Summer - River of Enery Renewed

It's so hard to keep the energy up through the start up phase and on into the growth phase. And in truth, it's a sad sad day when someone as driven and motivated as Smicko Lady drops the ball for a little while. I did. Enjoyed some down time with my kids (the inspiration for all things creative around here anyways), just loving that I can take them outside, go to the park, push them on the swings, sit in the backyard pool (plastic, 4 inches, but we love it).
But that doesn't mean growth isn't afoot. If you check out the retailer section on the Smicko'z website www.smickoz.com you will see a new crop of fantastic retailers, both bricks and mortar and online. A huge congratulations to Marcia at Rolz and Sassy Baby Boutique in Kincardine Ontario for her new venture. If you are in the Kincardine area, make sure you get to the Rolz and Sassy Boutique grand opening! Rolz and Sassy are the makers of stunning baby slings, and I had the chance to meet them at the Today's Parent Babytime Show. (Which is also a great lesson for all of us, get OUT of your booth if you can, go meet other manufacturers and retailers, as you never know who's going to want to partner with you in the future). When I met Marcia, she was still in the idea phase, just a few short months ago, and here she and her partner are opening up a store featuring amazing products.
So back to energy renewed...... some big things coming up for Smicko'z. I'm investing the money and going down the PR road. I'm excited and nervous. When the campaign comes out I'll post it here so you can check it ou. Great PR firm that runs campaigns for groups of products, and they've had good results with market penetration (read, do your homework). Lots of companies have approached me in the past, and I just wasn't sold on the payoff for dollars invested. This particular company approached with a solid business plan, and results that were measurable.
The campaign kicks off in September, followed by a jam packed trade and consumer show roster of events. It feels like I'm in an investment phase, but am feeling pretty good about reinvesting what's come into the account in the last few months into the future of the company.
I've been fortunate enough to connect to some amazing mompreneur women who are kicking butt and working their own butts off to get themeselves launched. The most motivated of whom are finding different and interesting ways to get themselves noticed.
I want to share one, only because I know the founder is looking to pick up new subscribers all the time. It's free to join. The man's name is Peter Shankman (feel free to google him, you'll be impressed with his self launched career). You can visit his website at www.shankman.com and sign up for his service called "Help a Reporter Out". Again, free to join. Essentially, he sends out mass emails three times a day, with queries from reporters looking for experts to comment on pieces they are writing. If you have knowledge of any topic, you email the reporter/writer/blogger directly and in return you get a mention as does your company. It was pretty much started to appeal to PR professionals, but Shankman has found that more than just PR pros can "help a reporter out". The other side of the deal? If you don't truly have direct knowledge, DO NOT reply. I've replied to about 5 out of over 1000 sent my way. They are fast and easy to read. Most of the ones I've replied to are about small business ventures, startups, and mompreneur angles. I resist replying to the ones I have knowledge of in my personal life - I want my name and my company to be able to stand together.
So there's your hot tip for June. HARO.
Smicko Lady

Associations

From trade and boutique shows that I've been in, I have met a lew of complimentary toddler product manufacturers. Some starting on, some further down the road. As my latest brain flash moment, I've created an email group that is discussing trade show opportunities, booth sharing, suppliers trading, and contacts to use.
I think its a very beneficial group, and some are able to bring not only product expertise, but jobs they do as day jobs that can offer a great deal of information.
This is a great local idea for any of you to start collecting companies where you are and doing something similar that is local to your market. Consider this - every step that you take alone, you work that much harder. If you have some real support behing you, it's that much easier.
If a show will allow you and another person to share a booth, that's money saved, and a partner to sell your wares if you need a quick bathroom break.
We currently stand as a group of 8. If you think you have something to bring to our local Toronto group, please email me at info@smickoz.com and tell me a little about yourself and your company. If it could work, Id be pleased to add you the group.
If you're wondering if I'm a fit for your group, visit my site at www.smickoz.com
Smicko Lady

Random Stuff

I've been asked in the last few weeks if I found any online resources that I could share, that I've found helpful.
I did - and one I remember is entrepreneur magazing online - tons of links
If you are in a major city, find the local fashion incubator (it's a group of artisans and fashion designers) some of the info will good and free local info, and some of it is to buy. I've used the Toronto Fashion Incubator, and was able to use their lists for sourcing many things, from labels to packaging.
Then there's mompreneur online - and they have fabulous downloads like standard non-disclosure agreement as you go from supplier to supplier.
Incoporation can be done a number of ways, but it must be done to get the business account to get the finances divorced from household expenses.
If there's other documents you need , you can find stadard press releases and standard business plan's - you just need to know the numbers before you do it.
I'll try to remember a few more.
If you're looking for a specific supplier or finisher around Toronto, I have names for you too.

Children's Trunk Show -can't say enough about it, was a really good entry for me. And I liked it for the reason I knew I would: Mom only crowd, good numbers through the door, high quality goods for sale, a returing clientele, and people ready to shop. These established show are hard to get into, and it takes waitlisting sometimes, but I got in a cancellation this time, hopefully will get in on my merits next time. And for the first time, I, Ran, Out, Of, Product. Some of my styles were completely sold out. Bad to have empty pegs I think, but overall no one was deterred.
I think I've got setup and takedown down to an art because of my favourite new toy:

THE IKEA DOLLY. It's cheap, it's a dolly and it works. And it costs about 10 bucks. At most shows, you wait around for the dollies, you can spend hours sitting on the floor with everything packed around you. Not so this time, record take down and out to the car, show ended at 5 - we were out the door at 5:20 (only started setdown right at 5:00) I LOVE IKEA.
Get one if you are doing shows. You will likely be far from the car and your booth, so you'll need one.

I also bought a fantastic new foldown table at IKEA, huge bright orange colour, and it can be a 2 foot table or a four foot table - which means after taking a 4x4 space, I am convinced I no longer need 10x10 booths. The booth got plenty of traffic

In buying your tradeshow setups, I suggest that in most cases, smaller will be easier. I use tubberware tubs, the table, chairs, judy's for display, 2 wirestands, and my banner. I do own carpet tiles, can be as big as 5x5 or as big as 10x10. Genius because you can handle anysize booth..

Gearing Up (again)

Alas, another trade show is upon the world of Smicko. And while I had freshman like excitement and nerves for the first big one, the lessons have been learned (not that I'm not looking forward to it, because I am).
Trade Show Lessons Learned (and to be followed and heeded by me at all cost)
1. Set up is the day before, meaning, there is nothing to bring the next day. The days are long. So showing up an hour early just 'because' is totally unnecessary. Totally. In fact, the booth next to me remained unmanned for one hour on the morning of the third day, because clearly she knew something that I didn't.

2. Bring your own food. When I tell you that we ate garbage for three days, I kid you not. Not even a decent cup of coffee to be found. And when I say garbage, I mean it in the sense that a full on Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal from McD's would have been better, less greasy, and less regrettable than what was available. BRING YOUR OWN FOOD, AND A THERMOS OF COFFEE. Also, water bottles cost a couple of arms and legs at these things, so bring your own eco-friendly Nalgene.

3. Set up a booth with chairs. For the love of sciatica, bring chairs.

4. Don't wear white. Don't have a white tablecloth.

5. Bring Purell. Smicko family has only recently gotten over the superbugs contained at last trade show.

6. Turn off the brain when you get home. Sleep is precious. Don't think about the show. Turn off the show till you have to be there at 8:59 am the next day.

7. Bring hand lotion.

8. Leave booth with wonderful Smicko friend Dana, and go look outside where there is sunshine and weather and air. Take a deep cleansing breath. Then go back in.

Smicko'z new warehousing system and office are near completion - and the re-investment doesn't end there. I've taken steps to get a bookeeper to help keep me in line - I'm getting a brand spanking for the first time ever press release professionally done - and web guru is hooking up the smicko'z website with some new features, and bringing the new fabrics on, out with the old.

I received the new Smicko'z fabric order today, and I am in deep deep love with this batch. I can't wait for you all to see the new ones coming out! (was in love with the last batch too, I know I know, but honestly, I'm a fabric hound)
You can check the changes over the next few weeks at www.smickoz.com

Wish me luck at the show!
Smicko Lady

Something I Should Do

Being in the 'mompreuniverse', I have occasion to meet other budding mompreneurs with fabulous products and companies. They too are wading this road to success, and some are doing a bang up job of it!
Take Kim over at Chatterbox games. She's created a box of Social Skills games and ideas for families to do together. Now a lot of the 'kid' market is a whole lot of fluff. Useless stuff. Her product (and I say this from a decade or so of teaching) is bang on the money. Outside of the 'want' it pile, and way deep into the 'need' it pile. Want to check out something amazing? Google Chatterbox games and get blown away.

Another great entrepreneur? Snapdragon designs. Really and truly stunning clothing and bags made by one fabulously stylish lady. Google Snapdragon and you'll find her amazing stuff.

For the story on entrepreneurial spirit, one need look no further than Karen over at Tail Wags Helmet Covers. A former costume designer and teacher, her handmade helmet covers are beyond adorable, and her hard work and dedication towards her product deserve a real congratulatory nod. I believe the link to Tail-Wags is on the blog part of my blog, so check it out.

A company I had occasion to meet over at the Today's Parent Show that I fell in love with (and S is still wearing their shirt night and day" is called Booda Belly. Really beautiful organic and bamboo clothing. The stuff washes and wears like a dream. Also in the startup phase, watch them for great things to come.

If you haven't heard of Name Your Tune yet, you will and soon. These are cd's personalized to your child's name with the old favorites we all grew up with. My kids each have one, and they adore hearing their names on the songs and feeling special. Google Name Your Tune. Amazing as gifts, get your hands on one for your little tot.

