, it’s going to be the memories that matter, not how fast we sky-rocketed to success. So I forgive myself too for not getting more done all the time.
I share my doubts and struggles on this blog because those are the type of things that I feel are the most useful to share and what it helps me the most to vent about. It’s also a part of this blog that makes numerous people reach out to me and say “me too!!!” - (which, btw - I can not tell you how much that means to me- even if I can’t get around to answering all of you right away). Because I’m doing this alone too - learning as I go - and it’s so GOOD to know that others struggle too.
I’m REALLY not into putting on a false face for the world or showing only that side of me is strong and confident, - that me that walks into boutiques and sells my own products, that meets celebrities face-to-face with the full belief that they will LOVE our stuff, that me that knows I’m the best or I wouldn’t be attempting this at all. It’s more important to me to share the reality of being a first-time entrepreneur, and so this blog naturally centers around the hard parts of this venture and the mental struggles (and thus strength) it takes to keep going.
PS. I HAVE to add that those “unappealing” graphic onesies and tees she mentions have absolutely been selling like mad!
October 19th, 2007
“What planet are you on to think you could just up and start a clothing line?”
“Are you nuts??”
These aren’t quotes I hear from other people too often, these are the daily demons that I hear in my head. Sometimes, I can’t believe how utterly insane I must be to think that I could build a clothing company from the ground up, learning as I go, with no prior experience in the industy.
But I put up a daily fight against the demons, fighting them with actions and baby steps. Oh, it’s not that I don’t get plenty of disbelief from others on the outside too, but my own demons are harder to fight and are the ones I HAVE to fight to keep going.
“I could just quit” - that’s another voice that likes to creep in all the time. This one takes advantage of my exhaustion, gets me when I’m tired and weary. This one is easier to fight now than it was in the beginning, because now I have put so much work into this that there is no way in hell it’s for nothing.
On the flip side, I’m big on listening to my inner voice, seeking guidance from my heart and gut, so even though I’m fighting the demons, I try to listen too. The unrest, the unsettle, the dissatisfation comes from somewhere - how can I change that? What will make me more comfortable with the direction I’m going right now? The answer is usually simple (but not always my favorite):
more action.
I still think I’m crazy - don’t get me wrong. But I’m so incredibly thankful to be crazy enough to take these types of risk in my life. And SO incredibly thankful to have found a husband and best friend who is just as crazy as I am about doing life our way and being here to raise our own children.
October 12th, 2007
We’ve been featured in Pregnancy Magazine! They selected two Baby Fabulous products for their 2007 Buyer’s Guide. Which, (((extra bonus))) stays on the shelf for three months. SUPER COOL. Click the links below to view the features:
Pregnancy Magazine Personalized Blankets feature
Pregnancy Magazine Graphic Tee feature
This comes at a time when things were feeling stagnant. Funny to say that when we’re cramming to prep for a show this week, but publicity-wize. We got a hard copy of the magazine in the mail yesterday and the pics look so much better in print. It is supposed to hit newstands on September 11.
***random side note on starting your own business: electricity. We lost power yesterday and oh my did that throw a kink into things. I had to decide whether it was more important to ship or have officially printed invoices. Even getting the correct addresses was difficult because when the power went down, it took down our internet. Luckily, I have a battery-powered laptop so I was able to access the customer files and get the addresses. Still, not my favorite to send out packages with hand-written addresses and packing slips. Delivering was the most important.
And for all of you who find it hard to find the good in the challenging, stressful, and difficult times, I’d like to share the good of the power going out. It forced me to stand in line at the post office to get our stuff shipped. Because I stood there they were able to bring to my attention that our PO box fees were due that day, or we’d be locked out and would have to pay extra fees. Not to mention the extra hassle.
The evening turned out wonderful. The electricity was out, so I couldn’t work. An amazing summer storm blew in and my kids got to shower in the summer rain - which was nice because the bathroom was pitch black. They were so incredibly happy splashing around like that, and I felt so relaxed because I didn’t even have the OPTION of working. Relaxing is next to impossible when you’re a business owner, there is always something hanging over your head. Thankfully, God works in mysterious ways.
September 1st, 2007
I think that this question is the theme of the week. I received an email from a new reader yesterday, asking me if it would be worth it to go into the children’s clothing business at all. Today, I read this mom-entrepreneur’s blog post on how the entrepreneurial world is less-than-ideal.
As far as to whether it’s worth it to go into the children’s industry in particular - my main answer is that the decision is personal. Only you know what products you have in mind. You then have to do the research to find out if the market will take on your product. What is your niche? What will set you apart from the competition? How will you market your products and what price-point are you aiming for? Do you see yourself selling great designs at great prices or luxurious products for a higher price point? What sales and distribution channels will you use?
I definitely believe you have to have a niche. You have to have something unique and different enough to make people overlook your “newness” and take a risk on you.
As far as to whether it’s worth it to go into any kind of business for yourself, my answer is a hundred times over “yes”. Personally, I hate working for other people. Don’t get my wrong, I know how to play the game. I know how to hold a job and move up the rungs of the ladder. But I hated that life. I DO work a lot, a lot, a LOT harder now, but I get bigger rewards, and I see my kids about 800% more than I used to when I spent my days in an office building. And it’s humbling too!
I’ve made a zillion mistakes and have wasted a ton of money by starting my own business. But I’ve grown by leaps and bounds, and I’ve learned a zillion things from those zillion mistakes. I enjoy the journey, I enjoy challenging myself, and I’m starting to enjoy pushing myself outside of my comfort level.
All that being said, no business is worth going into if you don’t LOVE it. You have to love it to push yourself through years of hard work and little sleep.
August 20th, 2007
How flattering! I’ve been tagged by Design Loft..a great blog worth checking out (click here).So, here’s how it works:
- Someone tags you
- You post five things about yourself that you haven’t already mentioned on your blog
- You tag 5 people you’d like to know more about
Here’s five things about me that I haven’t previously written:
- I’m a poet. If I really had real guts, I’d throw all caution to the wind to go after a songwriting career.
- It took me four semesters to pass college alegebra. I soared through pre-calculus in high school, but couldn’t get through college alegebra to save my life.
- I moved around a lot as a kid; everytime my parents got sick of a place, we’d move on. I’m used to being the new girl at school.
- I’ve been married for almost 9 years. My friends were so unsupportive of my decision to marry that I kicked them out of my wedding and had bridesmen instead of bridesmaids.
- My husband and I knew eachother in grade school - 6th grade to be specific; and only that year, because, (big guess here), my family moved on. We re-met and married years later. In one of our moves, we found our 6th grade yearbook, where we had declared our dream careers:
- Me: ‘Fashion Designer”
- Husband: “Graphic Designer”
My husband is our website designer and silkscreen graphics designer; I design the fashion collection. How’s that for the power of visualization?
So - that’s a bunch of stuff that I never write about, just random notes from my life. Now, I tag the following people:
reinventionrevolution.com; remembertobreathecenter.com; fashion-incubator.com;
March 17th, 2007