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.

Casting Call

We are gearing up for our next photo shoot with Amanda Elkins. I am always so excited to work with her, and this time Aubrey and I are making the trip out to LA to be a part of it!! Yes, I am flying across the country with my 7 month old little angel (well, let's hope she's in the mood to be an angel on two 4+hour flights!). We will be flying out one morning and returning 24 hours later, since I can't really afford to be out of the office right now. It will be a quick trip, but I am so excited regardless!!

If you or someone you know happens to live in the LA area, we are on the hunt for some new little RuffleButt gals. Our clothing only goes up to size 2T, so unfortunately, some of our previous little cuties (including the adorable Bela) have now outgrown us. So, we are now looking for fresh faces to join us for the fun! Check out the details below:

Compare yourself

My husband and I really enjoying reading The Entrepreneurs Blog by Alex, the Managing Partner of LC Management. Alex has this great way of saying the things I am thinking or would like to say, but find myself sucked into my people-pleasing personality and just don't. So, today his post was about Rev Run from Run's House on MTV, and although I don't have time to watch much tv these days, I am still a fan of this reality family. Rev sends out these daily words of wisdom (which is always the last scene of the tv show) and usually has some really great advice. Alex shared today's tip and I have to pass it along.

“Try not to compare yourself to others as a measurement of your performance or feelings of success. If you do, you will have bought into the erroneous idea that you will, in some way, be better and HAPPIER when you are ahead of someone else. GOD IS LOVE.” -Rev Run

This holds so true for so many people...women, men, moms, entrepreneurs, wives, husbands, children. I pretty much think we all have this in common - we compare ourselves to others. There is always going to be someone who has more, who seems happier, or is more successful. As a business owner, I have come to accept that there are people ahead of me in this adventure. But instead of comparing myself, I have learned to learn from them...what did they do right? or wrong?

I agree with Alex that I am also guilty of this, but this post was a nice reminder to be happy with where I am today.

It's your life

I had a conversation with an associate today and it really got me thinking...sometimes it is easy for us to get stuck in a rut of self pity, or self doubt, or even excuses. Sometimes it takes a little shake to get us out of it. I am just as guilty as anyone else, and if I let my mind get lost, it can get me completely off track. It's my life and no one is going to care like I do. No one is going to push me like I do. And no one is going to hand me opportunities.

Are you sitting around wishing you were in different circumstances? Do you hate your job? Do you complain about your friends? It's your life, and no one is going to change it but you. I completely get it that we have other factors to consider, like supporting our families or keeping everyone else happy, but sometimes I think we minimize the importance of our own happiness. And when I say happiness, I don't mean that life should be perfect and we should drop everything to go lay on the beach. I think you know exactly what I am saying here...happiness, as in our ultimate life goals.

If you are not satisfied in life, what is missing? Is it something you can change? Does it require a risk? Does it require a good kick in the butt?? Maybe this is not the right time, and only you know that, but don't settle. DON'T BLAME OTHERS FOR YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES. It's your life and only you can change it.

I am fortunate enough to absolutely love what I do. I get to work with incredible people (including my husband) and have the best customers in the world! The thing that I am not completely happy with in my life at the moment is my lack of time. I feel like Mark and I have put so many things on our plate at once, that it is now taking its toll in every aspect of our lives. I am tired, I am stressed, I don't have any time for friends, I wish I had more time with Aubrey, Mark and I argue over little things, and I certainly don't get enough time with family. With all of that said, I am so blessed to live the life that I do, but I know that I need to make some changes. I am working super hard right now to get to the place where I can find balance. I just hope that comes sooner than later.

So, what are you not satisfied with at this moment? What are you doing to change it?

Mistakes

Okay, this is my very last comment regarding the April Rose situation. As most of us know by now, Beccah has posted her explanation and apology. I do appreciate all of your support, but I would prefer that none of us join the others that are quick to judge or point fingers. I do sincerely appreciate those of you that came to my defense. If I'm being 100% honest, I was a little ticked by those that came down on me as I tried to make the best decisions possible. And it was so nice to have others, quick to stand up for my actions...and to send me sweet emails in support. Part of me wanted to defend myself and the other part of me just wanted to get back to my job. Part of me wanted to go to your blogs (you know who you are) to tell you to figure out all of the facts before sharing your not-so-nice comments, but I refused to get sucked in!

