No Slippy Hair Clippy

I met Annie Salyer from No Slippy Hair Clippy a few years ago out in LA. She was super sweet and really made a lasting impression on me. Her brand seemed really creative and I always heard others raving about her products. Well, that was pre my little cutie patootie, and now I have a whole new appreciation for Annie's creations!

Aubrey's hair is super fine, much like mine. She is not lacking for hair, just enough to hold in any kind of hair accessory. Of course I dress her pretty darn girly, but that still doesn't stop those random strangers from asking what "his" name is? What does a mom have to do??

So, No Slippy Hair Clippy to the rescue! After browsing through the TONS of styles available on their website (www.NoSlippy.com), Aubrey's three adorable clips showed up in the mail this week. Seriously, she has not gone a day since without her Clippy! We have had them for less than a week, and I have had no less than three people ask where we got such cute hair accessories.

We have only taken pictures in two of them, but I'll be sure to post another picture soon of the cute little ribbon thing they are clipped to hanging in her room. And the best part is, since they are hanging and organized, they don't get lost!! Annie, you are one smart lady =)

And, by the way...the picture below is Aubrey entertaining herself in the office recycling while I got out a few late night emails!

Entitlement

Mark and I were driving down the street the other day and passed a quote on a sign. I pointed it out, as I found it so dead-on. As I have said before, responsibility is a crazy thing, and you never have less than you do now. It is also a huge trade-off, a necessary evil, but a price worth paying. It is also tremendously gratifying in the end. So, the quote...

"The price of greatness is responsibility"
- Sir Winston Churchill

Good quote, huh? So, we decided to make up our own quotes and were tossing around a few ideas. Then, it hit us...

"The road to failure is paved with a sense of entitlement."
- Mark and Amber Schaub

When we moved to Dallas about 5 years ago, I had to move down first for my job, while Mark stayed in Cincinnati to wrap up the sale of our house. One day, when on the phone, he asked me what I thought of Dallas, and I told him that I loved the city, everyone was very friendly and I was glad we made the move, but some of the people that I was meeting seemed to feel entitled to everything. They were kids that came from money, adults that wanted all play with no work, women that wanted men to pay the bills with no price. It was so foreign to me. I quickly learned that those people exist everywhere, it was more a matter of my workplace and the people that it attracted. Anyway, I found that these people were some of the biggest failures I had ever met. They thought they were owed everything, but wanted to earn nothing. Even if they had "everything", they never found a sense of fulfillment, which may be even worse.

So, Mark and I vowed that we would never raise our daughter this way. We want to give her the foundation to build her own legacy and be proud of herself when she accomplishes that.

For A Reason

As you may have noticed, I haven't had much time for blogging lately, actually, I haven't had time for much. I know, I say it every week, but things just keep getting crazier and crazier! I wanted to at least give you an update on my big daycare drama on top of everything else this month. So, I've pretty much always said, and firmly believe, that everything happens for a reason. And...you should ALWAYS listen to your gut. If I've learned anything from this business is that, as women, our gut is usually pretty darn right. When I talk to a vendor, but don't get a great feeling, I probably shouldn't work with them. If I talk to a customer that is over-the-top demanding, I probably shouldn't sell to them. I learn this lesson over and over again...seriously, I must be super stubborn or something...I won't ask for Mark's commentary on that.

I will keep the long story short, but for those of you that read about the big daycare fiasco...turns out that we should have pulled her out months ago. I had been telling Mark for weeks that we really needed to start looking for a new childcare provider, as I just wasn't getting the best vibes from our current provider, and then the sh** hit the fan. Not only did she cross the lines on many levels, she then sent a letter threatening to sue us for the one month of childcare AFTER we removed our daughter. I wanted to walk away and truly just didn't want the drama, but since we were faced with a law suit, I had to do a little more research. Turns out that not only was she breaking numerous rules, she was technically operating an illegal childcare operation, caring for too many children with no state license. I guess I should have followed my gut. The good news is that I now have Aubrey home with me all day, every day! I have some extra help here at home, a "family assistant", who doubles as a "office assistant" when Aubrey is napping...couldn't be better!!! She is super sweet, fantastic with Aubrey, and we love having her around.

I have never been busier, and trying to fit everything into one day is a bit challenging. This month is a record month for us, as was last month, as was the month before. This is all such an enormous blessing, a ton of work, and the biggest challenge of my life. I am just trying to keep my head above water, making sure we stay on top of orders, designing for next season, working arrangements with some new large retailers, and planning some very exciting things for RuffleButts. Anyway, I keep learning over and again, that EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON.

Calling CA Mompreneurs

Janie Dale over at Baby Cha-cha Boutique recently let me onto a resource that I can't believe that I didn't know about sooner...Peter Shankman's Help a Reporter Out (http://www.helpareporter.com/)! Janie was nice enough to send over a lead that she thought may be a good fit for us, so I am paying it forward and passing this along to you. Best of luck!! Wish they were searching in North Carolina =)

If you are a Mompreneur in California, this could be a great PR opportunity...

