Mom2Mom Lounge recently interviewed Elise and Eileen from Planet Mom T-Shirts to find out how they blend a long time friendship with a joint business venture. Planet Mom combines good quality t-shirts and irreverent phrases that have meaning for mom.

1. Tell us a little about your business and how you started it?

We wanted to start a business together and since we had such different career backgrounds, we thought that we should center it around something we had in common—motherhood. Besides, we were so immersed in being moms that a mom-centric business seemed like a logical idea. While being a mom can obviously be the most wonderful thing in the world, it can also be very trying at times, and we wanted to make light of some of the daily challenges we face (ie, laundry, getting your kids to eat, driving them everywhere, etc).

2.How did you come up with the idea for Planet Mom?

As usual, we were on the phone talking about the trials and tribulations of motherhood, when Eileen suggested we start a business that was somehow related to motherhood. We decided to come up with irreverent lines about things that moms deal with on a daily basis and have them embroidered on stylish tees.

3.Where do you find the inspiration for the phrases, did you come up with them or have input from other moms?

Our lives are very much like those of other moms, so even though we may be inspired by our own personal situations, our lines have universal themes that all moms can relate to. I did recently ask a group of friends what the most difficult part of their days were, and they said, “When my kids get home from school. Before that, my day’s fine.” I thought that was funny, and we turned that into a t-shirt line that says, “World’s Best Mom when my kids are in school.”

4. Some celebrities have been seen sporting your apparel, how did that come about and what were the effects on your business?

Having celebrities wear our apparel has been huge for us. You can’t underestimate the power of celebrities in our culture. Comedienne Kathy Griffin wore our “Whine? No. Wine? Yes.” and “Botox Free” tees on her reality show, “My Life on the D List,” and that continues to bring us business. We had gone to see Kathy perform about a year ago because we’re big fans. We brought along the two shirts and were able to give them to her after the show. A few months later, I was watching her TV show, and there she was, wearing our shirts! She’s fabulous, and we really owe her a great deal of thanks. Sarah Jessica Parker also has two of our tees. Last year, we met her when she was signing bottles of her new fragrance at Lord and Taylor. We purposely brought two tees with us, which we gave to her, and we even got to chat with her for a bit.

5. What is a typical “day in the life” of Elise and Eileen like?

Every day is different. Leading up to the holidays and Mother’s Day, we’re insanely busy, putting in really long days. And, during the times after our shirts have been featured on a TV show, radio program or popular Web site, we’re also a bit crazed. During slower times, we’re busy coming up with ideas to get more publicity and thinking about new lines and products to offer. At the same time, we’re juggling taking care of our families, and since we are both—as our shirts say, “Nanny Deprived”—it can be pretty hectic.

6. What are your absolute favorite products or resources that you can’t live without in your business?

We both surf the Web regularly, trying to stay on top of new trends and popular culture. Also, I find reading mom-related Web sites like Mom2Momlounge.com and all the mom blogs out there to be really helpful and inspirational. And, we peruse the papers every day for celebrities that may be in the area so we can get our them some of our apparel.

7. Between yourselves, you have five children. How do you strive to achieve a work/life balance?

For both us, our kids come first. I don’t want my kids to feel neglected at all because of my business. Eileen and I both want to be at every baseball game and be able to volunteer at school. Having said that, if my kids have to go a day without a pair of clean socks because I don’t have time to sort the enormous pile of laundry, then I chalk that up to “character building!” J

8. Your partnership is an extension of an almost 20 year long friendship. Did you have any fears or issues about damaging your friendship because of going into business together?

I just realized we have to update that copy on our site because we’ve been friends for about 22 years now! I didn’t have any qualms about starting a business with Eileen. We’re both honest and hard-working and enjoy eachother’s company immensely, that I never thought there would be a problem. I think we compliment each other well.

9. What advice do you have for other Moms starting their own home business?

Before investing a lot of money in a business, make sure you have a product that people want. When we first got started, we came up with five or six lines and had them embroidered on tees that we liked. We wore them around town to gauge the reaction of others. The response was overwhelming! People—even strangers—would stop us to laugh and comment about our shirts, and many women asked where they could buy them. We used our communities as focus groups, and we learned that we were on to something good. All that, for an investment of less than $100!

10. What’s next for Planet Mom?

I’d love to have the brand recognition of, say, the “Life is Good” apparel. If we can get our business to the point where we could sell the line to a big manufacturer, I’d be thrilled. In the short run, I’d like to add a Planet Mom blog to our business.

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