tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20491403804199130412024-02-19T09:18:35.908-06:00Baby Boss DesignsThe founders of Baby Boss have several pet peeves - littering, bad table manners, and global warming to name a few. But the one that gets us the most (aside from that pesky global warming thing) is the lack of truly fashionable, yet affordable, clothing and accessories for babies and their mothers.
And so was born the Baby Boss concept. Stylish, affordable baby gear that is classic in design, yet which, though the colors and fabrics we use, nods appreciatively to the present.Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-3614449589724049512008-07-07T22:53:00.010-05:002008-07-08T07:51:28.741-05:00How to best advertise your very cool products?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Despite encouraging sales figures in our first month, Laura and I have been grappling lately with how to best go about marketing her products to the world. We obviously have to say something, we're just not sure what to say, how to say it, or to whom it should be said. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So what's our next step? </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We consulted a wise man on the mount, but even after a lot of climbing, the only thing he could offer us was the meaning of life (<em>which, by the way, is surprising and has something to do with the number <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Answer_to_Life,_the_Universe,_and_Everything">42</a></em>). A voodoo priestess in the French Quarter read our palms, but all she could tell us was something about really long life lines and lots of money. Blah, blah, blah. We also consulted the Magic 8 Ball, and it just said, over and over, that "it is decidedly so" (which made absolutely no sense, considering the question).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Finally, we turned to the </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_main.php"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Etsy forums</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> - an online board where sellers and buyers alike trade tips, quips, jibs, and jabs - for advice. While the suggestions offered have ranged from the obvious to the sublime, we have soaked up every word of it and are working to incorporate these pointers into how we present our products and market our work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">However, one post in particular really stood out, and I wanted to share it with our readers. </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=54011"><span style="font-size:85%;">BeaG</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> (pronounced Bay-Yah), one of Etsy's most far-flung international members (located "in a lovely village near </span><a href="http://www.trabel.com/gent.htm"><span style="font-size:85%;">Gent, Belgium</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">) and maker of a huge assortment of all sorts of goodies (you gotta check out this little </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=5100891"><span style="font-size:85%;">guy</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">), has a sales record that would rival most retail shops, so I figured if anyone knows something about something about selling, it's her. Here is what she <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">had to </span></span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5468248"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">say</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> about being a successful Etsy seller:</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">1. Have </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=13182964"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">truly unique products</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"> that are both pretty and functional and that people want to own.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Present them in the best way possible (perfect pictures, clear and to the point descriptions, appropriate tags, etc.)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. (Re)list often, to get more exposure.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. Let as many people as possible know about your products (also known as: promote, promote, promote).</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. Have excellent customer service, so your satisfied customers will return and will spread word of mouth.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. Don't ever think you are done, but keep improving your products, your pictures and the overall appearance of your shop.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7. Never be negative in public, don't complain about lack of sales on the public forums, don't ignore (not answer their questions) or disrespect your potential customers.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8. Don't go sit and wait around during slow times, but instead use that time to work on new products and on improving your listings and existing products. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Here are a few other suggestions from in and around the forums...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>**</strong> If you're listing on Etsy, make good use of you shop sections. As </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=16886"><span style="font-size:85%;">eneefabricdesign</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> points out, some buyers jump into a shop and then jump out, so offering them the option to view the items they are looking for in one place may increase your chances at a sale. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><strong>** </strong><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=42091"><span style="font-size:85%;">SugarAndSpice</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">, a talented dollmaker on Etsy, suggests doing your homework. Read books and websites focused on running a home business is a definite path to success. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>**</strong> Looking at it from another perspective, </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=32548"><span style="font-size:85%;">FearlessFibers</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">, yet another incredible Etsy seller, suggests a new seller should "step away from Etsy, go to the library, find good informational sites, get a mentor through your local SBA, or whatever else you can think of and get yourself armed with the knowledge to develop a solid plan."</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-size:85%;">All good ideas, indeed.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">So, all my fellow Etsians (and to any other readers out there contemplating starting your own online business), there you go. Words of wisdom from some of the greats.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">If you have any ideas or suggestions on how to be a better online seller of your own, feel free to share! Leave them as a comment and, if we really like what you have to say, we'll highlight it in a later post.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Now, get crackin'!</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-1403629827011791172008-07-04T11:19:00.002-05:002008-07-04T11:34:25.765-05:00A salute on this, the 4th of July<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Baby Boss salutes the men and women who have, since the beginning of this democratic experiment called the United States, sacrificed life and limb to provide us with the freedoms and liberties we all enjoy today.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">It is easy to get caught up in the daily melodrama that is life in this country - from a faltering economy, to out-of-reach gas prices, to a Presidential campaign that is more soap opera than substantive discussion of the facts - and forget that, behind it all, is a set of ideals no other nation in the history of the world has ever dared implement. That there is a document, signed by men accused of treachery by an absentee king, that enumerates our rights as citizens and guarantees we will all have the opportunity to live life the way we want to live it, to pursue our dreams, our hopes, our happiness on our terms.