Our store is down for 24 hours. Bummer!
I’m anxious to list our new exclusive AngelPack LX prints! They are so vibrant and gender neutral, it’s perfect for the summer stroll! Here is a sneak peek!
Retro Blossom on Black twill straps
Chocolate Spa on Espresso twill straps
Teal Damask (Echino) on Espresso twill straps
In the last issue of Mothering magazine, an article explored how work-at-home moms balance their success with personal lives. It got me thinking: how do I balance my children’s needs with the ongoing demands of a small home business?
Obviously, I don’t have a simple answer. But I do know this: I feel guilty all the time!
My best friend, who stays home full-time with her son, is always available to play with her whenever he demands that attention. When we’re on the phone, she’d cut me off and tend to her son on a whim. I don’t do that. Rather, sometimes I can’t do that. But more honestly, I choose not to do that when other tasks call for my attention. If it’s a customer service email, I tell my children to “wait until mommy is done working.” Oftentimes, it’s just site maintenance and paying bills. It’s awfully unfair. Why? These tasks do not have an immediate deadline. Like dirty dishes or laundry, they can be done later. Luckily, my children are old enough to be lost in their own imaginary world for hours. For instance, they are Juni and Carmen, going on a mission in the tropical isle of monsters. I can hear their gibber and jabber. And I’m free of guilt to work.
At the end of the day, I still feel guilty for leaving them to play on their own. I’m not that mother you’d see at the park enguled in imaginary play with their children, giggling blissfully under the sun as her rug rats tackle her to the ground. I’m the mom with my cup of coffee on the bench, texting while watching my kids go up and down the slide in yet another imaginary scenario. I wonder, how much of their imagination engenders out of necessity? I shudder at the thought of me being the culprit.
But they are happy, well-adjusted children. How did that happen? An accident, I’m sure. I’m naturally upbeat and optimstic, therefore, they have must have inherited that good gene from me. If I can spare more precious moments to watch them grown like sprouts…wait, I can! It’s my choice to take that time…so here I go. Off to the world of Spy Kids. Maybe I should google the premise of that movie first……
In celebration of Spring, we are re-stocking our store with quality, proven brands of baby carriers. Beco Butterfly II Spring collection is here as well as the new brushed canvas Pikkolo’s available with optional structured waist belt.
Personally, my favorite print of this season is “Grace.” It’s the name of my mother, who filled my childhood with vivid memories of babywearing. It’s also a vibrant yet classy rendition of florals set on dark brown background. Simply gorgeous and matches with any wardrobe!
Beco Butterfly II "Grace" NEW!
The new hood on the Butterfly II’s is soft and contoured. It’s a much improved design to accommodate the sleeping baby. It’s detachable and come with every carrier purchase. When not in use, the hood can be tucked neatly folded in a discreet pocket built-in to the waist belt.
ButterflyII detail
Now, I’m excited about the new Pikkolo’s because it’s now made with the popular brushed canvas, giving it an immediate soft and luscious feel to the carrier without having to break it in. The much sought-after print, Orbit, is available but limited quantities.
Orbit Pikkolo
Send us a comment or email with feedback or questions. We will keep you up to date on special promotions and offers!
I have been a nervous wreck anticipating the arrival of my carriers at the TBW conference in Chicago. It arrived this morning and it has been passed around conference halls. Thankfully, I have received positive and practical feedback which will be implemented into actual production of these carriers. The soft structured waist will remain built-in to the inside of the carrier, which is a hit. The baby’s legs will not stick out the bottom as is common with the traditional chunei. Minor changes will be made to eliminate the chafing around smaller babies’ legs and a more forgiving waist to accommodate various body shapes.
Naomi from Sobebabies snapped a photo of the carrier hanging at the top of my corner booth. 
It’s one of my favorite prints: Daisy Dreams. Paired with Nutmeg straps, I think the blossoms really pop. sorry about the blurry pic.
Words cannot express how sad I feel not being able to meet everyone, especially Naomi of Sobebabies who is caring for my 2 carriers. I’ve asked Naomi to send me pics so I can feel like I’m there in spirit.
And here is a pic of the Puj Baby sling she’s clearing out for me. How cute is her Sobebabies outfit?
