We’ve got a lovely Gigi Blanki to give away to a lucky blog reader! Find out how you can win one after the interview.

Meet Heather, the accidental mompreneur. Heather has built a business, quite by accident, around the perfect little blanket for babies, my son has one and loves it! I think it’s adorable too, perfect size for a baby. Mom2Mom Lounge caught up with Heather to find out how a simple desire for a better baby blanket, which ivillage named World’s Best Baby Blanket, for her daughter led her to become an entrepreneur.

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

The Gigi Blanki Co. began on a whim in late 2004 after my first daughter, Gabby, was born. From the beginning, she always loved to snuggle with the really soft blankets, which we had many of! But as I stepped further into my new “mommy” role, I grew more and more frustrated with these department store blankets that were too large! The color selection was limited—so forget about trying to match a blanket to any of her outfits, her crib bedding or her personality; And let’s not even mention trying to stuff one into your diaper bag! These frustrations led to the beginning of the “Gigi Blanki”
My late grandmother had left me her beloved sewing machine a few years prior, and honestly it had been sitting docile, collecting dust. So, one fall weekend, with my Nana’s sewing machine, I used the most stylish and divine fabrics I could find to make “gigis” just the right size for Gabby’s little hands and tiny cheeks. Eventually, she had one to match each outfit and I could easily fit them in my diaper bag and even my purse!

Almost immediately friends and family started asking about them and “placing orders.” Before long, I was making gigis to match outfits for all the babies in the neighborhood and the word spread across town.

The word continues to spread and we are so proud and excited to have been named the World’s Best Baby Blankie by Today Show affiliate ivillage.com! All of our Gigi products continue to be handmade, so I can personally assure everyone of the quality of the material and the craftsmanship. The Gigi Blanki Co. is truly a family business as my husband, my girls, my mother, my sister and a small group of friends all are part of the Gigi Blanki Co. Team.

2. How did you come up with this unique design for a baby blanket?

As I said, it all began on a whim. Gabby had this one particular all white blanket she loved that was satin on one side and soft on the other. I brought it with us everywhere, it constantly looked dirty and always took up all the room in the diaper bag. So, one weekend, Gabby and I went to the fabric store and picked out some decadent fabrics to make her a smaller “blankie” to match her outfit for church that Sunday. It was black and white to match a darling hound’s-tooth jumper she had. The two different textured fabrics did the trick and soothed her wonderfully, it fit in my diaper bag perfectly and it matched her outfit fabulously! So the idea to make different “blankies” to match her outfits took off. Now, we custom make each item to fit the customer’s design. Some customer’s choose to match outfits, some are matching bedding sets and some are matching personalities…either mom’s or baby’s!

3. What initial challenges did you face in starting your company?

There were many challenges in the beginning and there continue to be challenges every day. However our biggest challenge in the beginning was the website design and development. I tend to be very independent and prefer to do as much as I can myself. So, initially I developed and designed my own site…what a disaster! This was one of those times, I had to listen earnestly to comments and criticism from friends, family and previous customers. It was set up poorly and truly did not showcase the gigi blanki items the way they deserved! So, as the interest for our products increased, I found a great company, Red Head Design Studio out of Lansing, MI., who worked with me to effectively build a site that fit our style and our needs. We continue to work closely with them to help provide the best shopping experience for our customers.

4. ivillage named the gigi blanki the World’s Best Baby Blankie, what kind of effect has that had on your business?

Unbelievable….truly! First and foremost, it really increased our motivation to continue finding new ways to make our company grow. Also, our orders placed online are increasing daily, and we are now getting correspondence from boutiques and storefronts worldwide expressing interest in carrying the gigi blanki line in their stores. We used to make all the contacts and cold-calls, but now they are contacting us! The World’s Best Blankie distinction truly makes us stand our from any other baby blanket.

5. What is a typical “day in the life” of Heather like?

BUSY and HECTIC!!! I’m sure any mother can attest to that! It is hard to find that balance between being a good mom, a good wife and a good business woman, but it makes things exciting and fun for all of us! On a typical day: early morning consists of 3 cups of coffee, email correspondence, order processing and paperwork; mid morning consists of breakfast time and mommy-time with the girls; late morning, we’re off to the gym for a work-out, classes and swim lessons; Lunchtime consists of lunch with the girls….usually picnic style, their favorite!; early afternoon is story time with the girls while cuddled up in our big comfy chair; mid-afternoon: the girls usually go down for naps and I take care of gigi business including any phone conferences; late afternoon: creative play with the girls and gigi packaging and shipping; early evening: family time and dinner; evening: bath time, and then the girls are off to bed and my husband and I have some time together; late evening: wrap up Gigi business for the day…….Midnight or 1am: off to bed finally!!