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We are unique as a country and as a people, and because the liberties we enjoy on a daily basis are so essential, so basic, we take much of it for granted. So tonight, as you grill your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hot dogs</span> and hamburgers and sit back with your friends and family to watch the fireworks, take a moment to remember those who blazed this path to freedom, for without them, none of this would be possible.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Happy 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span> of July!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-35964958749048663802008-07-03T07:35:00.007-05:002008-07-03T09:33:21.274-05:00Baby Boss, even through the lean, mean times...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Let's face it. Times are tough. Gas prices are into the stratosphere and food prices are not far behind. The economy is sluggish, almost at a standstill. Companies large and small are feeling the pinch, some even </span><a href="http://money.aol.com/special/retail-stores-closing-doors"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">shuttering their stores</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> as a result of the tailspin. And caught in the middle of the maelstrom is the American Consumer who is being forced to </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/14spend.html"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">scale back</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> on every little extra these days just to make ends meet, and even then they're struggling. It's not pretty out there, folks. It's not pretty at all. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So it comes as no surprise that Baby Boss sales - however meager they were before - have slowed to a crawl. And by crawl I mean stop. And by stop I mean dead stop. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">For an established business with a solid customer base, the lean times, while difficult to be certain, are not a death knell. Odds are they have been though similar slumps and know how to loosen up for the long, bump ride. Cut back on unnecessary spending, thin the employee ranks, dip into reserves. They come through bruised, battered and maybe even bloodied, but still breathing.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/jun/14/struggling-economy-hits-small-businesses-hardest/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Smaller companies</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">, on the other hand, do not have those same luxuries. Dips in the economy that lead to drops in consumer spending strike fear in the heart of many a small business owner, who is likely beholden to a bank and facing a mountain of bills from vendors and service providers. These businesses - and their employees - typically sustain themselves in a hand-to-mouth fashion, so when the cash flow in the front door is restricted, much scrambling ensues to figure out a way to make up for the difference of what has to flow out the back. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Fortunately, </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5914473"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Baby Boss</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> is not a brick-and-mortar business yet. Operated out of our home, and with only two "employees" (three, if you count our son, who periodically helps cut fabric), it has blessedly little overhead, so the effect of the economic downturn is less financial and more psychological. Simply put, it's hard to continue spending every second of our free time devoted to building a business and a brand when there is so little return on your investment. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We have </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5688438"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">discussed</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> this issue on the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/forums_main.php"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Etsy</span> forums</a> and the results have been mixed. Many people have responded with experiences of similarly sluggish sales but encourage us (and themselves in the process) to stick with it, while others remind us that 12 sales in a month is extraordinary for a new store on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Etsy</span> and chastise us for needlessly whining. Although I do not think we come across as whiners, I have to say I agree with both camps. Sales are down, but the market has not bottomed out, so there is still money to be made, and the only way to get a piece of the action is to be strong. On the other hand, as compared to other stores our age, we <em>are</em> ahead of the curve and are in a market that will always be alive (unless, of course, people stop having babies). </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Regardless, even in the best of circumstances, running a small business takes tenacity and fortitude, and between the two of us, I think Laura and I have what it takes to stick it out. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">And to all of the other little business owners out there who can share in our pain, I offer a salute. Say what you will about the old guard - General Motors, IBM, GE - but the <a href="http://www.nfib.com/object/IO_36931.html">little guy</a> is the life blood of this country. Without our determination, our ingenuity, our absolute need to find a better way to do things because we have no other option than to improve on the status <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">quo</span>, this country would still be mired in the 19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> century. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Hang tough!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-43192946243492800902008-07-01T20:45:00.005-05:002008-07-02T06:33:13.390-05:00Writing Ad Copy the Baby Boss Way<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ever since I started writing the ads for Baby Boss (see <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12191649">this</a>, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=vl_other_2&listing_id=12210897">this</a>, or <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12966289">this</a>), I have tried to create a formula that, when boiled own to its essentials, is fairly easy to follow and provides all of the information our customers want to know about whatever product they happen to be looking at. Granted, it is equally important to have a vivid imagination, a <a href="http://www.dictionary.com/">strong vocabulary</a>, and a </span><a href="http://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">command of the English language</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (yes, that means grammar and punctuation), but the formula is key. Without it, you might ramble on and on and on in the most eloquent prose to have ever been read by human eyes and never really say what you need to say. And to do that you start with...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1. The Story</span></strong><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Whether it's silver wire that traveled by container ship from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Shenzhen</span> to Long Beach or it's a country quilt that was made by hand by a mother and daughter team in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Peekskills</span>, everything you sell has a story that is begging to be told. Rather than just jumping into writing the ad, stop and consider the item. Think about what inspired you make it, what it reminds you of, or what it had to go through to get to the pages of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Etsy</span> and then write it. Limit the story to just a couple of sentences, though. That's enough to capture your customer's attention without losing their interest.