I think it's important we all support each other in this game. Sincerely. Without each other, there are no contacts, no advice, and no pushing each other on to bigger and better. I'm not saying to hype your direct competition, but if someone is doing something fabulous in the same market segment as you, connect with them and see how you can better work together. Even if it's sharing a booth at a trade show, or linking each other to your websites, there are many ways to do business together. Lecture over.

Smicko Lady
www.smickoz.com

Onwards Soldiers

Those of you wondering, will I jump into another trade show with both feet after the great plague that ripped through my house after the first one, here's your answer - doing it. May 30, an excellent opportunity for me called The Children's Trunk Show. All very cool vendors, all juvenile oriented, mostly the mompreneur group, and no "attraction" which is something I am getting very wary of.
What's the "ATTRACTION"?
Here it is: A show goes out and hires a couple of actors to wear massive suits of Diego and Dora, and every 60 minutes, a show starts, which you know because you can hear it over a massive loudspeaker, and all 15000 entrants to the trade show RUN past your booth to get there. And rightfully so. They PAID 15-20 bucks a head to get in the door. They expect to be entertained. And justifiably, I'd be offended to be asked to pay 20 bucks to go shopping.
But the Children's Trunk Show has one attraction - Shopping! They ask for a donation at the door that goes to Sick Kids Charities. And that's peachy with me given how much I feel indebted to both Sick Kids and Mt. Sinai Hospitals.
I am getting a little wary of the synagogue and school 'boutique' nights given their low turnouts and the amount of schlepp it takes me to get there, hire a sitter, set up, and sit there all night, whilst doling out the obligatory door prize from my inventory without a tax receipt to show for it, all the while paying Moneris for the rental of my wireless mc/visa/debit machine.
So for the forseeable future, I will shell out and get into established shows.
I am looking at a few right now - Trunk Show Spring and Fall, Babytime Show Fall, Seasons Christmas November.
If anyone knows any established crafty one day shows between now and next year please let me know. You can email me at info@smickoz.com or feel free to leave the comment here.
OH
One more note - if there's a Smicko pattern that you LURVE and have been thinking of getting, do it sooner than later, I am committed to changing it up by season, and will have a constantly evolving line of product. I look forward to the next batch, and am seriously THRILLED with the new fabrics coming in. They too are limited runs - very limited as summer is a small season. Fall will be much bigger.
You can check out the last line at www.smickoz.com and choose an online retailer if you can't get here.
Cheers,
Smicko Lady

Change is a Necessary Evil

Dear Readers
Today we discuss one of my least favorite subjects. Namely, change.
But you say, change can be a good thing, metamorphosis. True. But change in manufacturing generally means a few things. Most of them bad.
Some don't apply. Some do.
1. A supplier has discontinued something. You searched high and low for months on end. You haggled, you begged, you finally found IT!!!! And you'd have bet a lifetime of Cheetos that it would be available to you at the ready for the rest of your natural life. It suddently isn't. And the replacement offered is Gawd-Awful.
2. Ok, really, this is the only change I want to discuss today. And here's why - learn at my mistakes!!!!! HAVE A BACKUP!!! Even if it's one you are entirely less passionate about, in a pinch it will do, and you'll have time to research again.

As it stands, no one but me will feel this for a very long time, which is a very good thing. And by the time someone else feels it, I'll have found the solution. Also a good thing. But I will know and go to sleep knowing that I comitted the classic rookie error. The manufacturing equivalent of not backing up your work on to hard copy. Hand slapped, suitably contrite for one night.

More Humming and Tapping.

Every forget something important? REALLY important? yeah, met too.
Something like huge meeting with massive distributor between the fog of your pneuomonia and the hand surgery of your 3 year old, you just, kind of put in on the back burner for now. But you'll get there, terribly worried that you've lost the business because of a lack of diligence.
Sigh. Today for one day, I get to play the pity me game, as I let some huge things come and go while left was running at me at break neck speed.
So now I must plan the attack back. And I'll get there, will just take more time and focus than the first meetings that I was able to arrange without all the much pain.

Moreover, the summer months are looking strange for trade shows, have the fall ones lined up for now. But the summer may be a lot more phone ringing/door knocking type work, which I don't mind - it's the adrenaline rush of the initial overture - almost like fixing your daughter up on a blind date, here take this product you'll love it!

And coming soon - more lessons learned in the great land of retail. They let me out and they know I will be spilling more secrets really really soon.

Anyone mind a brand new mantra?
Buy local, buy handcraft, buy artisan, buy Canada.
Smicko Lay

The Linden Fund

Please take a moment to click on the Linden Fund on the right part of the screen. Lauren over at the Linden Fund works tirelessly to provide care for Ontario families facing the struggles of extreme prematurity. The Linden Fund has their own walk and bike ride, called pedals for preemies, and if you can, please take a moment to sponsor the team.
I am honoured to be associated with Lauren and with Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, where my 27 weeker received the best of care, and her parents emotions were care for by the amazing teams in place. No family should have to struggle isolated through this time.
Thanks for reading - will get back to regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.

I also urge you to look into the Sasha Bella fund over at Sick Kids Hospital, a fund that is challening Sick Kids to devote themselves more to "family centered care' as well all know that when severe illness befalls a child, the whole family is affected.

Are You Listening?

Are you really listening to what your customers are telling you?
Now that you've established a base of retailers (if you've come that far), you will know already what I'm about to tell you. Your customers have requests, some of them special requests, some of them possible criticisms or enhancements of your product. On the spot, and in the moment, you tell that customer, you are happy to receive the input, and thank you. But inside... the internal debate wells up.
Because I always seem to be so honest in this blog, I will reveal here the special requests/criticisms/product enhancements/product extensions that are suggested to me.

1. Matching oven mitts to go with the Smicko. The first time I got this request, I thought it would be a rather unique one. Turns out it's not. I will take a pass on this one, because honestly, I think it opens up a massive liability issue - do I really want to produce oven mitts for toddlers? I grant that the general population will not be putting their toddlers hands inside an oven, but heaven help me if just one person ever does. This gets filed under cute, but not doable.

2. Larger sizes for siblings. Under consideration, and likely to happen, though in much smaller runs.

3. Plasticized. Oh I debated this one up and down. Plastic or not? And if not, then why? Well, here's the secret - tots don't want to wear plastic 3x a day after a certain age. It's hot, it's uncomfortable, and if you've ever cared for one of these plastic numbers, it becomes quite grubby looking after many scrubs. Smicko'z go in the wash and dryer - and I think I like it this way.

4. Full sleeved. Again, difficult to convince a toddler to do. I am however prototyping a cap sleeved version, one that will still not nick at the neck. But again, prototype phase, and market possibly limited.

5. More butch male prints. I tried, I honestly scoured fabric designers for fabulous boy prints. And let's be honest with each other - in the tot market, boys just get the shaft. I found the best prints that I could, and I adore them, but those who have commented are certainly correct, there are but 3 obvious male prints compared to 10 girl prints, and 2 gender neutral. And it's a pity, believe me. I am still focussed on bringing more delightful male prints to market. And this will happen, promise.

Then - are you listening to your retailers? When they tell you one of the group doesn't do as well as the others, are you attentive? Because when they share with you that one is not doing well compared to the other 6 selling like gangbusters, they are asking you to DO something. It's up to you what to do. Likely they will slash the price and sell them off, but will not buy that particular one from you again. But will you grant them consideration on their next order? And if so, what can you actually afford to do? Like most manufacturers, your margin is likely slim. But I suggest to you that you find some way to keep the retailer happy - by any means, even if it means eating into some margin on one order. And as always, remember to SERVICE your retailers (those you deal with directly, your distributor/sales rep must handle the accounts that they service).

Finally, a note to Smicko'z World Readers - you are out there, I know, and reading this - which honestly boggles my mind sometimes. I am humbled that you come back, you email, follow along, encourage and support. The power of a blog, or this blog in particular is the ability to reach out and 'talk' as it were, with people you wouldn't ordinarily have the opportunity to meet. To those of you who have gone so far as to link this blog to yours, thanks many times over.

Smicko Lady.

For Every Child There is a Tradeshow

So you're thinking to yourself - gee, I've done one tradeshow. What do I do next? GOOD NEWS!!! Once you've done one, they all come and email YOU! And you get to sort through them all, with the scant amount of knowledge you have about each of them, and try to ascertain which ones you can : reasonably attend, reasonably afford, reasonably meet new links in the supply chain, and possibly, sell to the public.
There are closed to the public trade shows. There are trade and consumer shows together. And then there are straight consumer shows. Add to that the array of one-off boutique nights, benefits, and community center events, and you've got a wide choice of where to set up shop.
Let me warn you before we delve deeper -
Trade Shows cost money.
There's no garuntee of making back the money you've spent.
They are backbreaking, long hours, and gruelling.
You, if you are like me, will get violently ill with some superbug after each one of them.
So here's today's scoop. Look down the vendor list of already subscribed exhibitors, and call them, email them, get the skinny on the show itself.
3 day shows including electrical cost about 1500. More if you need a larger booth.
Multiply that by how many times you do it, and you need to sell a whole lot more widgets and gidgets to make the money back.
So in short, be smart, and be focussed. I can't garuntee you'll choose the right one to start with. The only thing I do suggest is that for your first large show, stay as local as you can to give you the power to follow up easily and quickly with whomever you meet.
For me-
In the upcoming weeks and months, you will find Smicko'z at:
The Temple Sinai Boutique Night, May 1.
The Children's Trunk Show, May 30
The Todays Parent Show Nov 7-9

I think that's as much as I can commit to these days. It does seem to die down over summer, but that's a great chance to get going on retailers for the Christmas season (I know, I know, Christmas in July? Um, yes. Christmas in July, never forget it again. Most retailers know by the end of July what they'll stock towards Christmas this year). See? MORE advice from someone just barely on the ground getting her feet wet.
Don't forget to check the Smicko'z website every so often to see what I'm up to and where I'll be
www.smickoz.com
Cheers!

