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Home Business SuccessSweet Success - The story of
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Home Business Success -- I didn't plan to start a baby accessories business... really!
When my son, Zack, was several months old, I realized he didn't have a security blanket. I received a number of blankets as baby gifts, but all were full sized, and I had visions of Zack looking like Linus from the Peanuts® comic strip dragging around a big blanket.
I wanted something small enough to keep in the crib as well as fit in the car seat and stroller. So I dusted off my long-forgotten sewing machine and made him a little blanket with terry cloth on one side, printed flannel on the other and trimmed in printed satin ribbon (with a Hey Diddle Diddle nursery rhyme theme) and satin blanket binding.
The following week, I brought Zack, clutching the first Cuddle Bug Security Blanket, to the infant/mommy group we attended at our local hospital. The nurse practioner who runs the group took one look at the blanket and began a session on the importance of a "lovey."
She had me show the blanket to everyone and explained that most babies take to a certain blanket or stuffed animal and that they are important developmentally for helping babies transition to sleep. These become treasured items that will be well worn with cuddling and washings. Losing a lovey is nothing short of disaster (she recommended having two of the item just in case!).
The nurse practioner was so taken with Zack's blanket, she quipped, "you should go into business selling these!" I just laughed, and when the moms sitting on either side of me asked me to make them blankets, I still didn't think too much of it. The following week, when eight more moms put in their orders, I realized that I had created something special.
Soon thereafter I launched Cuddle Bug Baby Products, and I have been selling Cuddle Bug Security Blankets ever since. I market them directly to customers via my web site at www.CuddleBugBaby.com as well as wholesale them to a number of select baby-specialty stores, gift shops, gift basket companies, and on-line retailers across the country.
I manage all aspects of the business myself, including marketing, sales, and web site design; heck, even the accounting!
In January, 2000 I was pleased to introduce two brand new product lines which compliment the Cuddle Bug Security Blankets: Cuddle Bug Burpies (attractive and absorbent burp cloths for babies) and Cuddle Bug Crib blankets (larger-sized crib blankets that match the security blankets). More recently, the Company followed up the success of these products with the introduction of two new product lines, the Cuddle Bug Cloverleaf Blanket (a wonderfully designed swaddling blanket for infants), and the Cuddle Bug Bib (a washable bib that matches the Cuddle Bug line).
Probably the biggest joy I have with running this business is when a customer takes the time to write or email saying how much they or -- even better -- how much their babies like my products! Fortunately I get quite a few of these notes, and I treasure each one.
When you have your own business, you own all the responsibilities and headaches, but can also take all the credit for the successes! You can say, "I did that!" It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and achievement. Like most parents who work, balancing time between my family and my work is a constant challenge. However, I personally need something "adult" to focus on that is separate from my family to keep me from getting bored at home. I savor the few hours a day I spend on my business as much as I do my time with my son.
Probably the most valuable resources I have found in helping with my business are on-line communities that focus on women and/or mom-owned businesses, such as Digital Women. In addition, I used a book entitled, Made in America: The Business of Apparel and Sewn Products Manufacturing, by Gary & Ulascawicz. I simply could not be as successful as I have been without these!
Starting Cuddle Bug Baby Products may have been an unplanned accident, but it is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I learn something new each day, and enjoy every challenge the business brings. It's the next best thing to chasing around the-cutest-boy-in-the-entire-world and being married to the-greatest-guy-in-the-world!
Cherie Hammer is a San Francisco Bay Area native and resident. After nearly a 15-year career on Wall Street and working as a senior product manager and producer with several high tech consumer software companies, she left the corporate world completely after the birth of her first son. A few months later she launched her first entrepreneurial venture, Cuddle Bug Baby Products, which produces unique, hand-crafted accessories for babies and toddlers. She has an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. She is married to a wonderfully understanding and supportive man who is an executive at a Silicon Valley software startup company. They have one son and two Borzoi dogs, and are expecting their second child in September, 2001. Her web site is www.CuddleBugBaby.com.
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