Posted by
Deb Grover, Bellevue, Washington | Jul 04, 2008
Mom/Business Owner new to BizNik
Hi! While I signed up months ago, I am just now starting to spend some energy exploring the Biznik website.
My name is Deb and I started a business on accident and out of necessity 3 years ago when I was pregnant with my first born. It is called BellySock (www.bellysock.com).
Up until now, BellySock was a fairly low impact slice of my life. I work on it in the evenings, during kid naptime and during a few hours of babysitting time I manage to find intermittently throughout the week.
My dream with BellySock is to be more than a company that sells a simple maternity and nursing product. I want to wake up one day and know that what I am positively making a different in many many people’s lives. Right now BellySock donates 10% to prenatal care non-profits, and sponsor as many pre-natal and breastfeeding orgs it can afford. This is not enough for me. I am still searching for what I truly want BellySock to become in this regard.
About 2 weeks ago I reached a huge crossroads with the company. I established my first business debt. Up until now I have been able to survive off of a small personal investment in R&D, grassroots marketing, and production. The company has sustained itself over the last few years. 2 weeks ago my first international inventory PO arrived. 6000 Organic BellySocks! Wow! 20K later and a garage full of organic cotton BellySocks, I sit here wondering how on earth I am going to move this product and successfully build my business. I figure now is the time to shine.
On June 15th I graduated with my MBA from Seattle U, and one week later my 2nd child turned 2 years old. I think I am armed and ready to get going…I just need to figure out what to do next. I am hoping to find inspiration and community via Bisnik to help me on my journey. In my experience so far, I have learned how powerful networking can be in terms of building successful business relationships. It is through other small networks that I have found business advice, opportunities to barter, and the opportunity to share and help others with what I have to offer.
In addition to looking for advice on what I want BellySock to become, I am looking to continue to build the biz through a team of commission based sales reps (those that want to own territories and even those that want to own online communities). Any leads, advice, inspiration to share?
I look forward to growing with you all!