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><strong>2. The Descriptors</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">The point of an ad is make your products attractive, and the only way to do that is to point out all the features that set you apart from the rest. The best way is to use specific names or terms of art. Crafting jewelry? Identify the stones or the metal by name or origin. Making clothes or accessories? Tell us who the designer is, or what kind of special stitch you used. </span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">You dedicated precious time and energy to selecting the materials to make what you're selling, and the only way a customer is going to be able to appreciate that is if you tell them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><strong>3. The Specifics</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Rarely do customers buy something just to buy it. Whatever they are looking for has to fit their specific need at that particular moment, and this where product specs come in. List the dimensions of that blanket, the length of the necklace, the size of the skirt, or the size of the watercolor print. The more information you provide regarding the technical aspects of the item, the more likely a customer is to buy it and be pleased with the purchase. There is nothing worse that a disappointed customer, except maybe a customer who feels like they've been bilked.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"><strong>3. The Close</strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Now that you've given the item an identity and you've pointed out all its best features, you have to close by personalizing the item...by telling the customer why they simply have to have it. This is the tricky part, especially since you don't know who is looking at your store at any given time, so you have to imagine who your typical customer is generalize the benefits for them. What does it go with? How would it compliment the average shopper? Where could you imagine it being used, or worn, or hung? Focus on how the item would draw attention tot he customer in a good way, but you have to do it without being pushy. Too soft, and they walk. Too hard, and they run. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Considering the fact that I offer an </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12627513"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ad Copy Service</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> on our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Etsy</span> shop, some people may think that I'm crazy for providing this sort of insight into how I create my ads. To that I say nonsense. Donald Trump has penned several <a href="http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Donald+J+Trump">books</a> about business that millions of people have read (and some likely memorized), but do you really see that many more millionaires or billionaires running around? Of course not. He provides guidance, advice, and inspiration, but he cannot impart his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">midas</span> touch on his readers. I'm just here to do the same thing...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Hopefully this helps point you in the right direction. It definitely takes some time, and practice, and patience, but you'll eventually get the hand of it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">And if not, either drop me a <a href="mailto:baby_boss@charter.net">line</a> or head over to our <a href="http://www.babybossdesigns.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Etsy</span> shop</a> and I'll do it for you...</span><br />-Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-6543677374554488042008-07-01T08:54:00.005-05:002008-12-11T05:29:06.735-06:00Baby Boss on Safari<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3ZtHLL3CPh6G5PwkgLUM7RvrQEQzlBYqZyeTI49ieQQcbZowS1Htsd1jqxTFcDXj7F7NsiavCLX98_v7XZPFsK751pxoiFK7YXS87ThjQSvKSnGqLtXj8X_ZOhpr01mGpj6dPIzWk853/s1600-h/Giraffe+Lovey+3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218053616965982930" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR3ZtHLL3CPh6G5PwkgLUM7RvrQEQzlBYqZyeTI49ieQQcbZowS1Htsd1jqxTFcDXj7F7NsiavCLX98_v7XZPFsK751pxoiFK7YXS87ThjQSvKSnGqLtXj8X_ZOhpr01mGpj6dPIzWk853/s200/Giraffe+Lovey+3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">When Laura first set out to create the Baby Boss brand, she started out with the since-been-sold Giraffe Bib. Created at 6:30 the morning after she bought her first sewing machine, and made using some very cool Alexander Henry fabric and an authentic horn as a toggle, this was the piece that launched a thousand ships. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">From this bib was born the Giraffe blanket and the Giraffe burpers, both of which have also been big sellers. In fact, the original bib was the inspiration for the Serengeti Collection as whole and served to spark my ad writing. The fabric remains one of my favorites. It's crisp and mocern and cool, but something about it makes me imagine a scene from a turn of the century safari.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So when Laura moved toward making loveys (<em>aka security blankets</em>), it was only natural that she add to the Serengeti line with a Giraffe Lovey, and I think it compliments the other pieces perfectly. Purposefully cutting the fabric so as to capture the full grace of these towering animals and wrapping the back in her signature ultrasoft minky dot, this lovey really stands apart from the rest. Not that the other loveys aren't nice - they are, all of them - but this one is catalog-worthy. I can easily picture it gracing the pages of Pottery Barn, draped over the arm of a thick leather couch or hanging on the back of a rocking chair in a nursery. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">You never know...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Maybe one day you'll have a Baby Boss catalog laying open on your coffee table, the Giraffe line of products splayed in every imaginable pose, ready for the purchase.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Interested in seeing the Giraffe Lovey in all its glory? Click here ----> </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5914473"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5914473</span></a><br />-Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-33536239055198271922008-06-28T17:53:00.005-05:002008-12-11T05:29:06.996-06:00A Baby Boss Milestone<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuwh4OAARKnJpW6WcPMDwCPInGxw7B6ay6i5znuBavnsEJBtnfm4fXQ8CISabGUpRc7jgwtorsZE24fLmf3EgifSX5xbvUtNlFByRxMyVxQ7WraCY0AG1HZNPF-wh3-NkB1D3D6X8HBsa/s1600-h/South+Seas+(blanket+1).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217076805263637906" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEuwh4OAARKnJpW6WcPMDwCPInGxw7B6ay6i5znuBavnsEJBtnfm4fXQ8CISabGUpRc7jgwtorsZE24fLmf3EgifSX5xbvUtNlFByRxMyVxQ7WraCY0AG1HZNPF-wh3-NkB1D3D6X8HBsa/s200/South+Seas+(blanket+1).jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>Granbury, TX (AP)</strong> -- Baby Boss Designs, a global design firm that manufactures high-quality, and highly fashionable, handmade baby gear reached a milestone this afternoon. Less than a month after opening their doors to the world, Baby Boss founders Laura and Gavin Smith listed their fiftieth item at their shop on the Etsy network, an extremely stylish South Seas Blanket that is part of their popular Tropical Breeze Collection.</span></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"We've been working day and night on this project, and to reach this milestone is not only exciting, but a bit mindboggling, " a breathless Laura Smith said, as she toiled over her newest creation. "Who would have ever thought we would have 5 items listed, much less 50?" </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Baby Boss broke ground on May 29th with the introduction of the Giraffe Bib, the keystone of the Serengeti Collection. This collection, which recently sold to a customer in California, was followed by a variety of other pieces, and with that the brand was born. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Since then, Baby Boss has diversified its offerings, from bibs and blankets to dresses, pants, and one-of-a-kind vintage items. They have even started offering an ad copy service, all of which have received widespread appraise.