6. With your growing business and 2 young daughters, how do you strive to achieve a work/life balance?

It’s tricky and there is always a sense of that “mommy” guilt! I am forever thinking that I’m not spending enough time with the girls, and then when we are spending time together, The Gigi Blanki Co. is not too far from my mind. For example, even now as I am answering these questions, both of my daughters are here in my little office with me, asking questions and wanting to play. Do I continue to answer these questions, or do I put them aside and go play with them?! Quite honestly though, my family comes first. In 2004, I gave up my teaching career to be a stay at home mom because my husband and I felt that this was a priority for our family. Then, almost by accident, The Gigi Blanki Co. began! We are having such fun with it, and it really has become a family business. My girls, Gabriella and Marilyn, help out in any creative way I can find for them. For example, Gabby likes to choose the ribbon color for packaging each blanket, and Marilyn enjoys pulling all the ribbon off of each spool! She really thinks she’s helping out, so I allow her to do it every day during packaging and shipping. In the beginning, my husband was just the financial backer for our endeavour, but as we grew he is now more of a business consultant. We are striving to make The Gigi Blanki Co. something that our girls will be proud of when they are older and perhaps it will become part of our family legacy. Also, as a family we have decided that Sundays are important to set aside as family days. Our Faith is such an important part of our family life, and it feels right that Sunday should be a time to not only build our faith, but to strengthen our family as well.

7. What advice do you have for other Moms with a great invention and no idea where to start?

Stop thinking about it and take action!! Why not? What have you got to lose?! I think the best place to start is with friends and family. Ask their opinions and ask them to be honest. Listen intently and try not to take the negative comments personally. Think of it as free business advice! For example, there was a time in the beginning that I started using a different quality of ribbon for packaging the blankets in order to save a little bit of money. One of my customers noticed it, pointed it out and commented on how it changed her opinion of the quality of the product. WHOA!! Not what I wanted to hear! So, immediately I went back to the better quality of ribbon and began researching where to find it for the best price. It is important to keep plugging away and work on your idea daily. Use all of your local resources and don’t give up. Use each stumbling block as a stepping stone. It is great to be able to work from home and have something that my entire family can participate in. My best advice though it be certain that you are always proud of what you are doing and to make sure that you keep the integrity of invention yours.

8. What’s next for the gigi blanki co?

* We just introduced our new line of limited edition prints. We are very proud of these new fabrics. The “Chic Cheetah” and the “Chocolate Latte” have been instant hits and may not be around long!
* Also, we just began taking special orders for the holidays through email: heather@thegigiblanki.com or fax 1-231-799-1109 for a few special items:

{Cradle Cuddlies} 25” by 25” gigi cradle blanket $55.00 Choose from any of our solid colors! Special Order only

{Sports Team Gigi} 25” by 25” Team Gigi Cradle blanket: Just tell us your favorite team and we will custom make a cradle cuddly with the team’s colors just for you! $60.00 Special Order only. Please note: All team colors are not listed on our website, but we will custom order any team color specifically for you!

{Toddler Blankets, Twin Blankets, Adult Throws}Toddler Blanket: size: 36″ by 46″ cost….$100.00 Adult Throw: size 50″ by 50″ cost…..$100.00 Twin Blanket: size 56″ by 86″ cost $155.00 All available through special orders for the Holidays. Limited edition prints may not be used for any of these special order items.

* Any order placed now through Thanksgiving Day will get customers registered to win a $100.00 customized gigi gift package! A matching package will be donated to our local shelter.

* After the holidays, we will be adding “Cradle Cuddlies” to our product line on our website. A 25” X 25” Cradle Cuddly will be available custom-made with any of our solid colors.

Thanks to Heather and the Gigi Blanki Co we’ve got a lovely pink/brown blanki (pictured on right) to give away to a lucky blog reader.

All you have to do is comment that you’d love to win below and you’ll be entered in a random drawing.

We’ll announce the winner after Thanksgiving.

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