Mom2Mom Lounge

The Baby [bump] that is!

There is that awkward stage of pregnancy, when we all want to shout out and tell everyone we are pregnant because we feel the eyes on our slightly bulging bellies, but we know we don’t “look” pregnant yet. “Yes, yes, I am not fat, I AM in fact pregnant.” Admit it, you know you thought this at the grocery store many a time. I know I did. Man, I WISH I had seen these tops back then. [bump] solves the problem. [bump], invented by a soon to be mom who wanted to shout out to everyone that she was pregnant, not fat. That mom, an Aussie transplant to LA, is now expecting [bump] #3 and her fledgling business is booming, expanding worldwide, all from the comfort of her home office.

 That mom is Renae Plant and [bump] is one of her ever growing babies.

1. Renae, tell us a little about your business and how/why you started it?
I got started when I first found out I was pregnant with my daughter Ilan – there was this awkward yet exciting time when my body was changing and I knew I was pregnant but no-one else could tell. I wanted to scream “Im not fat [bump] on board” (which is now one of my sayings) to all those people who starred at my changing body. Little did I know it takes at least 5-6 months before the [bump] finally pops and people could actually tell I was pregnant? There was nothing that catered to that stage of pregnancy so I got busy creating my line.

2. What initial challenges did you face in starting your company, getting trademarked, finding a manufacturer, etc…?
I just took things day by day and did a lot of research of successful companies already in the industry and spent hours upon hours of work on the internet sourcing everything from manufacturers, screen printers, clothing tags, packaging, shipping and obviously retail stores that would be best suited to carry my line. My website was another big project and it was constantly changing until it felt right, the shopping cart being a big part of that. Once all this was in place I sent samples out to retail stores and started receiving orders. I was so excited to get my first one. I’ll never forget how excited I was. Then that sent me on a “Oh my god I have to fill the order and ship it” panic. I later found out that was just the start. We are now carried in over 200 stores worldwide in less than a year so it’s been a great learning curve. It was also extremely important to me to TM and register my idea. I have already had a few companies try to copy me – but I feel safe knowing we have that protection.

3. What is a typical “day in the life” of Renae like?
I wake up rather early due to having 2 small kids. I go straight to my office, which is a nice little garden retreat and go through my emails and incoming orders before the kids wake up. I then get lunches ready and take my daughter Ilan to day care. Once I’m back Mateo (my son) normally wants to eat breaky and get him settled. I spend the day processing orders and preparing them for shipping. Once this is done I can focus on building my business, which involves a lot of PR and advertising. It’s important to be on top of this as magazines run 3 months ahead. It took me a while, but I finally feel a bit more on top of this part. Items need to be submitted way ahead of time if you want to make it into their Valentine, Mothers Day, Fathers Day or Christmas issues. I also have an office in Australi,a which is completely opposite to the seasons and time here so it’s a constant juggle. I deal with any issues from the Oz office in the afternoon when it’s the early morning there. I also concentrate on building new stores and supporting my existing retailers.

4. Marketing a small business can be difficult, what methods have worked best for [bump]?
Once again I did a lot of online research and got the names, numbers etc for every single media outlet that would be suitable for my product. I compiled a list and sent emails out at least once a month regarding my line and new products etc. It took some time but finally I started to get some response and great magazines like Pregnancy, Pregnancy & Birth, People, In Touch etc have all featured my line. It’s great to finally see the hard work pay off. I also find that doing press stuff on the online magazines or websites such as yours :) is a fantastic way of reaching a lot of people and by having your product reviewed by these sites allows your product to move higher in rankings when they are searched. I also spend money for a website company to make sure my site was running at its optimum potential with key words, Meta tags etc. Word of mouth is another great way of getting out there but I feel you must do something on this every day in order to continue to grow. Trade shows is another great way to get your product out there.

5. With your growing businesses and growing family, congrats on bump#3, how do you strive to achieve a work/life balance?

That is still something I have a hard time doing. Growing a business is a full time job. Especially working from home I tend to spend more hours than I would if I worked a 9-5 job. Things are interrupted a lot more frequently than if I was at an office so I find myself working longer hours in order to catch up and sometimes up till 1am when the kids are asleep to get things done un-interrupted. I feel that just getting into a routine that works best for you and your family is key and its also great to have a supportive hubby that knows as soon as he walks in the door, the kids are all his :) Weekends too :) Yes [bump]3 is due in 5 weeks so I’m now preparing for another home birth. The water tub is being delivered so that makes me excited and starting to focus on that more and more. I can just see myself in the middle of labor and answering the phone when it ringsJ That’s just the type of person I am.

6. What advice do you have for other Moms with a great invention and no idea where to start?
The easy part is coming up with a great idea. The hard part is following it through step by step to make that idea come to fruition. It’s all about starting from the beginning and working it through step by step and having the money you need to get started. There is no point spending money on getting the product ready but then not having enough to go any further with it. I.e. advertising and marketing – however I just grew as fast as my product allowed and when times are tough just keep focused and never give up as it will work out if you keep on learning and growing. Research is key and the first initial step. Make sure you are not infringing on other products already in the market and know your customer and what they want.

7. What’s next for [bump]?
Giving birth :) Then 3 weeks later I have a trade show in Vegas and then 3 weeks after that another here in Los Angeles where I am co-ordinating the maternity fashion show. Baby Celebration is a great show, but a lot of work for me, so that will take me into April. Then it’s all about designing some new designs/styles in the summer months when it’s quieter and gear up for another busy holiday season. I just love where each day takes me, you never know where it will end up but just enjoy the journey.

Thanks so much to Renae for sharing her story, and please please please do NOT answer the phone while giving birth Renae! Take a day off, at least one, your [bump] deserves it