Mamas Like

I’d like to welcome Angie from Good for the Kids to my review blog. Angie will be giving away a product with a $20 value for every 100 comments received between now and Friday at midnight Eastern time, so check out her site and leave her a comment here (be sure to include your name and email address just so we can notify you if you win).

Angie, tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’m an accidental entrepreneur, domestic manager, and Mama to two toddler girls and one husband. I taught elementary school for 4 years after returning to college where I earned my Master’s Degree in Elementary Education. It really doesn’t mean much except an extra $2500 in pay a year. It costs a lot more to earn the degree than it is to work with it.

When did you start your business?
I started my business out of necessity when I started staying at home with my girls. As a teacher, I was basically working to put my girls in daycare, but when reality hit, we didn’t have more money. So, I started selling maternity clothes and baby items on eBay and Craigslist. I found that I really liked the idea of working at home (it gave me an excuse to sit on the computer), so I started researching what items were selling well on eBay. I spent HOURS researching how to become an online business and what I needed to focus my attention towards. (That’s where the nerd in me comes in to play. See: Master’s Degree) At the same time I was researching online businesses, I needed some Nuby sippy cup spouts for my daughter’s sippy cups.

When I called Nuby, I asked how much the spouts cost, so I ordered 50. I put them up on eBay, and they sold immediately. I learned that there was no place online to find the Nuby replacements, so I hounded, I mean asked, the sales rep about selling their replacements from my developing site. Little by little, I started selling all of their replacements as well as their sippy cups. Once I got a taste of selling baby products online, I started asking more and more companies that I liked to sell their items. Most were very much open to the idea of having a stay-at-home mom selling their items online, but some were opposed. So, I really focused on the companies that were willing to help a Mama out! What turned out to be good timing, has now turned into a full-fledged online children’s and women’s store.

What are your most popular items?
By far, the most popular items are the Nuby replacements. But the second most popular items are the Melissa & Doug wooden toys and puzzles, Zoobie Pets (3-in-1 pillow blanket stuffed animal), and customized address and name stamps.

I’ve never seen Zoobie Pets before, but they look really neat! Can you tell us about them?
Zoobie Pets are a 3-in-1 stuffed animal, pillow, and blanket all in one. They are designed to be a companion for children at home or out of the house on trips. They are EXTREMELY soft and cuddly and their faces are squishy so children can self-soothe and relax themselves. The safari Zoobie Pets are each tagged and collared so they don’t escape and run back to Africa!

I see you’ve added many stampers to your website. Tell us what kinds you have.
Just in time for the holiday season, I’ve added personal address and name stampers to my web store! I represent two companies, Three Designing Women and PSA Essentials, who each have a wide variety of stampers and stationery. Included in the round and square stamper designs are monograms, names, addresses, holiday, and collegiate & sorority logos all meant to be customized for the recipient. The stampers make the perfect gift for the person who really does have everything. I know it’s only October, but it’s time to order them now to ensure arrival in time for the holiday season!

Tell us about your special for October.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of women with breast cancer, I am donating 10% of the gross sales of any order that includes the “Giving” Beanie Baby Bear to Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

Just for Dawn, I am giving away products from my store for leaving great comments! Some of the products I’m giving to Dawn to give to Dawn Fans are a Zoobie Pet, 2 Personal Stampers, Backyardigans Ty Beanies, and mocobabies sign language cards.