Posts Tagged ‘Kids’

SmallBizTechnology:

For some months my daughter has been wanting to sell lemonade from a lemonade stand. Maybe it’s a “rite of passage” for kids. Maybe she wants to earn money. Maybe she likes business. Maybe it’s a bit of everything.

We were in the hot sun for 3 hours and made about $20. Not bad. Actually quite good.

What did I learn about business?

Have a variety products to serve a variety of customer types. An older lady came by our stand and said she would buy from us, but she can’t drink the acid. So she didn’t buy. In business, you need to know when (and when not) to expand your product line to meet a variety of customer segments.

Who is the best person to sell?

I wondered who would be the best person to sell our lemonade. A cute, little girl with braids holding up a sign or a 30+ guy with a sign. I think the little girl won out. Of course my daughter couldn’t hold a sign up all day. So I held the sign up for much of the time, but made sure she was quite visible at the lemonade stand.

In your own business, this is also so important. Do you send 27 year old Jenny? Or 46 year old Marry? Or 45 year old Bob. All three have their skills and talents to make the best sales for a particular customer. There is not ONE sales person that is necessarily the best for all times.

Location?

I decided to put the lemonade stand a few feet from my home, so that we could be in a place where cars could easily drive up, drivers could get out and make their purchase with ease.

In business location is so important. McDonald’s and other retailers spend lots of money picking out the optimal location for their establishments.

Online, location is important as well – in the form of search engine placement. If you are on page 5 of a search query, you’re not going to be found. You want to ensure that when the keywords that are important to you that are searched, you appear on the FIRST page of results. Preferably towards the top.

Continue Reading: “What I Learned About Biz Selling Lemonade With My Daughter”

Photo by ilco.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

The parents of young girls everywhere have probably heard of the wedgie complaint. The underwear doesn’t like to stay in place, wedgies occur, and for some unlucky parents it can be a common complaint with no end in sight.

Rebecca Winterhalt’s daughter had that problem. Her daughter was still in the potty training stages when she had an accident. Unfortunately Rebecca didn’t have a spare change of clothes on her so she had to borrow a pair of her nephews underwear. As the two children played, she noticed that her daughter wasn’t complaining about her underwear riding up and an idea began to spark within her mind. After much planning, that idea became what is now known as Girl Gotch. Taking advantage of the materials and design that makes boys underwear so great, Girl Gotch has created something that is much “too cute to be boys’”.

Tell us a little about Girl Gotch.

Girl Gotch is a company that designs and manufactures underwear for girls aged 2 thru 6 years of age. They come in 2 different styles; boxer and brief. They were designed after the traditional boy’s brief and boxer, but made ‘too cute to be boys’;)’

What inspired you to create this new type of girl’s underwear?

While I was potty training my oldest daughter, I couldn’t find underwear that would fit her. They would constantly ride up and she was pulling at them and saying how they hurt. One day when she was playing with her cousin, she had an accident and I didn’t have a spare set of clothes, so I borrowed my nephew’s gotch. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but as the day went on I realized that she wasn’t complaining about her underwear. She was running, jumping and climbing and they were staying in place. That’s when I decided that boy’s underwear were fantastic in design and little girls should be able to have them too. That is when Girl Gotch was born.

How many colors/styles do they come in? How much do they cost?

Currently Girl Gotch come in boxes of 3 boxers or briefs. They are available in a tri-colored box containing pink, purple and aqua. They are also available in pure white. I am hoping to have 2 more color lines by Christmas. The underwear retail for $14.99/box of 3. They can be purchased on-line at www.girlgotch.com or at a participating retailer. The retailers are listed on the where to buy section of the Girl Gotch website.

What was the design process like? What went into determining the materials and design that you wanted to use?

The design process was not as difficult as I thought it would be. I bought a bunch of boys underwear and literally took them apart. I worked with a local designer who was really great and she drew up the patterns for me. I sewed the underwear together and shipped them off to potential manufacturers. I had them provide samples in 100% cotton as well as a 95% cotton and 5% spandex blend. From there, I had my daughter play and wear the underwear and then I was able to finalize the style and fabric blend that was perfect for Girl Gotch. I wanted a high quality fabric that didn’t lose it’s shape as they were worn. The small amount of spandex allows for the little bit of stretch for comfort and helps hold the shape of the underwear.

Can we expect to see some new colors or patterns for your underwear in the future?

There are three different color families for Girl Gotch; cool, confident and pretty. The cool line contains the bright vibrant colors where the pretty line features soft pastels. The confident is the white line. There should be an additional cool line and a pretty line by Christmas time.

Do you have any goals that you hope to reach over the next year? Long term?

Over the next year I plan expand the number of retail partners. I also plan on launching into the USA. My long term goals for Girl Gotch is to grow the brand so that it is a ‘lovemark’ for consumers. Girl Gotch will be a household name and if there is a home with a little girl, it will also have Girl Gotch.

