It Takes a Village
These are success stories, but it hasn't all been easy. Deepti started by selling her toys at playdates or casual functions, but as her business grew, she struggled to meet federal toy-safety guidelines when it came to the natural vegetable dyes and various components of the crafts. So she sought the help of her husband to navigate the legal issues. Deepti also relied on her family in India to help her work out agreements with the local artisans and manage the product imports.
Lauren turned her baking hobby into a real business mostly due to perseverance and savvy. It didn't take long for a local restaurant to order her cupcakes, so she brought on In Style veteran Jacqueline Goewey, who also loved to bake and happened to be good at negotiating and planning. They realized that some food stalls were opening at South Street Seaport in their neighborhood, so they looked into getting a contract. But cleaning their stalls in the former fish market turned out to be a baker's nightmare, and they had to look for a new location.
Running a business can be tough when reality doesn't necessarily match up with your business plan. But, like all good businessmoms, they have adapted to their situations and adjusted their strategies.
Heather created her innovative tank top in a few hours, but it took three years to formally launch her business. She'd been in the fashion industry for years—working with labels like P. Diddy's Sean John and Jennifer Lopez's Sweetface—but she still needed help. So Heather enlisted the help of her husband, who wrote the business plan, and she raised investment capital from a friend and former colleague at REI Capital. She also brought in her friend Michelle Mooring to develop and manage a relationship with a boutique factory in Taiwan. Then it all came together: She offered the tank tops to wholesale buyers through the showroom of yet another friend, and received 16,000 orders in a single week.
Next Page: The Mommy Touch
