A journey into, and out of, business

One day when I was in an online forum for babies born in May 05, a bunch of moms were raving about this baby carrier they had purchased.  It looked pretty easy to make, and I hated the totally NON-PRETTY (I’m all about the PRETTY) baby carrier that I had.  I did a little googling to see what was out there and designed one for myself with some pretty silk and sturdy cotton.  I put up photos of my creation and was immediately asked if I could make more and sell them.  I looked at market comparables, priced my cost per item and gave myself $10/hour for the work (it’s fairly obvious I’m a CPA, right?). 

To some, my price was too high and not “reasonable”.  Apparently they wanted a silk Mei Tai (not to be mistaken for the drink, Mai Tai, but lord knows we need one sometimes) for $25, since that was my cost for making it, give or take.  Silly me, I wanted some profit for the precious few hours of “me time” I had per day that I was giving up to sew.  I wasn’t going to budge, but I did give discounts to friends, family and military spouses. 

In the end I made over 50 of them, some were gifts, and it was a learning experience for me.  Here’s the gallery of photos for many of them.

A few things that I learned and try to keep in mind.

#1  Don’t bite off more than you can chew.  I was making 4 or 5 of them a week that first month.  This was with a full time job, 2 kids under 2, and all the other “stuff” I had to do.  Insanity!  I must say, that I wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around, either.  Thankfully, I’m such a good cook that my husband decided to keep me regardless of the bear that I was.

#2  Turning something that you enjoy doing for fun into a business is not a good idea.  Why do I do that??  I love things so much and think, “Hey, I bet other mom’s would like this!”  I fail to think of what I would have to pay for it if I wasn’t the one making it.

Which…honestly, is the main thing that I hear about “boutique” clothing.  If you look on ebay you can find these amazing outfits, designed and made by work at home moms, for around $50-$200.  People (I’m referring to moms that really love that outfit and want it BAD) will go on a freak-out rant about how costs just way too much, and hey, I’ve been in a fabric store and it just shouldn’t cost that much!!!

What they fail to realize is that the person that made the item lives in the United States and is not in Central China working for slave labor rates of $10 week (if they are really lucky).  They actually want to get paid for the time they spend on those lovely intricate outfits.  How dare they, huh?

So, now I’m taking a more relaxed approach to my hobbies.  I’m not going to rush into making them into a business.  It takes the fun out of it. 

I love designing clothes for baby girl.  It gives me a chance to use that side of my brain that has slowly turned to mush over the years of being an anal accountant.  I also made my first purse on Wednesday night…ain’t it purty??  I made it with decorator fabric and embroidered silk, and customized the inside to fit all my “stuff).  An easy $100 if I were to buy it at a boutique (see what I’m talkin’ ’bout??).

I love photography, the taking of the pictures and the processing of them.  Another creative outlet for me.  I hope that all my friends here in MN/WI know that I am ready and willing to take pictures.  All they need to do is ask.  What gives me cause to hold back is how so many people like Sears/Proex/JC Penny with typical portraiture.  Not my style….AT ALL.  I want my pictures to tell a story and not show cheesy smiles.

So anyways, this was just a bit of stream of conciousness brought to you by the always busy, mama Stacy.  What was the purpose of this post?  Well, I’m going to be putting pictures of stuff that I make up here, just to share, since I like to share my creations.  I want it to be clear that I’m not going to start producing mass quantities.  I’m trying to learn my limits. 🙂