Tie Onesie

I got an e-mail from a customer a few days ago with these pictures attached:

Isn't he just the cutest?

Wearing a red and black stripe tie onesie, this little guy received great compliments on his choice of attire this Christmas. "It was a hit", says mom.

Thanks for the pictures of your handsome fellow. He is too cute!

Wet Bag Use #12

My four year old spills.

A lot.

I know two things to be true about my son and drinking sippy cups. The first is that he prefers the purple base with the blue and yellow top. The soft spout is half gnawed, and cracked right down the center.

The second is that no matter what is in it, no matter how tight I put on the top, how careful he is, how attentive I am to where it is set down, one thing is for certain. With mysterious powers only rivaled by the Bermuda Triangle or that elusive second sock I can never find, somehow, someway...it will be spilled on my red couch.

Now, a little background on my couches. When I was looking into purchasing two new couches for our family room before we moved in three years ago, time and again I heard people swear by Micro-fiber/or is it Micro-suede? I can never remember. "It wears so well", "the spills come out so easily", "snot comes off with nare a scrape of the fabric", etc., etc.

I didn't listen. I chose couches based on the fabric, albeit a non-kid-friendly-gonna-look-like-crap-in-two-years sort of fabric. It is not only NOT kid friendly, but every spill, every wet spot, every snotty nose regifts the stain again and again.

As I was picking up the second spill of the day (along with the mashed up goldfish crackers), I hear a loud bang against the kitchen floor. I ran to see what it was, and there was my little guy Bryce.

Have you ever counted the seconds when you are waiting for a little kid to let out a really loud scream? I look at him and I knew it was coming. His face red, eyes wide, and inhaling deeply to let out that enormous "I'm in PAIN!" wail.

Oh, and the time elapsed was about five seconds.

We have a large wall in our kitchen that houses pictures. For longer than I care to admit, I have been wanting to change the pictures from a row of five to a collage. I found a 3 foot long wall plaque with the saying "It's a Wonderful Life", meant to top the beautiful, timeless wall of black picture frames. I set it there four days ago, just waiting for a nail.

Bryce knocked it over while crawling. I could not tell where it landed, but there was blood next to it on the floor.

I rushed over to pick him up, and blood started dripping to the floor. Fast. All over my white shirt. In my hair, on my face. I searched his head, his neck, feet, arms, looking for where the blood was coming from.

And then I felt it.

The panic.

I was a cool cucumber before I had kids. The first to jump in and calmly analyze the situation.

Not so much with blood dripping from my second beloved.

I went into all-out-panic mode. I never would have thought I would be one of those See-Blood-and-run-screaming-in-an-absolute-frenzy type moms.

I ran from room to room, trying to find the phone. Somehow, every time I passed it, I did not see it sitting right on the table. Bumping my own head on the cupboard door trying to find a gauzepad or something that looked anti-septic. Searching for something that belonged in a hospital, I tore apart my cabinet. A band aid? I attempt to put that on and it sticks to his finger.

Now, the finger is full of blood with a bandaid sticking to it. Nice work, Jame.

I turned on the faucet, and then deciding against that. I flew up two flights of stairs trying to find something to house the blood.

I think about calling 911.

That last bit makes me ashamed to even be called a mom.

Finally, I did what any self-loathing panicked mom would do.

I called my mom.

Calmly, she told me to call my doctor and that she would be right over.

Well, wouldn't you know it (and I am sure you could have guessed), I know my peds number by heart. So, I called and they walked me through what to look for. During out brief call, the bleeding started to stop and I could finally get a good look at his finger.

I squinted my eyes to see the carnage. Would the tip be dangling, a slice in the side? I wondered. What would have caused all this bleeding?

I swallowed a huge dose of humble pie when I realized it was a cracked fingernail.



Wet Bag Use #12...bloody clothing sent to grandma's house for cleaning.


Now if I could only find something to store my damaged pride. Sheesh.

