We’ve had so much fun these past four weeks celebrating 100 Mompreneurs. It’s been very inspiring, to say the least, to read the updates on some of the 97 moms and two dads True Cuddles has interviewed over the last few years. Many of these businesses have also been very generous to provide us with the opportunity to win some of their fabulous products.
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It’s Spring and that has us in the mood to clean out the warehouse!
Nab some cuddles you may have missed, indulge in seconds and find brand new deals! At up to 80% off regular retail!
Fair warning though … some lonely products have only ONE remaining…so they may go quick! Be sure to check out all three sections of clothing, gear and toys.
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Welcome to the final week of the True Cuddles’ 100 mompreneur celebration! All this month, we’re celebrating our featured moms in a BIG WAY. You can win one of 12+ weekly prizes and a huge grand finale giveaway. Let’s reconnect with 11 past featured moms to hear about all the new & exciting things that have happened with their business since their last True Cuddles interview. Click on their photo and you’ll be taken back to their original interview.
This week, we also have three great giveaways from Smart Seat, Wee Urban and Liv and Lily. See the end of this post on how to enter.
Rebecca Rabson from SmartSeat tells us that since her last interview sales have grown and they have hired new staff to help keep up with order fulfillment! “We have turned our attention away from landing retail accounts and are focusing almost exclusively on growing our online business,” explains Rebecca. When we asked her to fill us in on SmartSeat’s customer service secret, Rebecca simply says never, ever take criticism personally, respond promptly and politely and most importantly “treat the customers the way that I would want to be treated.” Exciting stuff is on the horizon for SmartSeat in 2012 as they focus on growing online sales and will be introducing a brand new colour to the mix. They also have a second top secret product in the works so stay tuned! Learn more about SmartSeat on the brand NEW featured shops page!
The biggest change for Holly MacLean at Wee Urban has been taking on the sales portion of the business as well as securing a fulfillment distributor to handle all the shipping. But, she explains that this change has allowed her more time for design work and future business planning. When we asked about Wee Urban’s customer service secret, Holly indicated it’s all in the details and her staff sends every shipment with a personalized handwritten note. Now that’s above and beyond! Finally, Holly tells us for 2012 “we have plans to introduce Wee Urban Home” – exciting stuff.
Since being featured on True Cuddles, things have been a whirlwind for Melanie Pereira at Liv and Lily! They launched a brand new website (www.livandlily.com) and caught the eye of a Style Expert and Celebrity Insider who invited Liv and Lily to be a part of the 2012 Golden Globe and Oscar Gifting Suites in Los Angeles. They were also invited by Vogue Bambini to be a part of their New York Fashion Week for Kids where a Liv and Lily model walked the runway! “We are so proud and humbled to see such great things happen and look forward to seeing what else is in store” explains Melanie. “If someone asks for something that I don’t carry; colour, size, you name it, if I can get it, I let them know it can happen.” Melanie tells us that’s the key to Liv and Lily’s outstanding customer service and that they always anticipate what the customer would like. They are very detailed with the packaging and include handwritten notes for each order. This hasn’t gone unnoticed, explains Melanie, as “I just received the nicest note from a client in Europe who wanted to let me know how much he appreciated those little details.” Stay tuned for some beautiful new pieces to be released this spring and summer, which will include items for mom’s and dad’s. Check out Liv and Lily’s fabulous featured shops page!
Keri Zingle from Craft Caravan is feeling much more efficient and its all thanks to some new systems on the operations side of the business! “I feel like I’m accomplishing more with my time,” explains Keri, which has “allowed me to focus on growing our subscriber base and expand our product offering.” Craft Caravan places a high value on customer feedback and actually implements this feedback, which has been the key to Keri’s customer service strategy. Keri indicates, “I think customer service is key to running a successful business, so we have a fast response philosophy, meaning that we respond quickly and thoroughly to any customer questions, issues, or concerns.” Browse the Craft Caravan featured shops page to see what’s new!