Took a Break

I went to bed a few days ago, and apparently forgot that I have this blog to write in. Exhaustion mixed with a good flu, a week of misery and the start of Passover later, and I'm just getting into the groove again.
Met with NYC entrepreneurial guru on Sunday, and he had some amazing input. Essentially, being agile, changing your view of where your product belongs, changing the paradigm. It was an especially good talk for me, as I have lately been pondering my ability to serve single outlet retailers beyond a certain geographical range. And I want the product to go national, not just local in Ontario. But there's a large gap, not just a step, between local retailing and national distribution. And that's the wall I'm currently scaling. For anyone who's been following along, I've been trying to weigh the pros and cons of sales reps vs. distributors. And I think the answer is, you use what you can, where you can. If a sales rep has a huge territory with a ton of outlets, then that's who you go with, and you suck it up and do the shipping and tracking.
Still learning over here though, and of course the next question follows, which is, how to predict trends based on one production run. Or even two? Each production has to be of a certain amount, and I don't want to go over what I can reasonably warehouse. But, truthfully, if I were to land a large distribution deal, I wouldn't have the agility to turn around thousands in weeks.

Too much yellow?

Yeah, ever since the redesign, I'm thinking no more yellow. Looking for a nice grass green one to go with the banner (which is also my trade show mock up - sorta like green grass when it's very young in the spring).
On to the current state of mind around here - still in the salesrep/distribution loop. For so many reasons. But here's the big one, and I really do want input this time:
1. Sales reps, while they don't stock your product, still continue a personal relationship with individual stores on your behalf and technically work as Smicko'z while they are representing. because you continue carrying all your own inventory, you retain certain amounts of control over the supply chain (which is also an argument against, I know)
2. Distribution. Clean, simple, cold? Drop ship x number to dist warehouse. Dist represents 10 lines, and presents you equally as one of them. They ship to and from retailers, so there's no personal relationship between you and retail outlets. They also maintain the relationship, so you can't step in anywhere as the manufacturer if you believe it's not represented well somehwere.. You have to sit back because of the agreement signed BUT:
-paperwork nightmare GONE
-spreadsheeds provided
-very tidy in/out box
-less mess to hand to the accountant at year end
-distributor on the line for deadlines - accountability to distribution group, not single retailers

So - if you're me, at a key stepping point, who looks better? What would you do and why?
ina.ornstein@smickoz.com or leave it in the comments section.

Looking From a Distance

Three days post show blitz is over. Now happily settling into the flu that's travelling around SW Ontario and hoping I didn't pass it on to 9month old E. So here's where the show's left me mentally:
Chuffed - happy in some regards.
Up to my neck in others.
While I had a pretty decent show by all standards, it left me wandering down the path of next steps and extensions - to use the distributors and sales reps, or to keep chugging along on my solo mission.
S over at Planetkid.ca and I have emabarked on a new verbal volley back and forth about this one, so I'll let you know how the thinking goes. But in general, here's what I do know:
Distributors by your product directly from you, taking a 10-15% discout of the retail, and they then become the wholesale channel (you drop ship to just one place, they take care of the rest).
OR
There's the sales rep route. They essentially go out and do what you do. They don't purchase your products from you, but rather take a percentage (10 to 15%) of the retail cost of the sale.
Pros, Cons, if you've been there, I want to hear from you.

A further insight was emailed to me this morning over the domain name 'scandal'. It would seem as though there are comanies that go out and purchase all the different coutry codes and unused URL's that you didnt, and when you hit it really big, they come back and attempt to sell them to you. Web guru told me to google Britney Spears, and you'd be amazed how many other people own sites about her with her name on them, without those sites belonging to Britney Spears. See? Live another day, learn another lesson.

But seriously, and I say it again - go get your own idea. It's so much easier to be the one running in front than the one playing catch up all the time.

They Say Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Well - someone thinks I am doing something right. Because ladies and gentlemen, I have my first copycat. This person went so far as to attempt domain registrations of Smickoz. Didn't even want to come up with a 'close but not quite' name, actually tried to outright steal the name. Although that's less imitation and more outright copying, right?
How do I know? Well, this person (love netfirms, I can see who's visiting, and how many times), started checking all the conotations of smickoz at whois domain reg. And of course what they found was, I own all the pertinent ones. If you'd like to purchase smickoz.uk have at it. But you won't be competing with me. You'll be selling to the British.
So a message to you, dear copycat - as I'm guessing you read my blog too:
Whois notified Netfirms, who sent an automatic email asking if I wanted to purchase the remaining straight smicko'z web urls. PS - I have your number, literally(your IP number). You visited whois 4 times and followed it to my sites. I've also traced you to your ISP . Hopefully, I won't have to get to know you more than that. Want to know more about the word Smicko? I googled it and put it through search engines before I ever registered it. In the entire world, there were barely any hits, and it was mostly found as a slang word in Australia, meaning cool. No one, not one person on planet earth has ever tried, before me, to register the tradename Smicko or Smickoz. But today, someone did. Odd, odd little coincidence.
It's hard to be sneaky and underhanded in the tech age, isn't it?

Aches and Pains

Today's Parent. Last Day. Final Hours. 3 hours before setdown, the cold begins. Sore throat, runny nose, chills. On top of the exhaustion and utter mind numbness. Best advice after three days of this? You need to have the spare people working in your booth with you. You cannot possibly keep track of all the people who wander in, and even the most copious of note takers will lose something.
Thanks to the dynamic team working with me this weekend, every important conversation was recorded in a handy dandy notebook, with names and return phone numbers, and what the follow up action is. I don't have to trust the wobbly memory - it's all there, and will be there in a few days when the sciatica dies down and the cold misery goes away.
Am I happy I did the show? Absolutely. But now, I miss my kids, I miss my husband, and I'm beyond happy to be home and sharing my cold germs with them. Tomorrow I return to being Mom - and I missed it.
Today I reflected a lot on the best parts of Mom-preneuring. And here's the best one. I started this business with my kids literally in my lap. This was the first real road show where I had to leave them - and I'll be honest, it hurt a little. Ok, it hurt a lot. The best part of Mompreneurship is being a Mom. I fought long and hard (for those who know me IRL) to become a Mom. It was a 6 year journey full of pain and hardship. These kids are my world. I'm still battling the anxiety that arises when I realize that my year of mat leave will be up in a few short months. Leaving E with a sitter for three days was agony. S had been in preschool all year. What will I do without my rugrats next year?

Today's Parent Show - Day 2

Another exhausting day on my feet. The International Center was jam packed with families and shoppers. And now to add yet more knowledge to the growing store. I'm sure what I'm about to tell you will come as no shock:
Men do not shop for their children (in general)
If you see a man coming down the aisle pushing a stroller, he is at best, a reluctant hanger-on. He's been dragged by his partner. He doesn't want to be there. There's sports on tv. There's other thrilling stuff somewhere else to do. He's watching someone spend the household budget, and he's not happy about it. Now granted, he's not the one home every day, and doesn't really understand what the kids needs are, or what the little maladies that the kids suffer from really get into. Mom is. She knows. She knows what she wants and needs. She knows what's useful and what isn't. And she's not happy about the grumbling input behind her.
So let him pass. Mom will be along shortly (she's in another booth, he got impatient and started moving on in the hopes that she'll follow his path to the door). She's the decision maker where the kids are concerned.
Here's something else you should know about the trade shows. Aside from the retailers/entrepreneurs/distributors/media that are there, there are also a decent number of pyramid scheme groups there. Not to get you to buy product, no, that makes them very little money indeed. The real money is in having you sign up to have a party for them in your home or to have you sign up into the scheme yourself, and go 'under' them in the pyramid. In fact, that's the only way they can make a decent buck. They held back for the first day, but today, started moving through the booths to hard sell gals like me in our booths to join on (because I have so much free time these days, LOL). Some of them have cool products, but I have to tell you, I have a lot of friends who've done this. They always quit after the first six months. It's just impossible to make a living unless you sell out everyone you know for it. And the income it produces DOES NOT (no matter what they tell you) replace a regular salary with benefits.
(ok, rant over, clearly these things make money for someone, but definitely not the average woman who signs on to the starter kit).
Market your own cool ideas. You will be more passionate, more interested, and more involved. You don't need someone else's cache. You will also be infinitely more fulfilled knowing that the entire payoff is for you alone. Starting your own company is far more rewarding than being in someone else's pyramid scheme. (sorry, I know I said rant over, but it's really over now).
NEXT
and honestly this should have come first - I have to talk and gush about Karen from Tail Wags again. She's my next door booth neighbour, and just about the most generous person I've met so far in this game. She is constantly sending people next door to meet me, and filling them up with praise about Smicko'z before they get to me. Because of Karen, I have met sales reps, distributors, media, retailers, and customers. She doesn't have to. Honestly, other than filling in for her on potty breaks, there isn't much I can offer her. But she's one of 'those' people who is just honestly open and loving and generous. I can't gush enough about her. Her products are on fire at the show, her booth is mobbed, and she is a PRO. (Yes, S now has one, and it's the teddy bear one that fits over her bicycle helmet). And she has a unique product that she designed, that's all hers. She runs a successful company, on her own, from her home - it's possible and it's doable. Take the inspiration where you can get it.
One more day before setdown, and I'll be able to reflect on the whole experience from my couch with a good drink in my hand.
So if you're in Toronto, come on down for Sunday - www.babytime.ca
and don't forget to check out Smicko'z Tablewear for Toddlers at www.smickoz.com
Going to soak my feet now~