5)Summary: Looking for CA Mompreneurs to Profile in Film

Name: Anonymous

Category: Business & Finance

Email: Helpareporter@gmail.com (Put CA MOMPRENEURS in sub)

Title: CEO

Media Outlet: Anonymous

Specific Geographic Region: N

Region: California

Deadline: 06:08pm PACIFIC - 26 August

Query:
I am producing a documentary film about mom entrepreneurs and looking for
moms to profile in California. If you are interested in being considered,
please email me and include your name, website url, how long you have been
in business, how many children you have, city you live in, whether you labor
at your domicile or in an office and the best time and place for us to contact you.

Those who send me their information first will receive priority for
consideration. We are looking to fill 36 segments. We will be filming for
3 days in late October.

Two jobs (temporarily)

Full-time mommy plus full-time CEO =



Aubrey found a bag of new Bloomers that arrived from the factory and just couldn't resist!

Drama

I am starting to think that I should have my own reality show, not because I would like the attention, but because I think it would make people feel a little better about their own lives. Many people are under the assumption that I've got my stuff together, maybe because I own and run a business. Well, don't be fooled!! I am a crazy mess of a mom, wife, and CEO, just trying to keep life on track. Loving every minute of it, but man, would it provide you with some serious entertainment to just watch like a fly on a wall!!

So, I have now realized that just about every week or so I write a post saying that this week has been a little crazier or more hectic than most. I have now come to accept that every week is more hectic than most! This week is no exception. So, let's see, our NEW Fall Line finally arrived from the factory. I put together our new line sheet & order form and finally got them sent out to our wholesale customers on Thursday. I then received a call from daycare which started a big fiasco. Friday was all drama and let's just say that I pulled our daughter out of her daycare permanently when the babysitter accused my husband and I of "having alcohol on our breath when picking up our daughter more than once." Wow, this caught me off-guard, especially considering that my role of mommy is #1 on my priority list, so this is obviously an incredibly offensive accusation. But on top of that, we pick up Aubrey around 5:30-6:00 in the evening, and I only wish I could be sitting around having margaritas all afternoon, but my days don't quite allow for it!! So now, I am somehow full-time mommy and full-time CEO, and thank God for Mark and Mary right now!! I honestly could not do it with out them.

On to the rest of the week, Mark and I worked until about 1:00am on Sunday night getting all of our new Fall pieces up and available for purchase on the website. I think I've almost got handle on things...now onto finding a new childcare situation. To be honest, a part of me absolutely loves having her home during the day, but realistically I know that it is not fair to her or the business to spread myself that thin.

So, I am thrilled with the new line, and I hope everyone else is too. Onto our new designs, which are on my list of things to do this week...along with a few other things!

Nice Challenge

Okay, here is my challenge to you...I guarantee that something positive will come your way in return!

So, I am challenging you to pick up the tab for a random stranger. Do it at the coffee shop, or maybe the McDonald's drive-through. It could even be a $.99 cup of coffee at the gas station. It doesn't have to be much, but I guarantee you will make someone's day!

So many of us are loaded up with responsibilities and stresses. We have a lot resting on our shoulders, and even if we could afford that cup of coffee, it would be so much more fun if it were free! And the best thing in life is that all good deeds come back at you ten fold...so plant those seeds and let them bloom. If nothing else, someone will have a better day all because of you!

Ali Landry & daughter Estela in RuffleButts!

We were pretty excited when we received an email from Kelly (one of our RuffleButt model moms) informing us that she had just spotted RuffleButts on TMZ! Turns out Ali Landry and her daughter Estela were out playing on the beach when the papparazzi got a few shots. They best part is, Estela was looking absolutely precious in her Swiss Dot RuffleButt Bloomers!! I mean seriously, Ali is one hot Momma (I must admit I am a little jealous of that killer body) and her daughter could not be cuter!

I actually met Ali out in LA at the Pre-Golden Globes Gifting Suite in January of 2007, just after launching RuffleButts. She was super nice as we laughed about the stories of our own 'rufflebutts', having grown up in the south. Well, I grew up in KY, but it is more south than many of the states beneath us! Anyway, she told me that her daughter loved her ruffled bloomers and now ours would be the brand of choice! So, it was very fun for me to see Estela having a blast in her RuffleButts a year and a half later!

We found the pictures all over the internet including TMZ.com and iBabyCouture, among many others. We are crossing our fingers that they make it into one of the weeklies, but I am completely honored either way!

LA photo shoot

So, I have been horrible about writing for the past two weeks, but once you read this, I think you'll understand why! I just returned from our photo shoot out in LA and am now back in the office, but here's the events of the past week alone...