I believe this experience brought about many emotions. I believe some people were a little too quick to hit the 'post' button and to judge others that they didn't know. I do understand why and hold no ill feeling towards anyone (including those that judged me personally). Just like everyone else, I obviously didn't know that the blog was a lie. And honestly, I feel like the writer needs love and prayers now more than ever. I am not supporting her actions in ANY way, but each and every one of us have made mistakes, maybe not quite on this level, but we are not perfect either. The world has a way of working itself out, and I am sure she will pay an extremely high price for her actions.

So, on the topic of mistakes, although not near the severity of Beccah's, as a business owner, I feel I am always learning from my mistakes. When I first started this business, I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. I read, I researched, I inquired, but I think sometimes we just learn best from doing. I may not have chosen the very best fabrics, or factory for that matter. I didn't know the best advertising avenues and not all of my decisions were the correct ones, but as we are growing, I am improving. Things are getting so much easier! We now manufacture our own fabric, and we are working with a fabulous factory (one that actually sends our products correctly and responds when I contact them). I now know, for the most part, where to advertise, and where is a total waste. I know more about the industry, sales, trade shows, and product development. This is the natural progression of experience. So, I guess my point is this...if you are still at the beginning of that learning curve, you will make mistakes. This is okay, expected, and actually, to your benefit down the road. You have to make mistakes to improve. Don't let people make you feel like you don't know what you are doing, even if you don't!! We all started somewhere and I promise, we have ALL made mistakes.

On we go

So, as you can see, I took a few days away from the blog to let some of this April Rose drama blow over. Things have not slowed down around here, and today is no exception. I am cramming in as much work this morning as possible (with my daughter home from daycare), turning everything over to Emily, and then off we go to Atlanta. The AmericasMart June apparel show is this weekend and it is my weekend in the Stella Jane & Friends co-op to work a few days. Things have been really slow lately in market world, so I am hoping that we see more traffic this time around. Don't get me wrong, things have not been slow overall, as last month was our biggest yet, but I think people are pulling away from markets and doing more of their research online. Well, at least that's my opinion. So, it will be a crazy weekend for the family, but taking along our very best RuffleButt model =)

On a side note, I do have to give a sincere "thank you" once again, to all of you amazing people out there. I have been so touched, and inspired, by the sweet words of support. It is a little crazy out here in internet world, and it is just too easy to type from a place of emotions and hit "send". I have learned in business not to take other's opinions to heavy, as long as I feel confident in my heart that I am doing the right thing. I continue to be amazed by the swarms to wonderful women out here in blogland, and I only wish I could know each and every one of you in person. I truly do appreciate your comments.

Rough day

It has been a tough day for anyone involved with the Little April Rose Blog. My heart still goes out to this family (and close friends of the family) in dealing with this incredibly difficult situation. I was just made aware that our ad has been removed, and I have great respect that they obliged our request. I hope they, as well as everyone else, understands our need to step away from the situation for the time being. I will continue to pray for both April and B regardless of opinions and truths. I feel they both need my prayers and I don't think a single prayer goes wasted when sent with sincere intentions.

I will say that I was a little taken off-guard by the emails that I received today, but overall, I am touched by the support. This is not our situation, and we should in no way be the focus of attention. If this is all honest and true, there is someone much more in need at this moment. From this point forward, I will not be commenting or responding regarding the situation. It is not about me. I will, whether you agree or disagree, continue to pray for this family. I realized that either way it went, I was not going to make everyone happy, so I have to follow my heart and do what I feel is the right thing. I live my life and run my company by the Golden Rule, and this is what I would want if the situation were reversed. I do not know if this blog is honest and I can not answer that for you, but it is not my place to decide.