David vs. Goliath

A good friend of mine made that analogy and that is exactly how I feel.

The CPSC has decided to take a year to revamp the ill conceived CPSIA.

http://www.etsy.com/storque/craftivism/breaking-news-the-cpsia-mandatory-testing-certification-prop-3347/

Victorious.

My voice was heard.

Praise God.

I feel like celebrating!!!!

NBA or NFL?

Can you guess?

36
have been accused of spousal abuse

7 have been arrested for fraud

19 have been accused of writing bad checks

117 have directly or indirectly
bankrupted at least 2 businesses

3 have done time for assault

71,
repeat
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit

14 have been arrested on drug-related charges

8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and

84 have been arrested for drunk driving
in the last year

Can you guess which one it is?

Neither. It is the 435 members of Congress.

No wonder. We are trusting these yahoos to make the law?

Ridiculous.

I am so Lucky

Lucky.

I use the word all the time.

I feel lucky that I am in Target.
I feel lucky I get to stay home with my kids.
I feel lucky that I have such great customers, friends in the business, etc.

Almost every time I talk to another entrepreneur about Target, they say how lucky it was that I got the phone call. I just want to be perfectly clear.

I am a Christian, so I really feel luck has nothing to do with it. God has blessed me, and His plan was far greater than the one I could have dreamed for myself. I remember in the beginning, every night I would pray that God would bless my business and turn it into something that would allow me to stay home with my kids.

My prayers have been answered.

Minkee Cuddlebug

Isn't this Tag Cuddlebug just the cutest thing you have ever seen? I am in love with the new colorway, the perfect new baby gift, since it is so unique. $22.95

Hundreds of Thousands. That is how many manufacturers will be affected by the new CPSIA lead testing law. I realize I am beating a dead horse here, but the fact is that MOST of the vendors here at MiniMe BabyGear will be out of business.


I have a eight month old. I do not want him to put lead in his mouth, but almost everything he puts in his mouth (magazines, cables attaching the DVD player, holiday tins) is exempt from testing. The things that are mandated to be tested--ie. ANYTHING that is manufactured for babies, most of which never contained led in the first place, will have to be. COST per item: around $4,000. Some of them retail for $8.50. So, they will have to sell 1000 to just break even for the testing, nevermind other supplies. Talk about the price of children's products going up. It will have to.


Now, I do not know about you, but it makes a lot more sense to me to have ONE test for lead, and if the product contains lead naturally be required for further testing. But, our government does not work like that. They put ridiculous laws in place that require people that handmake felt food used by 7 year olds (can you just imagine a small pea from a felt food set with a giant label on it? CUTE.) to spend $4000 for ONE test for that ONE item. No wonder our economy is in the tank. With these people running it and making the law for the land, we are all in trouble.


Here is how you can help: let's get this changed. Lead testing is important. I am not even opposed to having the materials tested. However, the way this law is read, that every batch and every size will have to be tested is too far reaching. SO many people will be affected- the manufacturers themselves, the stores that sell them, the high schools that use craft shows to raise money, the people that supply fabrics for the items, the companies that supply office supplies to mail the items, the employees that help these moms and small businesses....it is never ending.

Isn't it a SAD day when making a handmade doll carries a HARSHER punishment than supplying CRACK COCAINE to a child?

Nonsense.

Please see post below for how you can help.

CPSIA, What can you do?

I have had a number of people ask if they could sign a petition, or write their congressman, or if there was any way to help with this new CPSIA legislation. I thought it would be important to repost some of the various ways you could help. Thank you for helping. I just fear that by the time this is all sorted out, many of us will be out of business!

Here's what you can do to help.
1. Start by telling everyone you know…discuss at school and playgroup.
2. Vote for amending the law on Change.org. With enough votes it will be presented to President Obama in January!
3. Find your congress person and senators and write a letter like the sample here.
4. Sign this petition, to be submitted to the CPSC.
5. Check out these additional resources: Facebook -Help Save Handmade Toys from the CPSIA and Handmade Toy Alliance

Thank you!