Mon:
- Worked until 1:00 in the morning trying to confirm models for Saturday's photo shoot
- Found out that our production coming from the factory was going through the forwarder and was now going to arrive on Wed or Thursday, instead of Mon or Tues as expected
- Found out that our photo shoot samples were FINALLY sent out and due to arrive to me today

Tues:
- No photo shoot samples
- No production delivery
- Waiting to hear back from the models
- Production for big Nordstrom order due to ship out from the factory today or tomorrow

Wed:
- Photo shoot samples arrived, missing about 25% of the items
- One fabric made with the wrong background color
- One t-shirt made with the wrong print colors (we sent them corrections after seeing the first sample via photo, but they didn't correct them)
- No production delivery
- New RuffleButt denim for photo shoot missing from samples, now due to ship overnight today

Thurs:
- Notified that production cleared customs and should be delivered today
- The rest of the photo shoot samples arrive, still no denim
- Receive notice that denim is not being sent in time for photo shoot
- Production never shows up

Fri:
- Still have not received confirmation from all models for photo shoot
- Production finally arrives...yay!!
- Find out that Nordstrom order never shipped out to us, and we are supposed to use the production we just received to fill that order...which leaves us with no production to fill the rest of our orders, and not even enough to fill the Nordstrom order!!!
- Sent out all back-orders (more than 30 of them!)
- Go through all samples and pack for photo shoot...until 1:00 in the morning

Sat:
- Get up at 4:00 am to leave for airport
- Lug all photo shoot apparel and Aubrey to the airport and take of for LA, all before 7:00am
- Play with my adorable (but not acting adorable) little one for 5 hours on a plane. She slept a total of 20 minutes of the 5 hours =)
- Arrive in LA and drive to straight the photo shoot. Stuck in LA traffic for about two hours and arrive almost an hour late!! (We only had less than 2 hours to use the first location)
- Drive straight from 1st location to 2nd, arrive 30 minutes late due to time crunch at 1st location.
- Shoot all of the models and then Aubrey at the end. She was tired, not happy and completely thrown off...wouldn't smile for anything =)
- Get back to our hotel around 8:00pm LA time, 11:00pm our time.

Sun:
- Up at 6:00am LA time, played with my little angel and off to the airport by 8:00am
- Aubrey was so sweet to me and had a wonderful flight!! We played together the entire time and I felt so blessed to have this devoted time with her where I couldn't work, couldn't accomplish anything around the house, and it was just 100% Aubrey all day. She was a joy!!
- Hubby picked us up from the airport shortly after 7:00pm and we were very happy to be home!!

Mon:
- Back to work =)

Still want to start your own business?! This week was a tough one on me. Emotionally, I went through the ringer with our factory and production. Physically, I am exhausted. But, with all of that said, I absolutely love what I do!!

The good news is that our new factory is really great at what they do and they are working hard to make it all right. Hopefully we will get back on track very soon. The good news is I am thrilled with the new collection, as some of the new shirts came out even better than I expected! Stay tuned...more to follow soon!!

Life of an Entrepreneur

I've said it before, but I'll say it again...we are a unique breed. Entrepreneurs are just different, often misunderstood. I knew from a very young age that I would one day become an entrepreneur. When I was a teenager and adults would ask me the "what do you want to be when you grow up" question, I always answered that I wanted to start my own business. They would always chuckle with that "Oh you little child, of course you want to own your own business...good luck with that" kind of thing. No one really took me seriously, but probably because when they asked me "what kind of business", I never really knew. It may have sounded flighty or naive to them then, but I am now learning that is the foundation of an entrepreneur.

You don't have to know exactly what business you want to start, you just have to have that little fire inside that says you want to take a risk; you want to do it on your own; you want to plant a seed and watch it grow. More than that, it means that you are willing to take on the instability, the chaos, the long hours, the ability to think ahead of everyone else, the discipline to pass on the gatherings when all of your friends are having fun and you are at the office. You don't have to have the big idea from day one, but you have to be willing to work hard enough to achieve it.

As an entrepreneurial mom, I feel like this adds an extra layer. There aren't a lot of other moms out there who understand where I am coming from. Other mommy friends are hard to come by because I don't have any spare time to invest. I hardly even have time to respond to emails. From the other side, I'm sure it comes across as selfish, but I truly have to choose between personal emails and business emails during the day. My days are so jam packed and now that Aubrey is my top priority, I have to let some other things slide. The good news is that I have finally hired an Assistant, so hopefully that will help me on this never-ending journey towards balance.

So, I have learned in life, that I will never make everyone happy, but for me, this is happiness. I am working super hard at the moment to try to build something for the future. Mark and I are paying the price, working 10-12 hours a day, weekends, and then some to build a life for our daughter. I hope that putting in the extra hours now, while she is young will enable us to spend more quality time with her as she gets a little older. I think I was just born with that fire. I am not satisfied any other way. I just count my blessings that I have found the perfect husband to join me on that journey, and a few incredible friends who support and understand.