Like so many other mom entrepreneurs Debbie Savage knew she wanted to stay home once she had children. As a creative outlet and to help supplement her husband’s income she founded Baby Emi. Baby Emi, (formerly Baby Emi Jewelry), was inspired by Debbie’s first daughter and also by her Cambodian heritage. As a Cambodian tradition, ba
bies are given jewelry as a welcoming gift. Great tradition, right? Debbie channeled this special tradition and her love for making bracelets and anklets for her daughters into a company that has received much well deserved national recognition in magazines, blogs and also with celebrities!
Baby Emi offers Cambodian jingle bells anklets in and recently added hand-stamped precious metals collection. The Mommy and Me bracelets are just adorable and popular with celebrities. Debbie got A-list celebs interested in her products by participating in gift baskets for new Hollywood Moms. She told us once that she had a gift all ready for Angelina Jolie’s gift a couple of yea
rs ago with her kids’ names on a bracelet and then she had to scramble and add another name to the bracelet when she learned Angelina had adopted another child. I guess it’s time for Angelina to wear bracelets on both arms, huh? 
She says that setting aside marketing budget for gifting celebrities has been a great way for her to get better exposure for her company.
Visit the press link of the site to see all the magazines that have featured Baby Emi jewelry. It’s a pretty impressive resume considering Baby Emi was started only a few years ago as a way for Debbie to work from home. Congratulations Debbie!
Enjoy Meeting Startup Princess Debbie Savage, Founder of Baby Emi!
Name: Debbie Svay Savage
Hometown: Sandy, UT
Current Residence(City, State): Aliso Viejo, CA
Education: Brigham Yo
ung University – B.S., Family Consumer Science; Utah State University, M.S., Community Health Education
Professional Background: Cancer Control Specialist, American Cancer Society, San Fernando Valley Unit, CA. Educated children and adults on cancer prevention through nutrition, physical activity and remaining tobacco free.
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Miss America and Whitney Houston!
What you are: A proud mother of two beautiful girls! Emmeline Sanary (Emi) who is 4 1/2 years and Chloe who is 2 years.
Brief Summary of your Start Up: When I became a mother it was important to me to stay at home. I also wanted to run a home business to supplement our income and use as an outlet for my creativity. It was important for me to discover a business opportunity that I am passionate about and that I could pass onto my children. It was the birth of my eldest daughter Emi (who we named the business after) and my Cambodian culture of baby jewelry gift giving that my business dream emerged. With my husband’s help we run this successful business together. We specialize in creating exquisite personalized bracelets for the stylish baby and fashion forward family. And proud to offer our Jingle Bells Anklet a traditional piece of Cambodian jewelry historically believed when worn by babies would ward off bad spirits for the modern mommy a must have for a peace of mind.
Company Website? www.babyemi.com
What inspired you? The birth of my daughter Emi and my culture’s tradition of baby jewelry gifting inspired me to start the biz to satisfy my love for jewelry and the sense of feeling glamorous wearing it. I had to share this joy with fellow mommies and their cute little ones and to honor my family who escaped Cambodia and came to American for peace and opportunity.
How long have you been in business? Our website launched in April 2006 a huge milestone event just week before Chloe was born.
How did you fund it? Personal finances.
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? Yes, my friend and business partner Heather Ledeboer, Mom4Life
Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? StartupPrincess.com (yippee)
Current Business Challenge? Time and money! What’s new!?!
What are you doing about it? Watching every penny we spend by making sure that we make wise decisions for our business and investing all that we make back into the business. Also, I am doing my best managing my time. It is a hard task as any mother and home business owners wear many hats. When I start my day with a prayer and ask for wisdom to thoughtfully and successfully navigate my daily schedule I feel much more confident.
Favorite motivational quote: Oh, I have many and I want to share!
(1) If you want something you can’t just wish for it, you have to work for it.-Author Unknown
(2) Believe in Possibilities, Expect Success!-Author Unknown
(3) We find in life exactly what we put into it”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Family? Albert, my Handsome Husband, Emmeline (Emi) 4 ½ Years, Chloe 2 yrs
If so, how do you balance family and business? What a fun topic that I could talk about for hours on end. I realize that life and is journey of learning. Some days I really succeeded in balancing family and business and other days not so much. However, knowing that I am putting my girls first by working at home gives me a great sense of peace and satisfaction that keeps me motivated and moving forward.
Favorite book? Well, I am reading many at the moment such as The 4 – Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss, Dare to Discipline by Dr. James Dobson, God wants a Powerful People by Sheri Dew and How Full is Your Bucket, by Tom Rath and Donald Clifton, and Parenting with Love & Logic by Foster Cline and The Potentially Sane Mother’s Guide to Raising Young Children by Tamara A. Fackrell. All a work in progress!
What do you do to relax? Exercise and some good retail therapy helps a lot!
What do you want to change most about your world? I like to answer this question by saying that I want to instill in my children a sense of confidence, resiliency and integrity as they grow up in this beautiful but sometimes “saddening” world.
What are you most proud of? Without a doubt my girls! They are my best creations!!!
What advice would you like to offer other Startup Princesses? Follow your dreams and don’t give up. I know it sounds cliche but it is the simple truth. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes because one step back is like taking two steps forward because you can learn from your mistakes and move forward with more wisdom and clarity.
Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? My husband! He fixes everything!
If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Diamonds baby! It is all about the ice!
This post was written by Startup Princess writer, Jessica Cryer
I love your story Debbie, it is so inspirational to see how far you have come in such a short amount of time, I am so proud of you:). (hugs)
Thank you Heather! I owe so much to you. You have supported me from day one and I am so thankful God allowed our paths to cross.
Baby Emi Jewelry is inspirational. What Debbie has managed to accomplish in a few years has been fun to watch.
I can see why she is so successful- one conversation with Debbie will make you a lifelong fan. She is genuine and sweet to the core. A very busy mom, she will always take time out to chat or encourage. You can tell relationships are important to her, and each customer matters.
It has been incredible to watch her business grow; better yet to become friends with her and see the character involved in her business.