As this year draws to a close, I could not be happier. God is good.

This year ushered my sweet little guy, Bryce Xavier, into the Bird household (April 2008). Content to sit and watch his big brother, he has brought so much joy to our family. Along with every other mother, I was concerned that there was no way I could possibly love him as much as Kayden... but I do! Suffice to say, I am completely in love with both of them.

Highlights of the year in business:

• Going into 330 Target stores, and having the Wet Happened? bag exceed expectations. Some days I still cannot believe I am actually a Target vendor. Wild.


• The December Pregnancy and Newborn article.


• Finding a reliable manufacturer (this one makes me more thankful than you could ever know!)


• Adding some really great new products. Most of the vendors at MiniMe BabyGear I count as friends as well, and I love talking with them and finding ways to help each other grow. It is one of the best parts of my job, honestly.

One of the things I feel passionate about is giving back to the community in which you live, and I am so grateful that this year, I was able to give so many Princess robes to Devos Children's hospital. I am sure some little girl is delighted to be prancing around in her new boa robe.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this such a great year and all your support. I am fortunate that I get to work from home and be a part of my kids lives. Thank you for allowing me to do what I love!

Jamie Bird :-)

From Basement Sewing to Big Box Selling

I wrote this article for StartUpPrincess:

Last September, I was sewing in my basement, which also served as my office, warehouse, shipping center, and business storage space. I was just grabbing my thread to start sewing a new batch of wet bags for next day shipment when my phone started ringing. This was my personal number, not the business line, so I did not answer but listened to the message being left. It was a big box store, calling because they wanted to test the Wet happened? wet bag. They wanted me to fly out to corporate headquarters and find out more information about the process.

At first I thought it was a joke, at the very least a scam. I mean, what small business gets a phone call from such a large corporation? Feeling very overwhelmed, I immediately called my good friend Marina Westerdahl. She told me I would be crazy not to go; a week later I was on a plane. I will never forget the feeling of dread upon landing. My stomach hurt, and as I was trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill any minute I thought, “What in the world am I doing?” I was still sewing out of my basement. My first professional manufacturing run was in the process, but I did not have the first clue about outsourcing the labor of my wet bags, never mind dealing with large quantities or electronic ordering. The samples I brought with me were handmade and lacked the sleek packaging of many of the other brands out there. Yet, they still committed to trying it out.

Each step of the way has been a stumbling block. I had no experience dealing with EDI, import brokers, warehousing goods, etc. It may sound cliché, but remembering to take one small step at a time has helped me get through this process. To look at the whole picture almost gave me panic attacks (and still does). Only now can I look back at how I transformed my business from sewing in my basement to dealing on a larger scale and national platform.

A few terms of interest:
EDI- stands for “Electronic Data Interchange”. It is the electronic system of communication between businesses. Purchase orders, confirmation that the POs were received, and invoicing are just a few of the things done through EDI.
Pick and Pack-the warehouse picking out the products that will be shipped
Distribution Center- big box stores move product into a distribution center before shipping it to the actual store
Import Broker- if you are manufacturing overseas, it is the person responsible for clearing your goods through customs and getting them shipped to your warehouse
Insurance-some require certain insurance protection, between $2 and $5 million is standard.

When I heard 200 stores, it seemed easy since I already sold to 50. I mean, how hard could it be to add a few more? Little did I realize that big box is completely different than dealing with boutiques or online e-tailers. For example: if I am out of a certain stock position, I backorder and ship when it becomes available. Big Box lacks that flexibility. Shipping timelines are tight and orders need to be filled on time and be complete. I never realized this before, but big box retailers actually charge you back in those circumstances. I have a good friend that shipped an entire line of calendars three days late. She was charged more for the error than she made on the item.