The Today's Parent Show - Day 1

WOW.
All I have to say is WOW.
Today was brilliant and exhausting and exhilerating. If you are looking for inspiration in the baby toddler world, this is the place to get it. So many small businesses just like mine to draw advice from and swap stories with. Lots of the webmedia and some print media out in full force. Lots and lots of Smicko'z tried on and sold (which of course is v.v.good).
It is so much work to get ready for one of these things, but the real work is keeping the energy up and fresh for each new person, each new walk through, knowing when to keep talking and when to pull it back.
Thanks to Dana and Ilyse, the dynamic sister team who manned the busy booth with me today, I would have been lost without you.
Tomorrow, Dana returns for day two, and joining team Smicko will be my amazing and wonderful friend Barbara who can be called on in a pinch (like a true moment's notice SOS!) and who will be there in her Smicko regalia. Saturday's supposed to be busy, so I'm thrilled to have three manning the booth again.
And if you can believe it, the lovely and devoted Dana will be back on Sunday, along with Husband Dan, who will help round out the threesome from today.
What are my early signs that this is going well?
1. Good sales - managed to cover the cost of the booth in one day, which was my goal for the whole three days.
2. Retailer meetings and cards swapped. I have meetings scheduled for all next week to get OUTSiDE Toronto. This is amazing, as I've not been able to do this from homebase.
3. Webmedia/Printmedia - looks like I will be able to pick up some PR from some groups who cam and got samples and a briefing from our team.
All in all, I think it's the best you could hope for in a trade show where it's your first year and no one's heard of you before, but the buzz is spreading. We actually had people come back to the booth because they saw kids running around the show in them!

If you can't make it to the show, visit the website at www.babytime.ca most of the retailers sell online in one way or another. Also, check the links for all the mom groups and webzine, sleeping doulahs, and massage people (whom I'd like to beg for mid-show services.)
And if you're still wanting a peak at good old' Smicko'z I'm always at www.smickoz.com or you can email me at ina.ornstein@smickoz.com

Oh - to answer my own question from last week - was it worth it? Um, YEEESSSSS
If you are questioning whether or not to do it, trust me, there were PLENTY of small and cool booths with mompreneur businesses that are selling the grooviest little things for kids.
My booth mate is a woman named karen who has an unbelievable little company FEATURED ON CTV NEWS TODAY! called Tail Wags, they are stunning helmet covers for kids. You can find her and her retailers at www.tail-wags.com She can barely keep her stunning creations on the sheleves, and somehow makes it through these days as cool as a cucumber. She's also just a phenomenol person to know.

Last Minute Frenzy

A list of thanks to those wildy derserving it:
1. Husband, for taking the day off work, and helping organize product, transport booth materials, and constructing the booth with me today.
2. Mom. Came over and packaged and packaged while we talked about the scandal that we THINK should be the scoring from the World Figure Skating Championships. She agrees, I am right.
3. Planet Kid!! To the rescue. At the last minute, Sarajane throws me an offer to taking two of their little mannequins called "judy's' to the show so the product can be seen on a tailor made model front and back. Yes, they rock constantly, and they can't keep Smicko'z in stock. www.planetkid.com
4. Jamie over at Hard Boiled Inc over in Kensington Market. You say rush? He says OK. You say I need it yesterday? He says we'll make it work. He says they'll be ready at 11am the day before the show? They are there, bagged, with invoice, waiting for you. But do they look like a rush job???? NO WAY. So Cheers to www.hardboiledinc.com trust me and put them in your favorites, you will need them one day.
5. The helpful people over at the Today's Parent Show, for immediately finding us huge dollies, and helping is get in and get through the techno-gibber for what we actually need to do an how.

So thanks again to the miracle people that made this happen. First show opens their doors at 10 am tomorrow. En masse, introducing Smicko'z and www.smickoz.com to the buying public.
Will update tomorrow night when I get back from the madness!
Smicko Lady

It Begins!

Today's Parent Show Move In is in the morning, so hopefully I am all set to go. If I stay quiet for a few days, don't worry, hopefully it's me drowning in a sea of orders!
But I can't leave you without one anecdote from this whole experience. A company that is providing me with something I am using in the show, let's call them companyX, has a funny thing going on. First let me say, they are great in terms of orders and deliverables, and I never want to openly speak badly of anyone by name, but I want us all to get the lesson down, because it's a good one.
DO NOT
UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES
DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
1.Call me honey.
2.Call me sweetie.
3.Call me baby.
4.Call me darlin'.

And I mean it, don't get so familiar with someone over the phone whom you've never met. I tend to reserve these names for my children. And even then, I don't say it 18 times in a 3 minute conversation. I'd love to return to a time of business where there were some protocols followed, the first one I'd like to return to is not using cutesy nicknames unless you actually know and have a relationship with the person.

Similarly, and I beg you. DO NOT call women who look to be under 70 Ma'am. Don't call me Ma'am. Let's get back to the language of business. Learn people's names and use them. If you must go with Sir, then do so, but I strongly suggest you make better use of Mr and Ms.
And now to bed, so I can further ponder how not to offend the general public!
Smicko Lady
www.smickoz.com
www.babytime.com (that's the show, visit the show site, there may be things you want to know for your own business, and I'll let you know how valuable I think the show was after it's all said and done)

Your emails

Yes I have received them, I promise, and I've read all of them. I will get back to them one by one when I can. Most of the questions are coming from other Mompreneurs who are steps behind in the process and looking for some direction. I will give it, I promise, and if you are in the Toronto area, I may be able to offer you more in terms of sourcing raw materials for your products. I truly do have a list of the 'good people', and to this day I stand by them and vice versa. I can't say this enough - don't just find the cheap people - they will let you down. Find a balance between relationship and price. The relationship will see you through things like last minute orders, rush orders, and priority shipping. The cheap alternatives are generally never able to respond that way, their businesses just don't allow for it. And please trust me on this one, if you have a product that you KNOW is going to appeal to the market, it is darned near impossible to switch horses midstream. The only jump you want to ponder is years down the road, when your quantities switch from 1000 to 100 000. The most frantic emails I receive are from those who went with the lowest price and have been let down by either quality or delivery. If you've already started, and you've paid the money, you are stuck this time. But before Run number 2, do your research. Eat the extra cost, and forget about being profitable in your first run. I can't find a single company that was. So accept delivery when it happens, but don't make this mistake again, ok? This is too costly a mistake. Here's why:
You have a group of samples made and you shop them out to retailers. Wahoo, retailers say yes!!! When can I have them? Now based on your people, you tell them when you expect delivery. They write it down. Delivery day comes and goes. Nothing. A week later, still no delivery. You call frantically, they'll get to it, larger order than you came in and they must attend to it first, order from more established customer came in and they must attend to it first, and so on and so forth. You go into being a month late on delivery. Your retailers barely remember you, and if they do remember you, they will immediately wonder how reliable you will be do to do business with. And if you recall my list of retailer questions, one of the important ones was "How will you service the store?" Meaning, how long will it take you to fulfill a reorder? So you may have found the 'cheaper' option, but it's one that gets you nowhere.
The 'good people' have the same rules for everyone. They adhere to the delivery dates they gave you as best as they can, and they perform their own quality control (though you must too, v. important that you touch, feel, and inspect every single thing you send into stores as a small manufacturer). You need to stand behind the quality of your work, and that includes standing behind the quality of the materials you purchased.
In my case, so far so good, but I micromanage the quality of each Smicko as it's made, and I am also the person who properly folds, ties, packs (inspects packaging), and tags each and every Smicko. How? You find the time. Always always always, stay part of the process.
And I'll answer your individual emails as soon as the show is over!

Ah Yes, That's Why I Started

So last night, Chief Imagination Officer of the company sat herself down to supper. Originally supper was a beautiful broccoli and cheese omelette worthy of a french chef (if I do say so myself) Much whining ensued, a 3yr old attempt at negotiation and bargaining, and finally, the capitulation of a Mother who just wants a child that has more than pasta in her repertoire. Dutifully slapped pots on stove, and created the easy to prepare (but nutrionally void foods I am trying to get her to choose less) pasta. Right before I handed her the tomatoey cheese goodness, she said "Mommy, it's messy, I need my Smicko". Ahh. It's worked. I have branded my own 3 year old. Now she's been wearing Smicko'z for a long time. She wore them at every meal. But for her to go to the Smicko drawer and pull it out herself, that's pretty cool. So as I fight the nerves that pop up as the Today's Parent Show move in is tomorrow, I received just the bump up I needed, from the one that melts my heart the most. Did I mention that I love that she calls it a Smicko? Like it's not just a brand, the product itself is a Smicko - not a bib, and not a smock, but a smicko combination of the two.

