About a year ago I started retailing a fabulous line of bags and totes called Scout Bags, made by a company called Bungalow. Scout bags are made of a durable polywoven fabric and offer exciting patterns, bright colors and crisp imagery. I stock anywhere from 12-15 styles of bags at any one time in as many as 20 different patterns. I carry two different lunch totes, a laptop tote and a variety of different style totes, which are great for the beach, pool, school, the gym or commuting. They really complement my business well and recently I was honored to be named to Bungalow’s Rising Star Scout Team, a recognition bestowed upon their top retailers.

Why did you decide to start a home business?
Prior to our first son’s birth I was a store designer for Crate & Barrel. After he was born, I couldn’t imagine leaving him all day in day care while I returned to work, so I decided to stay home and raise him. I wanted to be able to contribute some income to the family, stay mentally engaged, and feed my creative spirit. So I started thinking about what home businesses I could take on.
 

How did you get started?
All of the baby gifts we received were useful but all seemingly came from large chain stores and were made overseas. I received a handmade quilt for my son Davis when he was born. I thought if other mom’s didn’t have someone in their family that made handmade items, then that baby would probably never get such a unique gift. I shared my idea of making handmade baby gifts with my husband Ian and we started brainstorming ideas and concepts, believing that there was a market for unique keepsake baby gifts. I have been sewing since a kid making curtains, duvets, clothes, pillows etc. I made a couple baby quilts, bought a pattern for a diaper bag and started making burpies.

We brainstormed names and landed on Blossom Bug. I found Wahmshoppes searching for web hosts on the internet and was impressed because it catered to moms just like me. I found someone on the internet who designed logos for a very small fee and I outlined my idea of incorporating a ladybug and a flower. An initial design was created but I just wasn’t sold. I really hit the jackpot when I found Inkprince, who helped me conceptualize my logo idea and created the look and feel of my website on Wahmshoppes. My husband had created a website all by himself for our rental vacation condo at the Delaware Beach called www.BethanyBeachBungalow.com and really enjoyed web development. Once the initial design was created for the website by Inkprince, Ian took over and photographed all of the products and maintained the website. Although he works full-time, my husband is my essential business partner. He handles all of the website, from photographing products, writing the descriptions and updating the site. He also handles the bookkeeping and advertising.

I visited a local baby superstore called Great Beginnings owned by a couple in our neighborhood. I showed them my products and they were so excited about them that they offered me a whole table and I restock it on a regular basis. In addition to having customers come over whenever they want to buy something, this summer I started advertising and hosting an open house on a weekly basis and put out a lawn sign announcing I was open.

How do you promote your business?
Most of my initial business was friends and family and it continued to grow through referrals and word of mouth. I put business cards in all of the gifts and found that many recipients of gifts would then order as well. It was exciting when I started getting random orders from the internet. I bought space at some local holiday bazaars and events such as Oktoberfest. We initially put some advertisements in the community papers and had very little response. My husband used Google Adwords to promote our rental condo at the beach and created several campaigns for Blossom Bug and we started getting some traction. After I added Scout Bags and continued with the Google advertising I regularly received orders from all over the country. I have bought ad space in a variety of publications but feel I get the best return is from internet advertising.

We try to support the local community as well. This summer we sponsored our community swim team, which provided us the opportunity to advertise at the pool. We also set up a table and sold Blossom Bug products at one of the swim meets. Our oldest son started kindergarten this month and we now sponsor the elementary school PTA and bought an advertisement in the PTA directory.

This year, we also started a newsletter using Constant Contact, which is a fantastic tool for small business owners. We try to send out a monthly newsletter, featuring baby gifts, “spotlighting” a new Scout Bag, and sharing gift ideas. All customers are added to the mailing list and we continue to have a higher than normal rate success with the newsletter.

What challenges do you have in working from home?
My biggest challenge is time! I promise next day shipping for most of my products and I don’t have the luxury of making too many of the baby gifts in advance, so I typically have to make orders as they come in. I do a lot of pre-production work in advance in bulk on the burp cloths and bibs, but have to embroider or finish off or make other stuff. My boys are 3 and 5 and I spend a lot of time shuffling them to preschool, school and all of their after school activities so I have to squeeze my work in between these activities and in the evening. Space is also a challenge – we have completely retrofitted one of our bedrooms into a work studio. My husband has installed track lighting, built shelves, built two work tables and retrofitted the closet into work space. We have also built a retail display wall in our basement along with display tables.
 

Where and how do you network with other moms?
After our first son was born, I joined the local Mom’s Club to meet and network with local moms with kids the same age. I still am very good friends with some of the women I met in this group, along with their friends. I meet local mom’s from our boys classes, at the pool and by networking with other local women’s business owners through boutique fairs and networking clubs.

Can you share your tips for survival and success?
Wow… tips for survival? I think I am still trying to survive and be successful. I would say that you need a supportive family and ample investment capital, both of which I am thankful to my husband for. I couldn’t have started my business or attained the level of success I have had without his support, commitment and contributions. I think another tip I can offer is adaptability. My business today is not the business I started several years ago. I had to continuously change directions based upon feedback I received from my customers and the success (or lack of success) of certain products. The next big business step is that we recently opened a merchant account and will be accepting credit cards, both on our website and for in person orders, where we previously used PayPal. Also, with the help of my husband, we benchmark our product offerings, pricing and web design against our competitors. Another one of my challenges, that my husband continues to remind me, is to try to improve my profitability by being more aware of the cost of sale – taking into account my inventory costs, supplies, shipping materials, business cards, advertising, postage, etc. – and remember to be more cost conscious in my practices.

What is the best advice you could offer to someone just getting started?
The best advice I can give you is to make sure you have the moral support of your family. It’s also critical to consider what skills and talent you have and what gaps you need to fill utilizing the expertise of others. I’m thankful I found Inkprince to help me create and refine the look and feel of my identity – my logo, business cards and design of my website, and my husband who fills in most of the other gaps. If you have an idea – shop it, test it…. Ask your friends and family for feedback, check the internet to see who is already doing it.

What inspires you?
I get my inspirations from many sources; my grandmother was my first inspiration, she taught me how to sew when I was 6. She had an attic full of chests of fabrics. I can still remember how neatly they were folded and the musty, crisp smell they had when you pulled them out of the drawer. Fabrics – I love fabrics! I love how they feel, the color, the designs, the trends they follow and initiate. I like to use what is different, what you can’t find in every other store. Fabric is fashion, it changes from season to season and I love that. Thank goodness for the internet, I am able to then find the coolest fabrics for the best price – otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do all this.
 

Do you have a favorite quote?
“Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you’ll land among the stars”. Les Brown

“The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of your time”. ~ Heidi Kessler
I never had a lot of time with my parents; my single mom was a full time nurse and my dad wasn’t around for most of my life. I knew that when I had kids I wanted to make sure I was around for dinner, homework, soccer games and to tuck them into bed every night.

What do you know for sure....I know for sure that I love my family. I also know for sure I am glad I started my business and have the support of my husband and kids!