Carolyn Furhmann from Pink Dot Design has managed to triple her client base and sales since her last interview with True Cuddles! Although she explains, “I’m still looking for that balance of being a mom to four kids and being able to maintain and grow my business.” But nonetheless Carolyn continues to make plans for expanding the business and is launching
“Pink Dot Design Party Printables” for 2012. “Think co-ordinating DIY printable packages with party banners, cupcake toppers, invitations, thank you cards, labels and gift bag tags” to name a few explains Carolyn. These will be available in a variety of themes and can be downloaded directly from Pink Dot Design’s website. When we asked Carolyn to share her customer service secret she said she treats all clients as friends. She shares a glimpse of her personal life on her company blog and personalizes all of her communication. “Clients have told me they have really enjoy reading my blog and getting to know me better.” See the highlights of Pink Dot Design in the True Cuddles Featured Shops.
Look out for Cinnamon Bhayani from Baby Bahoonie at a few Baby Fairs in Vancouver this year! She has already exhibited her beautiful products at Mommies N Munchkins in Fort Langley and Once Upon a Belly in Vancouver. “We are excited to see where this will lead us” explains Cinnamon. She will be introducing an Eco-Vintage category to her online store, meaning “gently worn designer items at a fraction of the retail price.” I’m continuing to learn about e-commerce and new ways to be seen and heard on the Internet and hopefully this new category will bring in new customers!
Annemarie Tempelman-Kluit from yoyomama just launched their first app OnTheGoKids! “We’re really excited as it 
takes our weekend guide and makes it mobile” AnneMarie tells True Cuddles. The response to it has been wonderful, which is always heartening when you launch a new product and Yoyomama has been working on the design and launch behind the scenes for quite a while now. Although Yoyomama has many new business ideas, the OnTheGoKids app is the current focus and they are hoping to launch an android version very soon! AnneMarie explains “after almost five years we have built up an amazing audience of smart, funny, interesting readers and their feedback helps us grow our business, so we wanted to say a big thank you!” True Cuddles is excited to have yoyomama as a Featured Shop!
Tamar Wagman and Eryn Green from Sweet Pea Baby Food have had some big changes since their last True Cuddles interview. Although, Eryn is pregnant with her second child due this summer, Sweet Pea Baby Food is currently expanding their product line and growing across Canada! Tamar tells us “our cookies went Peanut Free! The recipes themselves were always peanut free, but now our manufacturing facility is completely peanut free.” How exciting!
“I have been focusing on growing my wholesale business in the US,” explains Kessa from Patouche. Since we interviewed Kessa last she had to take some time off pursuing US retailers to allow the economy some time to bounce back. But when we chatted with her, Kessa has just returned from a very successful visit to a wholesale show in New York City and picked up some fabulous new accounts! Kessa indicated “things seem more hopeful down in the US,” which is a good sign of things to come! “I will be sending some hand written notes to say thank you, which is just one of the personal touches in my customer service strategy” explains Kessa. Finally, in 2012 Patouche will be focusing on expanding their children’s line across North America and they will be including some new products in women’s wear, specifically some classic outwear staples for Fall.
Since the last time we chatted with Tatiana Tugbaeva from My Little Jules, her business has grown substantially, with the help of some fabulous part time staff! They are looking to hire some additional full time employees to help manage the amount of orders coming in over the next couple of months and will be moving to a bigger warehouse in 2012. Tatiana explains her customer service secret is to just “pick up the phone!” Email can be impersonal and our customers tell us that “we are one of the few boutiques that picks up the phone.” Call us anytime Tatiana, we love to chat!
Christine and Joanne from Saplings Sustainable Kids Decor are ready to take some new orders for their brand new custom bedding line program! They have chosen the line of organic fabrics and hope this new program will please mom’s who have become very discerning shoppers. “Mom’s are looking for quality and we understand the value of that,” explain Christine and Joanne. “People are not spending frivolously and expect high quality for their dollar, which is key to our success.” Saplings can’t wait to refocus and spend more time on custom design work, which is what they love to do. “We are having a blast together running this sustainable decor business” says Christine and Joanne.
Post separate comments below on something you liked about the Wee Urban, Liv & Lily and Smart Seat interviews. Make sure to browse the NEW featured shops pages and comment below about your favorites! It’s that simple! Earn additional bonus entries by completing one or more of the following (please leave a separate comment below for each- the more entries, the better your chances!). Entries must be submitted by midnight (PST) May 13, 2012. Winners will be chosen May 14. Be sure to enter the grand prize draws too.
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