The Calm Before the Storm

I'm in the big leadup to the first major trade show. I feel the butterflies like I am stepping on stage at the elementary school play all over again. Words escaping me for now, I'm mostly tending to those nagging little last minute details (um trade show carpet was supposed to be ready today, called carpet place, and the gent sounded BEFUDDLED that I was looking for pickup despite what's on the invoice - no worries, he's got a rush on it and it will be ready precisely one day before showtime) Um, t-shirts for those staffing the booth? Whooopsy, that one fell through also, but thanks to Jamie over at http://www.hardboiledinc.com/ (who in a pinch, can totally hook you up) staff will be smartly adorned in adorable Smicko's logos on crisp white t-shirts.
As my Uncle used to say whenever we were in a restaurant, and you didn't like what they had on the menu "for money, you can have whatever you want". Indeed.
But in the case of Hard Boiled Inc. I'd like to point out that they are not charging me a 'rush' price.
I'd also like to mention the 'factory floor' better known as the husband and the grandmother - who have been packaging Smicko'z with dedication (and zero demands for full coverage insurance thus far) for well over two weeks now. All I have to do is deliver to the show, assemble it all, get to the bank for a float, get the electrical hookup, and RIGHT, knew I forgot one thing - I don't have bags to put them in if someone purchases. Is this a disaster? Quick solutions anyone?

It's All in the Details

I've lately been perusing the information superhighway, looking for people who post pictures of their trade show setups to see what's catchy and imaginative. A Trade Show setup usually consists of, let's say a 5' 10' or a standard 10' by 10' booth. You get walls draped in white fabric unless you bring your own. And you are responsible for everything else, including getting yourself an electrical outlet. You need a table, carpet, lighting, display items such as racks, bannerstand, and of course product. And that's at a minimum. If you are on a limited budget, and I am, then you have to figure out some clever ways to make the booth attractive and interesting enough for people to step into it, not just stare at it as they walk by.
Needless to say, those who are posting pics of their booths online are generally of the spent a whole lot of time and money group. And they are impressive. I am blown away by the ones done by Sony and Apple at the recent Expo they were both at in San Francisco. Of course, finding the comparables in toddler/baby land is not as plentiful. The best ones I have seen were set up by Gerber baby foods, and by Pampers. Huge brands behind them with rich parent companies.
So, drwon it in colour I say. Now I am particularly blessed as my product itself can be used as booth decor. Lots of big bold retro fabulous patterns to adorn the booth with. And I am bringing secret weapon "Rusty", the personal prized posession of Darcy over at DEW - Rusty is an adorably large floppy doll, that also happens to be the only doll large enough to model Smicko'z on her own. I have pledged Rusty the utmost in comfort and security. Also of great luck, my logos and banner are wildly colourful - I think rather eye catching. Now let's just hope that all of you think so too....

Now this was unexpected

So I'd like to send a huge shout out to Mod Eco Kids (or www.modecokids.com). I do not know this person or site, but a friend sent an email telling me to check it out. And lo and behold, this woman (who appears to be a fellow crafter/Mompreneur type) has a v. cool blog, dedicated to the latest and neatest local crafted products. And whom should she choose to write about, but yours truly, little 'ol Smickoz. So thanks for supporting me, and thanks for the kind words. I appreciate it. And to answer the question about getting outside the GTA - I'm working on it! I think part of the struggle of getting out of the area where you live is also creating relationships and understanding the the areas out of town that you are approaching. In the meantime, if you can't get to a Toronto retailer, www.planetkid.ca is still the place to get Smicko'z online. But you'd better hurry if you want the last of some patterns - I am now out of stock in Love Bus -brown, and am close to out of stock of Peace Flowers Cocoa. Also close to sold out are Ink Dot, Good Old' Cherry Stripe, and Froggies.
(whoops, better slip in another THANKS! to modeco kids, and please check out her fantastic products, which I believe can be found at www.sweetbeets.com - she makes hand pressed cards that are STUNNING. And I mean this, as I don't give out the compliments this easily. Her cards are selling for about the same price as your standard Hallmark - except hers are beautiful, whimsical, and honestly if I received one, I'd frame the front of it and display it in my home. Not bad for less than $6.00)
(please note, I have never been in contact with this person/company, was just thrilled to be featured in her blog, and happenned to peruse through her own products and fell in LURVE)

Incognito.... Again....

The weekend. A bad time for small time manufacturers. How to make busy? Visit your retailers incognito, and see what's up in your little neck of their store. And then ask yourself some questions, much like I have been today. And then, quickly, come up with some answers. (which I have, preferably answers that look something like solutions)
Why is it that one downtown store, in a location that doesn't scream 'kids' in particular more than any other downtown neighborhood, can't keep your product stocked, and has to reorder in ever growing quantites.. and the retailer in the upscale teeming with young children neighborhood can't seem to move them?
Answers are coming.
1. Downtown store, if you visit it, you will note that they have the product prominently displayed on juvenile mock ups, right at the cash register, with ample product stocked below it. You can see it, feel it, understand how it works - fall in love with it.
2. Uptown store, has product grouped in with a mass of other products - ones that are for a different age grouping altogether. There's no signage. There's no sample on display. Staff are busy, and this particular part of the store is for you to browse, perhaps impulse purchase, etc..
3. Another uptown store, product on a bottom shelf in the back of the store. BUT. Signage at the cash register. Product is moving. Staff discuss product with all who walk in with toddlers, and staff have been educated on the product.
4. West End store, product prominently displayed, staff educated on product, and signage in effect. Product moving.

And so here's my next lesson to me in the retail game. Don't just deliver your product. Stay involved afterwards in the retail process. Help your retailer represent you. So here's my solution. I have these stand alone plexi-glass stands that can easily stand at a cash register. In them, I have placed my recent sweetspot.ca promo. I have taken it, and printed at the top, "As Seen In" . They will be delivered to retailers next week, and all of them show the product on my young and devilishly adorable young models. I am also pondering having some larger placards made to showcase over the top of wherever the products are displayed. I know that in grocery stores, certain brands actually pay the grocery store to be at 'eye level', making them most prominent in your buying psyche. I don't think it works quite that way in the boutique toddler niche, but I am willing to guess that the more backup you provide for your product, the more able you make your retailers to sell it. And the more I get into this, the more I learn, you cannot just walk away and wait for things to happen. You must keep things happenning. I try to pay attention to my own buying habits, what catches my eye, why I buy something. And I am indeed my own target market, but I try to keep the myriad of Moms on the planet in mind when I dream up this stuff. Here's another good quote someone gave me, this one to do with house purchasing: " A person decides to buy a house within the first 90 seconds that they step into it" That's it. 90 seconds. And that's a captive audience! They don't have other houses surrounding them when they do it. So now imagine your gidget or widget, surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of other products, and ask yourself, do I even get 90 seconds? No, more than likely, you get less than 9 seconds, if that. Sometimes just the turn of a head. Which leads me back to retailer support. If a person glances at your product in the aisle, but then sees a promo for it at the cash register, and a salesperson extols the virtues of the product, Voila! You just got your 90 seconds. Now, the sale either happens or it doesn't, but at least this way, the customer actually got to decide if they liked it and needed it or not. Amazing what you learn on your feet, that no one will ever tell you. (except me, I seem to be pretty easy at giving this stuff away, but if you find any of it useful, better for you - we should all be making it easier for each other in this business - and I strongly believe this - the market both wants and NEEDS quality local Mom-imagined ideas that absolutely and positively solve regular problems that come up in the course of raising our kids.

And the first results are in....

Sweetmama has sent their email, and many more visit their webpage. And if you don't believe in the power of the internet, I'm here to tell you to change your mind.
The number of emails and calls has been overwhelming. I will still be dealing with callbacks today. I am truly blessed that sweetmama decided to profile Smicko'z. What will eventually come of all the interest, I can't say yet, but I am hopeful and delighted so far.
I am THRILLED to announce that I have now restocked most of my original retailers. They sold out! It's a wonderful boost to know that the public is responding well to a product. Because honestly, they were buying before they had any backstory on Smicko'z. They just saw them and thought HEY! that'd be a good thing for my messy toddler!

Sweetmama.ca

A huge thank you to Sweetspot.ca (sweetmama) for their feature of Smicko'z today! This is huge for any small business and Mompreneur. If you haven't seen it, check out the link at:
http://sweetspot.ca/content/view/5012/45/

I couldn't be more excited. Now I just have to make sure I am ready for the Today's Parent Show happenning April 11-13 at the International Centre in Toronto. It's really the first big one for me, and I haven't been customer facing in a really long time (as in, when I had a part time job in university). Oh, and if you happen to be there, swing by booth 403 and say hi!

PR - Advertising

Once you have your website up, and it's listed anywhere, anywhere at all - you will get the first flood of emails to your business account. You will get excited! So many emails!!! And then you will open them one by one, and you will find, that the vast majority of them are from ad people trying to sell some ad space. Most you'll never have heard of. Some you may have. They will be print journals, online communities and marketplaces. They are excited to share the opportunity with you!
So before you take the next chunk off the line of credit, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Who sees their site/journal/community/magazine?
2. What's their readership (how many views)?
3. What's their tracking/follow up procedure?
4. Can they show results that are measurable as a direct result of advertising with them?
5. Is it cost effective? Is the space overpriced?
6. Is it a one time thing? Will it be in place for months?

If you're like me, you will get frozen over this, and not advertise anywhere that it costs money. I've decided to go the PR route. And the PR is all being done by me. Now at first glance, one may think that this is the wrong route, that I won't be able to penetrate any markets without purchasing ad space. But think about how many products you buy that don't ever advertise in your paper, on tv. But you've 'seen' them somewhere. And that brings me to the brilliant new age of the internet.

There are thousands of sites that sell ad space. If you want to, go for it. There are thousands more of consumer sites that write about products that they've seen/used/tested. They have huge email lists and viewership, and much more so than the ad groups, they actually test and track the results of their work. And to me, those are the people you want to get in with. They write about your product because they've seen it, are impressed with it, and have something truly valuable to write about it. And it's that added extra for me that counts - because you didn't pay for it, someone is directly giving you a vote of confidence that your product is good, aligns with their vision, and furthers their purpose as well as yours.
To that end, I wrote away to all of the sites I wanted to be featured in, and sent support materials. I have heard back from all of them.
For starters, look out tomorrow Thursday April 3 for Smicko'z in Sweetspot.ca! Look me up under sweetmama (the childrens area). Better yet, sign up on their email list, and you'll get their fabulous 'sweet nothings' sent to your email box every day. Very simple, very effective marketing. They send out an email, 200 words or less, with product pictures and links, and they send out just one a day. You can read about something wonderful near you locally or nationally, your choice when you sign up. (no cost).