What are some of the changes Girl Gotch has seen since it first launched 1 year ago?

Initially, I had planned on partnering with a couple major mass retailers, however I decided that there was a better fit for my brand to partner with many smaller independent retailers. There haven’t been significant changes as I only went to market on May 07, 2009. When I started Girl Gotch, I wrote a detailed business plan and I use it to keep me in line. It is easy to lose sight of your original idea, so I constantly look back at my vision and make sure that all the decisions that I make are true to that.

What are some of the challenges you’ve had to face in business? What has helped you overcome them?

I think that the challenges I have had to face are getting the brand and logo perfect, finalizing manufacturing partners, finding the most cost effective partners in banking, website design to ensure that I can bring my product to market at a competitive price point. Patience, research and the support of my husband have helped me overcome my challenges without giving in to frustration.

What are some of the lessons your business has taught you?

My business has taught me that I can do anything. I have also learned that you can have the best plan and intentions, but there will always be something unexpected that will come up. I have learned that I need to stay positive and not take myself too seriously.

Is there any advice that you would like to share with fellow entrepreneurs that are just getting started?

I would say start with a detailed business plan and do your research. Be sure that there is a need for your product or service in the market before you invest all of your money. I would also recommend that you have the full support of your partner and family because you are going to need their support and help especially in the infancy of your business. Lastly, just go for it. Don’t over think it, just go for it. Someone has to come up with the next ‘it’ thing, so why can’t that someone be you.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.

The moment you open your car door on a hot summer day, it comes as no surprise that the interior can be extremely hot. Especially if you’ve had the misfortune of touching the metal part of the seatbelt while trying to buckle yourself in.

Deborah Lowe was putting her baby girl in the car when the metal piece of the seatbelt touched, and slightly burned, her daughters leg. From that moment Deb decided there had to be a way to keep it from happening again. In 2002 she sewed up her first car seat cooling pad. From there she started to make cooler pads for friends and family. Word spread and the orders started to roll in. In 2003 BabyBeeCool was born.

Tell us a little about your car seat cooler pad and what it does.

The main purpose of The BABYBEECOOL Car Seat Cooler is to COOL a car seat for a infant/child or adult while out of the car. The temp inside of a parked vehicle can soar up to 185 degrees F in as little as 15 mins parked in the sun. Look under FAQs on my web “HOT Faqs”.

What inspired it?

The inspiration came from my own child not being able to stay cool in her car seat and a buckle just barely touching her inner leg and turning it red. I’ve since heard from many parents that this has happened to them and their child.

What are the other products sold by your business, BabyBeeCool?

BABYBEECOOL sells window shades to help prevent the sun from coming in and it helps keep the car a little cooler too. We sell the LOGO Stuffed Gracie the Bee plus blankets and bibs.

What colors does the cooler pad come in?

The Original comes in All American Denim and The Universal comes in a beige color.

Do you have any plans to add more color options?

We may, but we found that Parents like the denim and neutral color since it matches most car seats. (QVC was the one that suggested the BEIGE, however we never went on QVC. We were in the AZ Republic, Phx., AZ with Marilyn Montrose from QVC in 2007).

How long will it keep the seat cool for?

Approx. 10 hours in 115 degree shut up. See The Toy Man report [on my website].

How far has your car seat cooler pad come since you made the first one in 2002?

From an idea to being in stores and sold internaional, also Made In China. I use to make them at my kitchen table!!! then here in The USA and finally China.

In what ways has it changed?

We came out with the Universal Cooler Pad in the Spring of 2008 which covers an infant or adults car seat. Prior to that we only had the “Original BABYBEECOOL Car Seat Cooler”.

What are your goals do you hope to reach over the next year?

To maintain through this economy and continue to grow.

What are your long term goals?

To sell BABYBEECOOL, any offers are welcome.

What are some of the lessons you have learned from your business?

I started from the ground up, not knowing how to do one thing in this industry. It is very competitive. People can steal your idea and even if you have a patent change it up 30% and redesign your product. I attend tradeshows where you will see people come out with a very great product only to come back the next year to see them ripped off and someone else with somehing similar. However, this has been a great journey for me and I have learned so much about small businesses, met so many great people, learned to be on TV without being nervous(Ha!), and to just enjoy what I have and take the next day as it comes.

Do you have any advice that you would like to offer other inventors that are hoping to launch a business out of their invention?

If I would have read “Moms Inventors Handbook”, prior to my business starting I could have saved myself the journey of having to dig and look for all the anwers. That book is worth every penny. I think the auther of that book came out with a product in 2005 and her book, my business started in 2002.

I think all inventors should believe in their products, do the research and just don’t give up but be real and accept advice from a mentor, if possible. I have a wonderful mentor that has helped me every step of the way. Elaine Collins Shaw, she lives in Scottsdale, AZ. She is a friend but will tell me just like it is. Listen to the truth and grow. Life is a journey.

From Business Opportunities Weblog.