I’m no business expert and certainly not one to give business advice. What I blog about are experiences, lessons learned from running a small WAHM business of my own. So please, consult a professional before you take heed to my ramblings here:
So to answer my title, SURE! The babywearing fever is catching on. It’s intuitive and more and more experts are agreeing on the benefits of babywearing, not to mention the practical aspects of parenting hands-free with a calm and happy baby.
BUT…before your babywearing fever drives you to take the plunge into starting a baby carrier business, check your inner voice. Is that voice saying, “wooo, imagine all the carriers that I’ll get to play with if I get to buy them at wholesale!” or is it saying, “I know it’ll be sweat and labor but gosh darn it, I’m passionate about making these products more accessible to a wider audience…” If it’s the latter, then you’re off to a good start. And if that voice is the first one, well, you already know right? It’s not a justifiable reason to embark on this very involved business adventure.
Now, the voice I fear most is this, “well, we need extra cash because I’m staying home with the baby / kids so I’ll just sew some mei tais or buy a few carriers and sell them to supplement our income.” I know it’s difficult to live on a single income for most families. But trust me, this is just about the most dangerous reason to start a baby carrier business. An Avon business. Sure! Bring in the extra cash! But to retail, much less manufacture, carriers is a painstaking venture. So many SAHMs have decided to start a business selling carrier only to find out that it’s a high maintenance industry, meaning customers have more questions than say, someone buying a CD or a T-shirt. They’re not going to ask you how to put on the shirt or how to play the CD. With carriers, you will have to deal with more customer service-natured calls or emails regarding the comparisons of a carrier with another, what is the recommended age of the baby, how far does it adjust, what is the correct size, etc. And with the current baby carrier market, there are so many to choose from, the abundance of choice is requiring even more service on your end to make a sale happen. The biggie, though, is liability!!! If a carrier is recalled, you are responsible for making sure a customer is informed and the product is returned / handled properly in accordance with the recall. And God forbid should an accident occur, someone has to pay for the medical expenses associated with the injury. Insurance, then is a necessity. And at such, it is no bargain for the folks selling baby carriers to buy decent coverage.
Of course, I’m generalizing and perhaps even being overly negative. There are great rewards with running a babywearing business. When someone e-mails you their ah ha! moment, it’s priceless. And when you turn on a local mom to the joy of babywearing, the smile on your face will shine for days if not weeks when you run into her at the store wearing her baby like a pro!
In my previous post, I talked about the realities of time spent sustaining a business. It was not what I imagined it to be. Somehow, I figured, I could get everything done in 2 hours after the kids are in bed. Of course, that’s not the case.
I cringe for moms I hear wanting to start a internet business because “you never have to leave the house. How cool is that?” True. It’s a virtual business. But your time spent on the computer is very real. You may not leave the house but you cannot be fully present for your little one(s). You must multi-task between answering some emails and a must-be-done chore like making breakfast or washing the dishes before you run out of room in the sink. Adding to that, maybe mediate a fight or two between the siblings or finding something interesting to engage your child without resorting to Dora or Barney. The phone might ring and as you attempt to answer a question in the most professional business woman voice, you shout out, “NO! No baby! Don’t put your hand in there!!!” Shortly after, a shrieking voice sobs uncontrollably thus erasing all likelihood this phone call returning to that professional tone you had hope to convey. Sounds like over-dramatization. But it’s not. I’m afraid.
In all honesty, I was that idealistic mom of two thinking I love babywearing, why isn’t anyone catching one? I’ve gotta jump in there and make it happen. After all, how involved can it really be? I just need a computer (which I already own…forget it’s a hand-me-down) and some money to start it up. Can’t be that hard. Over a year later, I’m still laughing at myself for being that naive. The time, the energy, the finance (which I will get to in another post).
Anyone who decides to pursue this business, my advice is to spend good amount of time researching your target audience. Who are they? Where are they? How will you get them to notice you? Then talk to some WAHMs and get a sense of what your life would be like. Most importantly, write up a business plan with REALISTIC goals. Don’t kid yourself and expect to blow up into Microsoft over night. Use a template, get a friend to help you or find a business consultant to advise you. The key is to have everything laid out so that you will be following a path rather than winging it along the way.