I don't mean to put down the ad route. But the truth is you need a great deal of money and ability to commit to it. I am aware of a meal program (because of effective advertising) that will deliver healthful meals to your door for every day of the week (It is a diet program, but health focussed). I know of them because they are in my Saturday Globe every Saturday. For the last few months, there they are. Same ad each time. You can ignore it once or twice, but every week for months on end, eventually will stick in your brain. I don't need the service, but I would recognize the company, so in that sense the ads have worked - they have achieved recognition from me. But I hesitate to guess what the ad space has cost them, and the size of the ad, in Canada's National Newspaper. I would guess a lot more than I can pay.

I have spoken to a company that strictly goes for editorials, and keep a PR firm on retainer (at great expense) to get stories written about the company and the product. Looks pretty effective, but they are more than three years into a multi year strategy that is paying off. Either way, it's an interesting game, with many possibilities. Do you have some strategies that have worked for you?
Let me know. Leave it in the comments, or email it to ina.ornstein@smickoz.com

Back to the Start

Sometimes, in the midst of all the hard work, long hours, and frustrating meetings, you can begin to feel as though you will never see the long term vision come to fruition. I bump into this brick wall every so often. I've been pretty good at pep talking myself to this point - taking inspiration wherever I can find it. Some of you may be aware of the story of Prof. Randy Pausch. He was on Oprah, and I believe his speech can be found on Youtube as well. Dr. Pausch is dying of pancreatic cancer, and he gave his 'last lecture' as a life lesson in how one should live their life - and how he defined what is important.
I love a few things that he said, and they've been going through my head everytime I hit the wall:
1. Brick walls aren't there to stop us - they're there to A)Keep others out and B) Teach us how badly it is we want something.
2. You have to decide now, are you a Tigger, or are you an Eeyore?
3. Have fun.

I don't write this to be the world's ultimate downer, but Dr. Pausch gives this speech knowing he has 3-6 months of health left in him. He has sold his house with his wife and moved to a new house that will be easier for his wife and kids later on, as it's closer to his wife's family. But on the upside, he's taking this opportunity to do everything he didn't do on his life list. He went scuba diving, he went skydiving, and he's creating amazing memories with his kids. I am so inspired by him. And he should know how powerful his message has been.

In terms of brick walls, he discussed them in terms of hearing the word no, being tied up in red tape, being held back by institutional beaurocracy. So he found ways around the walls. And he was quick to point out, that the walls he didn't scale were clearly the ones he didn't want that badly. Good lesson. I can reach back into my past and easily see the walls I turned away from, and the walls I took on. It definitely teaches you what was and what is important to you.

Mavens Third Book

Toddlers Gone Wild.
I will have 5 to give away to lucky contest winners at the Today's Parent Show!

The Trade Shows

Here's a subject I have zero expertise on. So if you're reading this, and you've done these, I'm looking at you. (you in the sense that I'd like your input and insights, so put it in the comments section or email me).
I had a choice of the first major trade show I would do. It was either going to be the Today's Parent Show in Toronto, or the One of A Kind Craft Show, also in Toronto. Strictly by the statistics, you may disagree with my choice. One of a Kind can pull 250,000 people through the doors over the course of a week. Large audience. And beyond that, it truly is a marketplace, meaning people come to buy. The Today's Parent Show boasts 16000 people through the doors over 3 days. I went with the second one for a few reasons:
1. Smaller show, easier to get your feet wet.
2. Aimed directly at my target audience.
3. Parenting Media out in full force at the Parent Show.
4. Some direct sales, but this wasn't the point.

I am trying to take the long view that the more I get the word out, and the more exposure I can get for Smicko'z, the more I will create a brand. And once I've created a brand, I will create more retail opportunities. I wasn't certain One of A kind could do that. Now don't get me wrong, I want to sell product. I have just this morning fedexed off the package to One of A Kind for their Christmas show. It's juried, and it's not a for sure that they'll accept Smicko'z. But if they do, I will likely get to move a lot of product there - which will be great at chipping away at start up costs. I have decided to carry those costs longer. Some might think it's odd, to choose to stay in debt longer. But as I said, this is my long view, and it may be wrong. And truthfully, if I were to sell out of the first production run, I would use whatever capital there is, plus draw on the same debt to create the second run. Now, it may be smarter to create the second run. I already know (from the dynamic working framework) that my second run costs will be about 10% less than my first production run. And having a second run shows that you're there to stay.

I have a 10' by 10' booth over at Today's Parent. Inside will be this crazy carpet I purchased, a table, two wire displays full of product, (with these fabulous large dolls on top of them, each wearing a Smicko, thanks Darcy at DEW) my bannerstand (thanks Altered Perceptions), a clothesline accross the back with each Smicko hanging from the wood clips, and some Smicko's materials and the Moneris machine layed out accross the table.

Firstlly, a word about Moneris. You can be up and running and taking Visa/Mastercard/Debit in about 5 minutes with a portable machine. I was psyched when I received this in the mail. There are user costs associated - but I decided it would be a little too minor league to not take credit cards. Secondly, they track everything, and spreadsheet it for you at the end of the event. You can buy/rent/or special event these handy little machines. Special event is the most economical for now. The booth next to me, Tail Wags Helmet Covers rents hers. But she's years into this, and I am months. Incidentally, Karen over at Tail Wags has also been a huge piece of my network, advising me on a lot of small business start up and penetration (thanks Karen!).

The show is 3 days, 10-6 each day. And I've got two beautiful and amazingly energetic women volunteering to man the booth with me. Partiatlly so I can wander to other booths and introduce myself to anyone and everyone there that should be selling Smicko'z and networking with Smicko'z. More terror on my part. The public speaking face for three days straight. Anyone have any advice on the approaches?

The Maven

Here's my huge shout out to "The Maven". I met her by chance, our daughters are in the same dance class together. She's pretty high profile, so most would know her on sight if they are Canadian. The Maven has been a staff writer for major newspapers, a mommy blogger, and is a published author, releasing her third novel this month. She has some clout, and she has connections. It so happens that I went to high school with her, and was in the same elementary school class as her brother. In fact, when I first met her, I didn't associate her with her high profile world - I instantly had an image of her walking my classmate home from school. So that's how I approached her, not knowing how pivotol the meeting would become for me.
I would say for the first few months I knew her, it never occurred to me to speak to her about what I was doing, and I'm a little gun shy that way. One day as we were waiting for our lovelies in dance class, she noticed I was reading a book (Idiot's Guide to Small Business, only recommend for US customers, honestly wasn't applicable enough to Canadian law) and of her own volition, asked me what I was reading it for. I hesitantly, shyly, almost apologetically told her in a roundabout way about Smicko'z. She knowingly rolled her eyes at me, and gave me my first and best lesson : speak loudly, clearly, passionately, and with knowledge and intelligence about your start up. And then she jumped in with both feet. Offered me every contact she could. Supported and gave advice via email and at Saturday class. This past Saturday after not seeing each other for a month, she immediately wanted the update.
Ask yourself if you know any Mavens. Mavens are some of the 'good people' I discussed earlier. Some Mavens may eventually want something in return (which is fine, honestly, don't be turned off if your Maven comes up with a way to cross promote in the future, they are entitled.) Also remember that there's no such thing as a free lunch, so be ready and able when a favor may be asked of you. But you're thinking, I'm so small, what could I possibly do for someone who already knows so much success? Don't know. But you will when the time comes.
The Maven is inviting me to her book launch party. Not because we are BFF's, but because every important person in the Mom-Universe of Toronto and possibly Canada will be there. She's inviting me because she know's it's an opportunity for me to network inside her network. She's doing it out of the kindness of her heart. Now I also know, being there, that all she can do is invite me. The rest is up to me. I can sip cocktails and pretend I'm 28 and out on the town again. (which trust me at this point has a great deal of attraction attached to it) OR, I can put on my big girl knickers and order the seltzer with lime, and walk around introducing myself and talking to anyone who will listen about why they need to write about me, promote me, and cross promote with me. I choose the latter. I am terrified of the latter. Yes. After all I've shared with you about the sales cycle, and the selling and rejecting, I am still weak in the knees about the rejection or snubs. So thanks Maven for the invite, I'll be there. I will hire the first babysitter I find that's breathing, and I will be there. And thanks for giving me another challenge to stand up and take a deep breath and make things happen for myself.
And what will I do for the Maven in return? I'll cross promote her any chance I get. I'll link the sales site of her new and older titles to my sites. I'll link her blog to mine. I'll thank her publically every chance I get, and if the media comes my way, I'll mention her there too.
So that's how I intend to use my limited resources to pay it back. What will you do to pay back your Mavens?
Oh, and who's this Maven I speak of?
Rebecca Eckler.
www.rebeccaeckler.com
1st novel : Knocked Up
2nd Novel: Wiped
3rd Novel: I'll report back when I have the title

I read Knocked Up when I was pregnant, and on bedrest, and let me tell you, I enjoyed it from front to back. Rebecca accurately conveys the feelings of going from cool hip scenester to suddenly pregnant and emotional and scared, and everything in between. Had I been up and on my feet at the time, I certainly think I'd have been eating pancakes with the veracity that she seemed to. And Mcd's.