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Gavin Smith, co-founder, ad man and spreadsheet guru forBaby Boss: "It has been a hell of a ride. I can remember our first sale, the Circle B bib. Laura and I were sitting at the computer one Saturday morning, drinking coffee, and looking over the store when an email from PayPal came in. I think we both about peed our pants. I know I did, anyway. It was a watershed moment for us. We knew, right then and there, that Baby Boss would eventually become the Microsoft of the baby gear world."</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">That may be aiming a bit high, but then Baby Boss has recently gone international with a sale to a customer in Paris. Paris, France, that is - world capital of extremely high fashion- so maybe it's not too lofty of a goal. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"To have the Baby Boss brand walking the streets of Paris is something we would have never expected when we started this whole thing. It definitely makes you set your goals higher. We're thinking about advertising in the Super Bowl next year. We just have to make a few more sales." Laura shouted out from behind the closed door of her R&D lab/third-world sweatshop, where she has been known to churn out 10 new items in a day.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">What's next for these two? Who knows. But one thing's for sure. They are eyeing the day when they have 100 items listed, 20 sales per day, and are signing the papers on their dream house in Napa.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">"We may have to win the lottery to get that last one, but you never know til you play."</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So true.</span></div><div> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">To view Baby Boss' 50th listing, as well as all of their other items, go to </span></em><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12944739"><em><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12944739</span></em></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-64434696823677172292008-06-28T10:00:00.003-05:002008-06-28T10:13:48.711-05:00I'm baaaaack...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Now that I'm back in town and in familiar environs, the Baby Boss Blog will back up to full speed in no time.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">First, let me thank you all for your patience with my half-hearted posts over the past few days. Something about hotel rooms sap your energy and completely drain your creative juices. Rare are the times I sit in front of the computer with absolutely nothing to say, but it happened every day this past week. I have a lot to make up for.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Second, let me give a shout out to the very honest American Airlines cleaning crew that found my cell phone on the plane yesterday and handed it over to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">DFW's</span> lost and found department. When I got home yesterday and realized I had misplaced my phone somewhere between Omaha and Dallas, I was upset (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ok</span>, that's understating my reaction a bit). I called people at every stop I made, but to no avail. Until this morning, that is, when Tabitha at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">DFW</span> confirmed my phone was safe and sound and awaiting my retrieval. Thank you, thank, thank you.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Third, I have to raise a glass to Laura for holding down the Baby Boss fort while I was gone. Not only did she cruise the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Etsy</span> forums, but she joined Posh Mama and mailed out a huge stack of marketing letters to local brick-n-mortar stores, all in an attempt to get our little business some attention. This morning, as I stare at the veritable mountain of new items she made this week and ponder the work that I have cut out for me, I am still amazed by the relentlessness with which she has pursued this project. Keep it up, babe. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">That said, I am going to roll up my sleeves and get to listing. We are going to list a couple of pieces today that I plan to highlight on the blog later, so be sure to check back with us this afternoon.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Have a great Saturday!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-55511583157165205012008-06-27T05:41:00.002-05:002008-06-27T06:01:40.404-05:00Heading home...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This has been a long week. As I mentioned in my previous posts, I have had a countless stream of meetings, conference calls, meet-n-greets, lunches, dinners and town hall meetings. It's been up at 5:30, bed at 11, and lots of yawns in between. My rental car was a tiny, tiny Toyota Yaris that I had to fold my 6'3" self into each and every day.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">It was a week of hot dinner dates with my book, of constantly answering questions of why it's been so long since I last visited HQ, and of dealing with my tad-bit-too-warm, smells-like-the-steakhouse-next-door hotel room. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">It was a week of stupid questions and my constant struggle to answer them with a straight face. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">It was also a week of revelations and big ideas, so I am returning to the home office with a new direction on a few issues. This week also allowed me to reconnect with the rest of my team, as opposed to only meet with them via conference call. From a professional standpoint, it's been a good week.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">But, most importantly, a week up here gives me a new appreciation for the comforts of home and the contentment of being around my family. There is something a bit unsettling about living out of suitcase, eating meal after meal by yourself and waking up to an empty hotel room. It grounds you a bit and gives you a new appreciation for the little things at home that make it, well, home. The tick of the clock in the living room. The hum of the a/c that runs nonstop during the summer months. Feeling Laura next to me when I first wake up.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">I know a lot of you are thinking "You've only been gone a week. Try being gone for [<em>insert longer period of time here</em>]." And to that I say, "it's all the same." A week. A month. A year. However long you're away, the fact remains that you're away. You're not at home. You're not with the ones you love. And that's always discomforting.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Babe, I'm heading home...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-63662957365675339842008-06-25T06:20:00.004-05:002008-06-25T06:54:08.868-05:00I know, I know...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">...I skipped a day. I promised my readers a daily post and I dropped the ball. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">But I have a good excuse. The dog ate my post... </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">No. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Just kidding.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I have been trying. I really have. I have started at least four different posts and deleted them because they were boring, or silly, or peetered out after a few sentences. It's been frustrating. Very frustrating. And as any writer knows, that frustration just compounds the problem.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Granted, this has proven to be a stressful week. From 4-hour marathon meetings to back-to-back-to-back meetings to team dinners to business lunches, I really have not stopped over the past couple days. But I think the main culprit is that I am tired. Not just a little tired, but to-the-core-exhausted. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">As Laura will attest, I may fall asleep easily, and by easily I mean in mere seconds. It's a wonderful side effect of having had my thyroid removed a few years ago after a battle with cancer. Unfortunately, I also wake up at every little noise, so, when I travel, my light sleep, coupled with a general inability to fall asleep in a strange bed, makes for a restless night...and a miserable morning. My tossing and turning leads to burning eyes, dragging feet, and a distinct inability to easily coherent thoughts, much less blog. No amount of coffee, tea or other source of pure caffeine and sugar seems to help. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">And for someone like me who truly enjoys whipping out an entertaining blog post, it's as annoying for me to stare at a blank screen and fight a foggy brain as it is for you to log in and not have anything new to read.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">But believe me when I say I am trying.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-44349597866835435812008-06-23T21:23:00.003-05:002008-06-23T21:43:30.208-05:00Am I caught in a time warp?*<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">10.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><em><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">10.</span></strong></em><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">That's the number of toes a person has. What a face card is worth in a game of blackjack. The number of dollars I have in my wallet right now. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">That's also the number of items Laura has finished since I left for Omaha...a day and a half ago. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">36 hours. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Where have I been? Did I black out? Did I lapse into a coma? Did I drink some of whatever Rip Van Winkle sipped before his nap? How does someone finish 10 brand new pieces AND work a full time job AND be an awesome mother to our daughter in the same amount of time it has taken me to sit on a plane, sleep a little bit, attend a couple of meetings and go to company dinner?</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I'll tell you how.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">She is a sewing <em>macheen</em>. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">She <em>is</em> Baby Boss, and I'm just the guy who can type...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I'm kidding.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Sort of.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I'm so proud of you, babe. Keep it up! </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><em>*I know I blogged on this last night, but I'm still dumfounded by her progress. I joke about our house being a sweatshop, but at this rate, I'm preparing for an OSHA investigation.</em></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span></em>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-28687035005489715572008-06-22T21:30:00.003-05:002008-06-22T22:50:30.233-05:00I so have my work cut out for me...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-<br />It's true, my work schedule this week is ridiculously hectic. From 4-hour planning meetings to half-day dog and pony shows with service providers, it will be hard to come up for a breath much less take a real breather.<br /><br />But that's not what I'm talking about.<br /><br />No, I'm talking about my Baby Boss work when I get back on Friday.<br /><br />Laura is nothing if she's not 100% dedicated to this business, and her work this weekend is a perfect example of that. So that we could continue to list new items at our Etsy store each day this week, she cranked out 2 burper sets, a lovey and three bibs this weekend alone.<br /><br />On top of that, while I was braving TSA security at DFW, sweating on a hotbox of an American airlines flight, and getting acquainted with another week in a hotel, she had the Baby Boss sweatshop at maximum capacity, creating three - yes, three - new pieces just today.<br /><br />So, let's do the math. If she keeps this pace up - which is not unimaginable - she will have made 15 pieces by the time I get back on Friday. That's 15 listings to create, 60 photographs to resize and re-color, and who-only-knows how many words to dream up for our signature descriptions.<br /><br />To that, I say "<em>damn</em>."<br /><br />Global trade compliance never looked so easy.<br />-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-90815060921242449502008-06-20T21:16:00.005-05:002008-06-20T22:04:28.473-05:00Baby Boss, from afar...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Believe it or not, Laura and I both have full time jobs away from the Baby Boss global headquarters here in Granbury. She manages a highly successful orthopedic surgery practice and I manage trade compliance for a major food manufacturer. They are both demanding roles in their own right, but typically ones that do not take us far from home...or from our budding business.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Until now...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Next week I will be reporting from Omaha, NE, home of billionaire Warren Buffett, the College World Series, and....and....did I mention Warren Buffet? And we have already been trying to figure out how I am going to handle the business side of Baby Boss. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">See, Laura and I have divided our responsibilities according to our respective strengths. So while she has been busy stocking her fabric stores with the absolutely coolest designer fabric around, dreaming up awesome new product lines and making the high-quality, uber-fashionable products our customers have come to know and love, I do the nitty-gritty. From tracking sales and inventory to formatting photos to penning the descriptons that sum up her creations, I maintain the store from the inside out, and to try to handle this from afar is daunting, to say the least.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The email exchange from Baby Boss to its man on the ground will be fast and furious. Hands will be wrung. Expletives uttered. Sweat, umm, sweated. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">But I also have a feeling that it will prove to us, once and for all, that we're damn good at this thing. We're masters of multi-tasking, and while it may require Laura to update the inventory files and me to burn the midnight oil at the hotel (<em>although not too much oil...have you seen gas prices lately??</em>), I know we'll be in the same good shape we were when I leave on Sunday.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This is Baby Boss, dammit. We're not going anywhere. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">-</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-85305709732921648002008-06-19T14:00:00.004-05:002008-06-19T14:37:35.885-05:00Ouch! I think I may have pulled something...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">...patting myself on the back.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I'm not big on self-congratulation, but in this case I'll make an exception. If you've been keeping up with this blog, you already know that Baby Boss launched its new Ad Copy Service on Sunday and, by Monday, we had already signed up our first customer, Littlebirdydesigns (</span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5840126"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5840126</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">). Emily at Littlebirdy designs jewelry but really needed some help finding a voice for what I would consider to be wearable works of art, and I was more than happy to help. After some work, her new ad was posted Tuesday afternoon.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Then the best return on her investment hit on Wednesday. The piece sold. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">That's right. After sitting, and sitting, and sitting, I wrote a new ad on Tuesday and the item sold on Wednesday. I think I may have been more thrilled than Emily at the news.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Now, could it have just been mere coincidence? Perhaps. But the wordsmith in me would like to think that the combination of Emily's artistry and my writing were what pushed that buyer to buy.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">And, based on Emily's latest blog post, she agrees with me. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Have a read...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><a href="http://onelittlebirdy.