Manufacturing was my first big challenge. How do I find a reliable company to produce the goods? I asked friends and other businesswomen and had samples made at seven various places. Each one did not work for some reason- either the cost of the item was higher than I wanted to pay, or the sample was poor quality. After many prayers, I feel blessed that I ended up finding a sourcing company in the States that works with a manufacturer in Hong Kong. They guided me through the entire process of manufacturing to create an item that is shelf worthy.

Next was the product packaging. How could I grab the attention of customers with so many other great products on the shelf? They need to know what my item is and what it is used for immediately. I believe the time I was quoted was three seconds. I hired a graphic designer and she came up with a beautiful new design that I feel represents the product and explains what it is. This, too, had “inexperience bumps”. Testing out how large the band should be to fit securely around my product, what colors to use, where the various nuggets of information should be placed presented more challenges. Paying a designer by the hour, each change I made cost more money.

Fulfilling out of my basement was no longer a workable solution. Finding a warehouse that would deal with a small to medium size company without my getting lost in the shuffle was important to me. I needed someone that would help me understand the process and also keep me informed without having to track them down constantly. I simply do not have the time to micromanage. Finding a great warehouse took a lot of time and energy, but I am so grateful I found a reliable one with great customer service. It makes a difference.

The goods are made, the warehouse is set up. How do I get them from China? I needed an import broker. Long story short, I needed a small amount of Wet Happened? bags sent to me via airfreight very quickly so I needed to choose one. Clearing customs in one to two days was crucial to making my ship date. A good import broker will not only help clear customs, but also find the best percentage paid in terms of duties. Many import brokers I talked to were so vague about fees, bundling them up so they were hard to compare. Once I found someone that listed the fees upfront, and was willing to explain each charge and timeline, I knew I was dealing with a reputable agent.

As a recap, this is the process thus far:
Finalizing the product, what I want it to look like
PO for manufacturing the Wet Happened? wet bags initiated by me
Manufacturer makes the goods
Import Broker gets goods into the states and overnights them to my warehouse
PO sent to me from big box via EDI
Warehouse receives packing lists from EDI and sends RTS (ready to ship) notice that my goods are ready for pick up
Goods are picked up from the warehouse
Advanced shipping notices are sent that the goods are on the way
Goods arrive at distribution centers, and then they are shipped out to each individual store
I have not even mentioned trademarking my name, coming up with the funding for 9000 pieces, buying barcodes, forming an LLC, setting up with an EDI provider, and getting business insurance. I always viewed (and still do!) myself as a mom working from the basement, so I never did the things I should have done initially to protect myself. Scrambling to get this all accomplished made the costs and stress level a bit higher that business owners that already have this in place. Where to begin was sometimes the hardest part. Not even knowing what to ask for, or where to go, presented a unique challenge many days. Just when all hope was lost, I would usually find someone that knew something about the situation at hand. Ask enough people, and someone eventually will know.

Finally, the inner struggle. One of my retailers made a really great point when I was approached to do this. For my retailers, this is not a win-win situation. Once a product goes into big box, many times it loses marketability for online boutiques. I really struggled with what would happen to all the retailers with whom I had a relationship. After all, they helped me grow my business. I still am not really sure if it will hurt sales, but it is safe to say it was a big concern for me going forward with this.

It is hard to touch on everything involved, so this is just a brief overview of the journey I took. It seems like every step of the way got more involved and more complicated. Ultimately, it is easier to sell high volumes in this capacity, but it does take some work to get it all set up.
While mine is certainly not the only way to experience this process, know that if I can do it so can you! One step at a time will help get you through the maze of trying to set your business up to sell big box.

Just discounted...

In the spirit of "out with the old, in with the new", I have discounted a few items. They are very limited quantities, so get them while they last!

Fleece Animal Blanket, $22.99

Fluffies, $14.99

Hair Bows, 50% off