Feet on The Ground, Head in the Air

So now you've got your feet on the ground. You know exactly what it will take to get yourself off the ground, launched, and into retail outlets. Congratulations! Now what? Growth. Hopefully. Sustained growth that you can project, follow, and grow with. Most of us do this in the moment, without a great deal of further thought. It's hard, as a little manufacturer to even imagine that your product could outgrow your current capabilites. But it can, and for many it has. And that's where my current worry stream arises. I would point out companies like Toronto based Baby Legs as a great example of a small start with a rapid expansion. I also (you'll note them linked to the blog) would point out sweetpea baby food. Another small start with a rapid expansion, also Toronto based, and also still locally sourced. A great question, one I inted to direct to both of them the next time we speak.
In the meantime, I'll tell you about my conversation with he who shall be nicknamed from here on "The Guru", and my conversation with the high profile journalist or "The Maven". Both are people I have been lucky to meet and link into for various reasons. Both have not a thing to gain from their association with Smicko'z other than my fabulous sense of humor. But both are ready and willing to offer a great deal of advice and input, nay, even some contact creating on my behalf, based solely on the fact that they are decent people who believe in building the network. In fact, both are quite strong on the idea of building the network - with anyone who makes sense to build it with. Be it with local causes that you could partner with, or with other local entrepreneurs with who you can try to create cross promotional opportunities.
The Guru believes that now that I have completed my first production run, that I need to create a dynamic excel document as a framework of a business plan. And he's right. I need to do that. I am one of those "I know the numbers in my head" people, but he's correct in saying that hard data is hard to argue with. And as a side note to Guru, I am on it. Expect rough copy one next week. To the Maven. She's been there and done that. And one thing she and I talked about today was networking and rejection, not hand in hand, but how to work with both. As she comes from the world of journalism, her repertoire of rejection is great. She refers to it with some resignation and a twinkle in her eye (because in fact, she truly DID show them what they were missing out on). And she had another greater point to make in terms of the network, it really doesn't matter who your network are as people or individuals, it matters who they are as a company, what their corporate focus is, and how alligned with your vision they are. And from that, a great alliance can be made. Long story short, you may not be sipping cocktails with them, but there's great business to be traded, so get over yourself.
Maven's views on rejection are somewhat akin to my own these days - They'll be sorry they didn't get in on the front end, but no worries, because they will get on the bus one day. File it away. Guru's view on rejection is somewhat different, yet still grounded. Rejection can also mean a rejection of self, that a retailer or distributor lacks the confidence in themselves to promote a product that the world hasn't already approved. It works well for the Baby's R' Us of the world, not so great in niche market luxury toddler apparel.
And now to the network. Who would make sense in your network, or mine for that matter? You may have noticed the various links I have provided, and some are retailers of mine, and others are key in creating the network we've spoken of. For instance, the Linden Fund supports aiding families who've had a premature baby, and the various ramifications that come after the fact. They are grassroots, hardworking, and they get results. One can't help but admire that drive and initiative even in a not for profit. I am and always will be alligned with them, and will promote their cause in my efforts to launch my company. They in return will list me as a sponsor of the Linden Fund. Which I appreciate. The Linden fund has a roster of potential clients for me. It's a good association. Sweetpea baby food speaks for itself. Food. I am in the business of preventing food from ruining clothing. Good alliance.
I am always in the market for creating good strategic alliances, so if you have a company with a website, a blog that is manufacturing/service/ or not for profit AND juvenile oriented, write to me, and let's see how we can work together. email me at ina.ornstein@smickoz.com

It's A Big City

So large in fact, that many of the neighborhoods other than falling within the GTA have absolutely nothing in common at all. You're probably wondering what that has to do with the price of rice in China - well I'm going to tell you why it's important to know your city, and to know what you don't know about it.
If you are in the juvenile market, and I am, great! There's young families everywhere, in every neighborhood, and they need stuff. Babies are a constant emerging market. Everytime you lose a few customers to age, they are immediately replaced. Good news so far, right?
But neighborhoods vary by economics, culture, sense of community, and sensibility. What flies in one affluent downtown neighborhood, may sit on the shelf for years in the 'burbs. And it brings out the next question: How will you differentiate and take into account all the micro markets in your city? The first and most simple differentiator is the price of the item itself. I have lately been awed by the new crop of high chairs on the market that are retro-modern in design, and can cost up to $1200.00. I love them. I love the look of them. I will not buy one. Simply put, it's out of my market range. And I already own a high chair, and have dreams of the day when it's no longer a fixture in our home. But I tell you the highchair story so I can also tell you where it's NOT for sale - low to low middle income earning neighborhoods. These manufacturers already know something you should know about yourself - they know they priced themselves out of huge pieces of the market segment. They know their product is niche and luxury. They know who their buyer is. And I would chance a guess that if I ever saw their marketing materials and business plans, they would pinpoint their buyer almost by name.
So ask yourself who your customer is. What do they earn? What are their priorities? How will they spend their money? Is your product a 'must have' or a 'nice to have' ? And what if it's simple things like colour and packaging that will sell you in one neighborhood, and not in another? The answer, if you can afford it, is to create a line. Now in my case, the line is 16 different patterns. Many thought I was nuts to start out with this many. But the one thing I knew was that one pattern and one colour do not fit all gender/tastes. And I already know from retailer feedback how WILDLY varied the sales numbers are depending on neighborhood.
The easy thing for me, is that my line is essentially all the same product, made of different patterns. They are all priced the same. You may want to consider a line with two or three price points so as to include yourself in various niche markets. For instance, my product will never be seen in a Walmart. It cannot be, and will not be ever profitable for me or anyone else to sell them through the consumer friendly but manufacturing ugly big box stores. But, if you are manufacturing zippers in China, and have the ability to get into a Walmart or Kmart, by all means have at it. But you will lose control of your company pretty quickly.
But lets get back to the idea of lines and neighbourhoods. There's an affluent area of Toronto where the Dads have their own butch diaper bags. They are super cool, and I love seeing them. There are other downtown areas where Dads are happy to tote their partners flower bespeckled diaper bag. As I said, depends on priorities. And I have my product in both types of neighborhoods, and they both buy the product. But differently. One neighborhood buys multiples of it, for when one is in the wash. The other buys them just one at a time, and to match an outfit, or to send to nursery school with their little one. The feedback is extremely important, because it tells me how to market further into individual neighborhoods. And focusses the forward direction. Many small manufacturers are pleased just to get their product in stores, and then tend to shy away from the resulting feedback, with good reason. They are afraid they will hear that the product isn't moving at all. And if they give the retailer the chance over the phone or in person, they fear they will be asked to repurchase their own merchandise. This happens. But rarely. Because retailers KNOW what they are doing when they buy your product. So follow up. Often.

Think Like a Retailer

Ok so I'm not a retailer. Chances are that you aren't either.
But you want to sell to one. And they have questions. Lots of questions. And you need to have answers. I don't mean "I'll get back to you" answers, I mean right now, on the spot answers.
Which means you need to have thought through a great deal before you ever get to the retailer.
Here are the most common questions retailers have asked me - I know the answers, and I can recite them off by heart. If you are going to do this, you should too.
1. What's your wholesale price?
2. How do I display it?
3. What are the dimensions of it?
4. Are you registered as a business?
5. Do you have a competition numer (ca number, for Cdns)
6. Do you have a wash/wear instructions and material content?
7. Who manufacturers these for you?
8. Where else are you selling these?
9. Do you have a website?
10. Will you be selling them on your website?
11. Do I get a bulk discount?
12. What's your turnaround time? (for a first production, this will be difficult for you to say, but the first production should give you a reasonably good idea of how long it takes you to source materials, produce, package, and deliver)
13. How do you intend to follow up/service the store?
14. Do you have any retailer support materials to display with your product?

Let me start off by saying I haven't been perfect down this road. Really haven't. But I've learned. And take it from me, learning from others mistakes is a lot cheaper than making your own. Here is the smartest thing I did - Packaging. I wanted my items to be easy to display for retailers, and take up little space, while still showing themselves off. I went with transparent vinyl zipper bags with rope handles. They can be hung off of pegs, racks, etc, and can even just be stocked standing upright on a shelf. Retail space is expensive. Remember this, the better and more efficiently you package your product, the more retailers will appreciate it. They do not want to : hang your product, fold your product, build shelving for your product. It needs to easily fit into what they themselves have already purchased. Remembering yourself though, however you package it, make sure your product/logo is clearly visible and not ambiguous to consumers.

YES! Angels and Saints

YES
Is a magical word.
YES
Means someone else believes in you too.
YES
Means your product will be out there for the world to see.


Your first retailer is someone who falls into the Angel/Saint category. They are taking a risk. They are gambling on you. They believe in you. They are trailblazers. They don't care that they are first. In fact, they LIKE being first. I have such a retailer, and I will give them a shameless plug here: Planet Kid www.planetkid.ca
I want to tell you a little about Carolyn and Sara, the proprieters of Planet Kid. For starters, they are sewers in their own right. Which makes them tops in my books. Secondly, they are trailblazing entrepreneurs. Thirdly, they are most keenly interested in supporting local artisans and crafters, and make every effort to stock their store based on that principal, as well as principals of organics and green living. Fourthly - they liked me. And I liked them. And they said YES.
The products they carry are local, quality, and designer represented. S and C don't do business with distributors. They want to be right at the source. And they want to develop a personal relationship with their designers. They don't just sell the product, they sell the story around it. What S and C don't know (but if they read this blog they will) is that a few undercover friends have gone in to their store to see how Smicko'z were doing. And S and C spoke so beautifully of Smicko'z each time, and voiced their support of the product each time, that I was thrilled. The S and C's of this world are few and far between. Find them in your area. Shop in their store. Support what they are doing. Help drive business to them.
And once you have them onboard BE LOYAL. Use whatever network is available to you to drive business to them. Other retailers will follow, because that is what your first retailer does for you. By taking you on, they tacitly invite other retailers to believe in you too. And most retailers out there want to know that your product is selling somewhere else. This is why, your first retailer is your Saint/Angel.