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://onelittlebirdy.blogspot.com/</span></a><br />-Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-59056879671768916412008-06-19T06:17:00.007-05:002008-06-19T07:13:27.055-05:00Contradicting Myself<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">As I sit here and ponder my next post, I thought I might as well make a couple of comments on, well, not really having anything to say.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I know it comes as a shock, but there are mornings when I sit down at the computer, cuppa cuppa joe in hand, and stare at this screen, my mind as blank as the Ethics section of Enron's executive handbook. It's frustrating, to say the least, but it's nonetheless the truth.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">See? It happened again. Right there. I'm on a roll for a sentence or two and then - BAM - the spigot is shut off and my brain runs dry. If you listen closely (which is admittedly difficult as you're not really in the room with me), you can almost hear the gears grinding their way to a dusty halt.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I can already see that today is going to be a difficult one for this blog. It's going to look out at me from it's little hiding place on the web with big, weepy eyes asking for some attention. Just a picture, or some recipe that I lifted from a website Cindy McCain-style, and I'll look back and say "I got nothin', man. <em>Nothin</em>".</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So for all you readers out there, hang in there with me. I can feel inspiration coming on. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I can feel it. </span></em><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Or.....maybe not.</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-27961655191661723882008-06-18T12:47:00.003-05:002008-12-11T05:29:07.243-06:00Colors goes Black & White for a day...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0i2YzqncyrDkOGjMTdmEv7BSHyujXrxvBJfHIecLIassVj5ClPBxEL1OKXrf9-z4MwDF5kT9_5mZQqrZUuCvnyRRswYK6k_pPVoFNvuKZ0KeZdwWQ2JXhTyNhyBGMJhC4W0nMmKYeOxj/s1600-h/sassy+whorls.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213287811902189810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0i2YzqncyrDkOGjMTdmEv7BSHyujXrxvBJfHIecLIassVj5ClPBxEL1OKXrf9-z4MwDF5kT9_5mZQqrZUuCvnyRRswYK6k_pPVoFNvuKZ0KeZdwWQ2JXhTyNhyBGMJhC4W0nMmKYeOxj/s200/sassy+whorls.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">One of Baby Boss' most diverse collections is our Colors Collection. From bright bibs to bubbly halters to lollipop dresses, our goal with this collection was to bring you classic items in some of the most eye-poppingly colorful fabrics we could find while still delivering the same Baby Boss style you demand. Judging by the compliments we have received, we're succeeding. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We knew when we decided to introduce our new black & white Sassy Whorls Lovey as part of the Colors Collections, it sounded like a bit of a misnomer, but we did it anyway. We're brave that way. And if you think about it, it's actually perfect. Whereas white is formed by the absence of color, black is the presence of all colors simultaneously. You do not get much more color-oriented than that.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Laura also worked with a new material this time, an ultra-soft silky, furry fleece in jet black that makes this absolutely perfect for that little one who is looking for an added layer of warm, fuzzy security. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">And as for being sassy, come on. Look at it. Black. White. Pink. Furry. Can something be MORE sassy than that?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We think not.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Check it out for yourself at our shop ------> </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12633120"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12633120</span></a></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-17955763961114184102008-06-18T08:10:00.003-05:002008-12-11T05:29:07.303-06:00Extra! Extra! Baby Boss Goes Global!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfegI3V907Li_gdMAjbSDEJJjjVAOYAWYNYtxPoCWBpk0VxSit6QdGIRKUHGYhOwPeK7HsOLGUTmphLOcp8scumOb2aQ0zd76LCGHyzVh3d0Q8a-DDMBptSw4JCQFnsJhtYtz2ooFzqU_Q/s1600-h/globe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213212314672794002" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfegI3V907Li_gdMAjbSDEJJjjVAOYAWYNYtxPoCWBpk0VxSit6QdGIRKUHGYhOwPeK7HsOLGUTmphLOcp8scumOb2aQ0zd76LCGHyzVh3d0Q8a-DDMBptSw4JCQFnsJhtYtz2ooFzqU_Q/s200/globe.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Baby Boss received and processed its first international order this morning. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Over the past few days, we have been communicating, via Etsy conversations, with an interested party in France regarding our increasingly-popular World Traveler Bib and W.T. Burper Set. Photos and descriptions were sent, purchase and shipping terms set, and, after accepting our offer, the customer requested a custom order be listed. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><strong>Voila!</strong> </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Just like that, Baby Boss products are bound for the extremely fashion-conscious streets of Paris. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Personally, I am looking forward to the day that Baby Boss Boutiques are in every mall in America, but until then, knowing that our product - and our brand - is getting exposure "across the pond" makes me very excited for things to come.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em><strong>Merci des affaires, SaintOurs! Merci!</strong></em></span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-30279028415408354682008-06-17T20:13:00.004-05:002008-12-11T05:29:07.441-06:00A Littlebirdy landed on my shoulder...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwSiji11LwVzZTd0zT2ZRyr908WzH_P-thYlE47i906hBg4-pp2e83hs5IoJaXvxBnB_a5nJrfwY-_VWhKzlUJeXyaKql-qw_4padA4TiKsH_91j_bOzC5fB1eTQ0Ui2x8fHhtcWhJZpJ/s1600-h/Vitality.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213051867664940098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIwSiji11LwVzZTd0zT2ZRyr908WzH_P-thYlE47i906hBg4-pp2e83hs5IoJaXvxBnB_a5nJrfwY-_VWhKzlUJeXyaKql-qw_4padA4TiKsH_91j_bOzC5fB1eTQ0Ui2x8fHhtcWhJZpJ/s200/Vitality.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">...and asked me for some help with her Etsy ads. And, man, was I thrilled!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This is a shout out to Emily at Littlebirdydesigns for jumping in with both feet and subscribing to our new Ad Copy Service. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;">My first project for her - a very nice serptentine necklace appropriately named "Vitality" - went very smoothly, despite the fact I researched and described <em>the completely wrong kind of stone</em> in my first round of proofs<em>. </em></span></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I know, I know, but at no point did I ever claim to have any experience as a geologist, a metaphysicist or a tarot card reader, so cut me some slack.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Regardless, she was so pleased with the final outcome that she not only immediately updated her store with the new listing, but she asked me to help her with four additional listings! Now that is what I call a satisfied customer. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Here is the brand spanking new listing for her "Vitality" necklace (</span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12588905"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12588905</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">). Check it out and leave a comment or two how you think it came out.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">While you're there, I encourage you to look at her other items. Emily definitely has an eye for jewelry and I have a feeling her store is going to take off once we give it an overhaul.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Thanks again, Emily. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Now, let's back to work!