Happy venturing!!!
Have I stumbled upon that elusive “tao” of balance between being a mom and running business? Well, no. But I’ve learned a few things since starting my own baby carrier business in 2006.
I began seriously thinking about a baby carrier business after I bought my first Beco Baby Carrier. It was such a beautiful and functional carrier, I was sure there had to be market. People just haven’t caught on yet. You know what? I was right. And people caught on very quickly!
But I went into this business with very naive and idealistic vision of what life running a little business and tending to my 2 children would entail. In my mind:
1. Running a business would be easy money.
2. I get to stay home and be with my kids while bringing in some cash.
3. Since I don’t have to leave the house, working at home would be so much better for my children than me going to work somewhere outside of our home.
At the time, it seemed to be a perfect option! My husband was finishing up at Columbia and living in NYC was not cheap. The bulk of our savings went to subsidizing our living expenses. So money was tight. Professionally, I’m a teacher. High school teacher specializing in at-risk kids (which means challenging teenagers with various troubled backgrounds). Going back to work in the NYC school system would not yield decent living wages because of the high cost of living. And my son, Tao, was only a baby. So we’d have to hire a nanny to care for him, which would take up 1/3 of my salary. And my daughter, Maya, would have to be picked up from school by someone. I hated the idea of not greeting her after school and missing her big sunshine smile everyday!
So working at home seemed like the perfect solution. We would save money on the nanny cost and I get to drop off and pick up my daughter at school myself. When kids go to bed, I’d work on the business a couple of hours and voila! It was utopia!
A few months after my first wholesale order arrived, reality set in!
First and foremost, even though the orders came in like a steady stream, making a profit was very tricky. If I wanted to continue to grow and keep up with demand, I couldn’t pocket much of the profit. I had to reinvest into future stock and pay for overheads such as advertising, maintenance of the site (once I went online) and PayPal fees, etc. The amount I was able to pocket in those early months amounted to a number much lower than minimum wage! gasp!!! My husband was getting very confused and frustrated why I couldn’t manage to pocket more cash! And let me tell you, I’m still struggling to pocket decent amount of change for myself right now!
It became clear my time with the children became very limited. Soon, customer service calls came in the middle of the day. I’d have to turn on a movie or set out blocks for Tao to keep him occupied. The miscellaneous errands — packing, shipping, accounting, advertising, e-mails, etc — began to take up good amount of time where I couldn’t get everything done after the kids go to bed. I’d have to squeeze in little tasks here and there between cleaning, cooking, and grocery shopping. They say SAHM’s have full-time jobs. Imagine adding the responsibilities of running a business on top of that!
Was it / is it much better for my children that I’m home? Of course. But I’m not “present” much of the time. It’s sad. I’m either distracted by something that has to get done or the usual household chores that’s looming on the back of my mind. My son’s most frequent request is for me to sit down and cuddle with him on the sofa. And ironically, I don’t even have enough time to wear him any more even though I’m in the business of promoting babywearing love!
More and more moms are catching the babywearing bug, which is awesome. And naturally, more moms are catching the business fever, as I call it. Makes sense! If you love your carriers, why not share that passion? And if making extra cash is your cup of tea (who isn’t into making extra cash?), then starting a baby carrier business seems perfectly logical.
I just hope that for anyone who decides to go into the business of spreading babywearing love (or any work-at-home business for that matter), there are realistic expectations in place. It is not a quick, easy money-making deal. Life will be chaotic. You will have less time to spend with your children. And yes, you will feel guilty because you are physically present to witness the amount of time they are NOT getting that one-on-one interaction with you. Finding that balance between being a business woman and a mom is very difficult. But it can be done. With lots of coffee!
My son looks and feels like a 3 year-old at 22 months!
Lots of people, including my own husband question why I still put him in a carrier (a pouch, a sling, or a backpack). Simple: because he’s less fussy and the terrible two meltdowns are minimized when he’s worn.
(pictured: Vic with Tao in a Midnight Blossom Beco)
I can’t be sure how long I’ll be doing this, especially the stares I get in a parking lot when I’m scooting him onto my back. But this is for sure: as long as I can!
Now, I’d just have to get some snap shots of me doing so before he’s completely out of the babywearing age!