Sell Sell Sell, SCHNELL!

Otherwise known as SELL SELL SELL

I am not a salesman. I have never worked in a sales role. For many of us in this game, the selling is a brand new paradigm. And the thick skin comes in really handy here. Let me start out by saying that you must 100% believe in and love your product. You must truly believe that it's useful, attractive, and will be so to consumers.
I once literally stood in line to present to a retailer (at the cash register no less), and the person in front of me was a distributor who sells on behalf of a number of juvenile lines, and I keenly listened in on the pitch to see what I could glean for myself (take it wherever you can get it). I was literally stunned at what I heard. This gentleman was so blase about the product he was pitching, that honestly it didn't matter what it was. I wouldn't have bought it. I may actually need it. But to listen to him, I could take it or leave it. Lesson learned. People respond to your enthusiasm (and in some cases not, but you gave it your best shot, so move on). And then I asked myself why a distributor, who stands to profit from his pitch, could sound so utterly banal about the product, and I came back to the fundamental I have accepted from the start of this venture: No one will ever sell your product- and by extension YOU - as well as you can.
So when you are representing you, bear the following fundamentals in mind:
1. Be concise
2. Be passionate
3. Accurately convey the benefits to the retailer and consumer
4. Never leave a potential retailer empty handed (leave a marketing package and a sample)
5. Confirm a follow up. Let them know you'll be calling them in one week, 3 days, whatever, but let them know they can expect a follow up. This is important - retailers do not follow up with you, they expect you to do it, so do it.
6. Never sound apologetic for taking up someone's time. You are presenting the retailer with an opportunity to sell a fantastic new item, they are not doing you a favor. (ok, some are, but we'll get to that in Angels and Saints).

What's a marketing package? Joys of the Internet. So many of the tools you need are here and free. What should you download?
1. A standard nondisclosure form (to be signed by anyone who sees/creates your protoype
2. Marketing tools, how to create a product page
3. Networking sites for your product
4. Mompreneur sites - many downloads available for marketing kits
5. Contractors in your area (also called incubators for people working with anything in textiles)
6. Photoshop - if you don't have it, get it - also, get a digital camera with the most megapixels you can afford. Pro photography is a fortune, and the more you can do yourself, the better.


So having never worked in a sales role, I have gone through the pitfalls that I suspect any new salesperson would go through. I could give you a list, but honestly, I think every sales opportunity is different, and will require you to be nimble and change quickly. At the very least, know something about the store you are selling to. I suggest visiting them incognito to see if your product would actually fit. You can save some time and energy this way. And that brings us back to thick skins:
REJECTION
Even the largest manufacturers and distributors have a rejection rate of over 50%. Tell yourself that every time someone says no. And remember, sometimes no means, not right now. Some retailers will offer you a window of when to re-approach. Write it down on your calendar, with the persons name, and stick to it. Smicko'z had a couple of rejections that have come back and asked if they could stock Smicko'z for the next Christmas season. It's a ways off. The sales won't be made until September. But it's an important lesson in remembering that even no is sometimes maybe. And sometimes no means no. Don't get too down in the dumps over no. No happens to the best. Don't dwell on no. Call the next person on your list and keep going. And even if a person says no to you remember to thank them for their time, and ask that they keep the marketing package to consider it for the future. Always end on a positive note. (but by all means go back and retrieve your sample, you only have so many of these things and you need the samples back to try on a new prospect)

Read the next to come installment
The Promised Land; or YES

Who Am I To Give Advice?

It's true, I am just a small venture out there in a sea of juvenile products. But I've learned some lessons along the way. I have gotten my product into stores. I am doing trade shows. I am in talks with distributors. People are aware of my product. I won't see the upside of this venture for a long time. But I'm taking the long view. Slow and steady, at a rate I can handle, will win the race.
So now ask yourself what your definition of success will be? I go back and forth on this one. Is success setting up the company and creating the product? Is it successful when a retailer agrees to carry it? Is success going to come when actual customers (who don't know you) go out and buy your product? I'll be honest. When I accepted delivery of my first production line, I felt overwhelmed. Because I knew the next step:
SELL SELL SELL

Smicko'z World Part 2

Time Money Patience

And a thick skin.

Someone asked me not too long ago what it takes to start your own small business. This was my answer. Though frankly, the last one should really come first. For every positive person out there, there is an equal naysayer. There are thousands of reasons NOT to do this. But if there is even one compelling reason for you to keep going, then you should.
How to start? Well, you should have an actual product in hand. A prototype. Then you need to go out and figure out what it would cost to create 100, 500, or 1000 of them. How would you brand it? How would you market it? What benefits would the product have to the retailer and the consumer? You immediately need to start thinking past yourself. I suggest starting by making a bunch of prototypes and getting people to test them and give you feedback. All feedback, positive and negative. It's all useful, and take all of it in. If something's not working, fix it. In fact, constructive criticism helped build Smicko'z out of my house and into a real business.
Get your financial house of cards standing. How will you pay for it? If you are a mompreneur like me, you have a score of financial commitments that CANNOT fall through. Your family depends on you. So you won't like what I have to say next: Don't quit your dayjob. The startup capital may come from your line of credit, an angel loan from family, or from hard fought for savings. But immediately, and without further ado, set up a business account, and from that point on keep business money separate from household money. Oh - and incorporate yourself, you need to do that to get the business account.
Next, find the 'Good People' who are going to help you manufacture, package, and brand your product. Don't be in a hurry. The good people are hard to find. You will speak to a ton of other people before you find the good people for you. The good people may be ones you've never thought of, and may be in places you never figured you'd be doing business in (I'm in Canada, my packaging is coming from North Carolina). The good people will not care that you are small, and are ordering in small quantities. They will treat you professionally and courteously, and will be appreciative of your business. Because the good people know something that a lot of other people have forgotten: Your small business today, could be a big business tomorrow. And they will have won your loyalty. And as much as you humanly can, you will attempt to keep using the good people. Your good people will also become your network launch pad. They may be in touch with retail outlets, buyers, and distributors, and if they believe in you, they are going to connect you. Be good to your good people. Create an honest back and forth relationship. Don't get angry with them if they make a mistake. Work with them to fix it. Mistakes are how you and your business will learn and grow. Business is built on mistakes. Attempt, at all costs, to never blame - you will alienate your good people. There may come a time where your business is going at such a large volume that your current network can't keep up with - you will have to find more people - but in the meantime don't worry about it.

Stay tuned for Smicko'z World
The Retail Experience

Smicko'z World Part 1

How does one start their own first blog entry? I have been so impressed with so many of the blogs that I have been reading for years. This blog I suppose, is intended to track my adventures through my new world of manufacturing a mom invented product. The blogs that I read have been much more devoted to conceiving and raising your children, and have been great inspirations to me. I love how wise and witty these ladies are, and can only hope to have some magic turn of phrase in my repertoire also.
Smicko'z started in my house, with my daughter. Who would. not. wear. bibs. Period. She ruined all of her clothes. Industrial solvents couldn't solve my problem. I have the sewing skills of a girl who took family studies class at Zion Heights Junior High School in Grades 7 and 8. We learned some simple stuff. I sewed a pair of sweatpants as my first project. They looked great. They lasted two washes before my seams fell apart. My teacher patiently helped me resew the seams, and taught me how to make sure my lines and hems were true and plum. If not for a dusty old sewing machine in my Mother's basement, it likely would have ended there. But for some reason, after Zion Heights was over, I got the idea to sew something as a gift for a friend. Then I found an easy pattern for sewing pillow covers. Trust me, if you are going to start sewing, pillow covers is a great place to start. And you can look like a genius, because the more beautiful the fabric, the better looking the pillow cushion. My current pillow cushions on my sofa change on an every other year basis.
So I took those sewing skills, and applied them to the bib problem. I sewed a bunch of silly things that failed. And then I tackled the fundamental issues for my daughter, which were:
No neck ties
No plastic
And so the Smicko came to be. Many ask me how I named the company and the product a Smicko. I will reveal all here. For many years, I posted on an IVF site, and met a number of fantastic and supportive women along the way. A small group of us joined together and created our own private 'free space' where we could talk about everything in our lives.
When my daughter was turning 3, my dh (dear husband) and I went out to find her a dollhouse. We found one that we thought was fantastic, and I sent the weblink of it to this group of ladies. One of them, whom we shall call 'C' here for anyonymity, wrote back " Fantastic dollhouse, S is very lucky, looks very Smicko!". I emailed her back and asked her what on earth that meant. Her reply said it all - literally, Aussie slang for very cool. And Smicko'z are cool, if I do say so myself.
So how was the process of getting this up and running? Long. Hard. Full of pitfalls. If you are prone to walking away when things get too hard, then becoming a manufacturer is not for you. There are times I've questioned if it's for me. But the payoff is so very worth it. To have something that is completely yours, that you created, sourced materials for, found packaging, worked side by side with graphics designers and a web designer, and then SOLD the product to actual retail stores. I can't tell you the amount of satisfaction that comes, literally, from owning something that is truly yours, and I encourage anyone who has a wont to do that, to get out there and start.

Stay tuned for Smicko'z World Part 2