</span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-38078586683428258452008-06-17T07:40:00.003-05:002008-06-17T07:58:33.568-05:00Tell us, are we the only...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">...Etsians who are losing sleep over our new business? </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">And I do not mean losing sleep in the sense that we're-stressed-to-the-gills, but rather that we stay up much, much later than responsible adults with full-time day jobs should so we can poke and prod and nurture this little project into becoming the booming, looming, multinational conglomerate that we know it can be.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I have a feeling we're not. I have a feeling that Etsy has created a whole legion of craft addicts who, rather than do what they are supposed to, what society deems "responsible", they choose instead to do what they love, even if it means feeling a little more run down than usual.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">While I cannot speak for anyone else on Etsy, Laura and I agree that this little project has sparked an inferno in our souls that our spirit-sapping day jobs never could, and I'll trade that for an extra set of circles under my eyes any day. Hell, the stress at my day job fuels many of my restless nights. If I'm going to be tired anyway, it might as well be because I stayed up doing something I love.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So, on behalf of all of my fellow Etsians everywhere, from the dusty, dirty sculptor in Alaska to the quiet quilter in Tennessee, I raise my glass to the Etsy founders. Thank you for helping all of us realize our potential, and providing an outlet where we, the artisans and small business owners of the world, can come together and show one another what we can do, and what we're made of.</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-20775611014751154332008-06-16T15:14:00.003-05:002008-12-11T05:29:07.554-06:00Ad Copy, anyone?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOyxhD-scI23QfwybheP8c0rqTi45FJY1gSV3tdNhWdvjplawbyin-JcIPUuxnygoeIl9Z3JO1amqjJlWVvL4FT0KbmVBBj-YPHRi5mxkDJeT0G9klW_OiPrYRht5LdC2LkRoMjWqtkpo/s1600-h/BB+Ad+Copy+Svc.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212585339816747250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOyxhD-scI23QfwybheP8c0rqTi45FJY1gSV3tdNhWdvjplawbyin-JcIPUuxnygoeIl9Z3JO1amqjJlWVvL4FT0KbmVBBj-YPHRi5mxkDJeT0G9klW_OiPrYRht5LdC2LkRoMjWqtkpo/s200/BB+Ad+Copy+Svc.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Lately Laura and I have been astounded by the amount of time we each spend thinking about our Baby Boss project, and it typically happens when we are doing something completely unrelated to the business. Ideas fly out of left field when we're driving to the office, they turn on that little light bulb over our head when we're cooking, they even come to us in our sleep (no joke...the other night I had a dream about coming up with names for the new fabrics Laura bought).</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Well, while I was mowing on Saturday under the hellish Texas sun, another idea came to me in my sunstroke-induced haze: "I've gotten a lot of compliments on the ads we have listed on our shop, and it seems like so many people struggle with their item descriptions and ad titles, why not help other Etsians write ads too?" </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I pitched the idea to Laura, she bit - with the caveat that I <em><u>better</u></em> be careful to avoid any conflicts of interest should another baby shop request my services - and so I launched the Baby Boss Ad Copy Service. A full description of the service is available here: </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12593563"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12593563</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I am hopeful it will be a success, if for no other reason than I love to write and I would leap at the opportunity to help other Etsians capture the spirit of their handiwork the way it deserves.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We'll keep you posted.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Think this idea will fly? Let me know your thoughts...</span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-90364297861578748992008-06-16T08:44:00.003-05:002008-12-11T05:29:07.851-06:00The Successful Experiment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr-Utt6N0mA32q2NipOyrUl3xsDWDAg4vS9V-Am7zLIN65BSv5qFeyJjDTlb8onTH172NfnC5b1yA9sN0eRxten31q3iT1NqGxbYobBBKOYjpxYVQvLLDv07tVapqEokVAIS4PjAZnlEu/s1600-h/The+Kekkou+Bag+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212482389240838882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwr-Utt6N0mA32q2NipOyrUl3xsDWDAg4vS9V-Am7zLIN65BSv5qFeyJjDTlb8onTH172NfnC5b1yA9sN0eRxten31q3iT1NqGxbYobBBKOYjpxYVQvLLDv07tVapqEokVAIS4PjAZnlEu/s200/The+Kekkou+Bag+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Like most fashion-forward women, Laura has an entire section of her closet devoted to purses. Be it a formless canvas bag from the sale rack at Target or a big, creamy leather tote from Coach, if it fits her style and meets her needs, she'll pick it up. Maybe she'll switch over right then and there. Maybe she'll put it away for another day. Regardless, the lady likes her purses.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So when she decided to make a purse for herself using an extremely cool Japanese-inspired fabric and tortise shell handles she recently bought, I was not surprised. Impressed to be certain, but not surprised.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">The end result, in my opinion, is nothing short of amazing, especially when you take into consideration that it was the first purse she ever attempted. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Dubbed the "Kekkou Bag" - kekkou means "wonderful" in Japanese - this purse is one of those items you have no problem envisioning hanging on a rack in Dillard's, Saks or Nordstroms. It's bright and bold, but with a certain classic timelessness that is always in style.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Laura's imagination never ceases to amaze me, but her ability to translate that vision into a tangible, <em>functional</em> work of art is what really sets her apart. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Good job, babe!</span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-60410477163616499392008-06-15T08:20:00.002-05:002008-06-15T08:51:39.600-05:00Recipes from the Baby Boss Kitchen<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">If there is anything we love to do more than make the coolest baby gear you've ever seen, it's cook. And eat. And eat while we cook. And since there is nothing better than dining in good company, we thought we would share some of our favorite recipes with you, so that you too can dine in Baby Boss style.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Just in time for the 4th of July, we thought we'd start with a classic family favorite, our Chili Bean Casserole. It's easy, it can be served either as the main dish or as a side, and, most importantly, it's downright delicious. We seriously suggest giving it a try.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So, without further ado...</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><u><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Ingredients</span></u><br /><u><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span></u><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1 stick of butter (<em>I never said it was healthy, I just said it was good</em>)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2 large onions, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2 medium bell peppers, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2 stalks celery, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">3 toes fresh garlic, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">4 cans Trappey's kidney beans with chili sauce</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chives</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">2 cups grated American cheese</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">1 1/2 lbs ground meat</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Brown the ground meat, drain off fat and move into a large bowl. Melt butter and cook onions, bell pepper and celery until soft. Add beans and tomatoes and garlic. Season with salt and pepper - but not too much pepper, as the Ro-Tel tomatoes have a kick of their own. Add cooked ground meat and then cook over a low flame, stirring often, for about 45 minutes. Add grated cheese, move into a covered baking dish, and bake in 300 degree oven for an hour. Serve over rice and enjoy!</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">This dish serves 8 to 10 people, so it's perfect for your 4th of July cookout. As a bonus, since it reheats perfectly, it can easily be made ahead of time and then put in the oven before serving.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Let us know if you try this recipe and how it comes out.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">Bon appetit!</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-46602856926695452992008-06-14T16:20:00.003-05:002008-12-11T05:29:07.995-06:00Bottoms Up!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmRN-MENYtEfPLT1-7OOkUEJbsMwp5iFfUxnAQ2DMGWzZnpHpUsAqzICF3O5-UuF4FuKx9Vv2Q7jOa7hxnWwJB9kLHKXcyy9QSSYHHNjjYh3EJ1-e8lMW92hNCYrtdEjHavM8FKNpZryL/s1600-h/Bottlebottoms.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211857367666488066" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmRN-MENYtEfPLT1-7OOkUEJbsMwp5iFfUxnAQ2DMGWzZnpHpUsAqzICF3O5-UuF4FuKx9Vv2Q7jOa7hxnWwJB9kLHKXcyy9QSSYHHNjjYh3EJ1-e8lMW92hNCYrtdEjHavM8FKNpZryL/s200/Bottlebottoms.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">I happened upon Bottlebottoms during my very first visit to Etsy and have ever since been enthralled by Chrissy's products. These glasses are not only eye-catchingly cool, but, even more importantly, are handmade out of recycled wine, juice and water bottles. It is not very often that you find so many different aspects of life you enjoy embodied in a single item, but her glasses accomplish just that for me. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">If you've kept up with our blog, you already know that Baby Boss recycles pretty much everything we can get our hands on. We will also admit to enjoying a cocktail every now and then. Combine that with our love of things that have a quirky story behind them, and I can think of nothing better than relaxing on the patio and sipping a cool drink out of one of her signature recycled Perrier Tumblers (<em>see photo</em>). Aaaaaah.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So, the next time you're stocking your bar, in the market for some new iced tea glasses, or shopping for a unique housewarming gift, forget Target and Pottery Barn. Instead, pour yourself a cool glass of whatever floats your boat, head to your computer and pull up Chrissy's Etsy shop at <a href="http://bottlebottoms.etsy.com/">http://bottlebottoms.etsy.com</a></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"> (or visit her directly at </span><a href="http://www.bottlebottoms.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">www.bottlebottoms.com</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">). You're bound to find something that your glass cabinet simply cannot live without.</span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-3130183818257058562008-06-14T07:45:00.003-05:002008-06-14T08:19:39.591-05:00"Meet BabyBoss, the cutest baby shop EVER"<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">These immortal words were emblazoned across the top of the Macey-Kate Designs blog on Friday night, and Baby Boss could not be more grateful for Amber and her many words of praise and encouragement.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">To be in business for only two weeks and already receive this sort of attention we know is a big step, and we attribute it to the time and effort we dedicate to all of our projects. As with the pieces Laura creates, no detail is too small for us, so whether we're picking out the perfect vintage button for a new bib or I am carefully scanning our ads and blog posts for grammatical errors, we are constantly aware that we are promoting ourselves - and putting our reputations on the line - everytime we hold something out for our customers to scrutinize. We do not take that responsibility lightly. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">So a big Saturday morning thanks goes out to Amber for recognizing these attributes of the Baby Boss brand and wanting to get the word out. Laura and I sincerely appreciate it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">When you have a chance, check out Mary-Kate Designs online at </span><a href="http://maceykatedesigns.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://maceykatedesigns.blogspot.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">. She works hard to highlight Etsy sellers, so we should work to highlight her. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Oh, and while you're at her blog, be sure to drop her a line and wish her good luck. Amber is working to finish a novel - an audacious undertaking, to say the least - and most likely needs all the encouragement she can get. </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Good luck, Amber!</span>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-16966248622520696432008-06-13T23:33:00.002-05:002008-12-11T05:29:08.137-06:00In Memoriam<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgrZObNEmPOOr8kuzgdmzdHqobjSnt_2HbAtSYJqUwR6WCG4vBhFnXtCtPbCz1FT0mP7BJhL_hkNwsvxtQ2J6qMgze1oZMlAPaMkfVZmKQUkUmEZKiN100wZC9raP8npuQhSBQ5Ww76GH/s1600-h/Russert.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211591580379149618" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 106px" height="112" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgrZObNEmPOOr8kuzgdmzdHqobjSnt_2HbAtSYJqUwR6WCG4vBhFnXtCtPbCz1FT0mP7BJhL_hkNwsvxtQ2J6qMgze1oZMlAPaMkfVZmKQUkUmEZKiN100wZC9raP8npuQhSBQ5Ww76GH/s200/Russert.jpg" width="154" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Our thoughts and prayers are with family of Tim Russert in the wake of his sudden, and tragic, death. The loss of such a great figure in American journalism cannot be overstated.</span></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2049140380419913041.post-78525471792214577122008-06-13T22:12:00.002-05:002008-12-11T05:29:08.270-06:00Who knew?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXfMsroTdsUZ1AvKjSZcoy_s0KC1pu6rb5E299gBUa-uq11TFaJjBfP_3hP2JNddRHKOwplA9LcxX3FeBfiY_nmBcUEGkdQHKcgN9XFIBsGnHgCtsJzOY_PqGkgR8k10PsqQJurbt2aIC/s1600-h/Ranch+Hands+(burper+4).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211572827133533250" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuXfMsroTdsUZ1AvKjSZcoy_s0KC1pu6rb5E299gBUa-uq11TFaJjBfP_3hP2JNddRHKOwplA9LcxX3FeBfiY_nmBcUEGkdQHKcgN9XFIBsGnHgCtsJzOY_PqGkgR8k10PsqQJurbt2aIC/s200/Ranch+Hands+(burper+4).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">In 2 weeks of business we have made 6 sales, and three of them have been for items from our Cowpoke Collection. Who knew cowboys would be so popular?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">We certainly didn't. In fact, when Laura bought the fabric, she thought for sure it would sit longer than anything else. Shows how much we know about our customers. </span></div><br /><div><em><strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Lesson 1: Maybe we should do some market research.</span></strong></em></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Regardless, in response to this obvious demand for cowboy-related baby gear, we introduced the Ranch Hand line of products and listed our latest creations, the Ranch Hand Burpers, on our Etsy store tonight. This very cool fabric - which shows the likenesses of several fictional ranch hands - is held together by one of the coolest details we've added to any of our pieces: stitching that looks a lot like barbed wire. </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Seriously. How cool is that?</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">Want to see more? Click here -----> </span><a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12554246"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;">http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=12554246</span></a></div>Baby Bosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00207156402503385916noreply@blogger.com0