Meet Lisa Druxman, Founder of Stroller Strides
May 7, 2008
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For a couple of years I’ve enjoyed watching the company, Stroller Strides grow and become a nationally recognized brand serving moms Read more
Meet Rebecca Davidson, Founder of Savvy May Creations
May 2, 2008
After spending time searching for caps to markers Rebecca Davidson decided there had to be a better Read more
Meet Sarah Jane, Designer of Sarah Jane Studios
April 23, 2008
Sarah Jane is a wife, busy mother of 2 toddlers and an amazing illustrator capturing the attention Read more
Meet Carol McKinney, Founder of Lemon Leopard
April 10, 2008
Carol McKinney designs custom jewelry by starting with a plan, choosing a color palette, creating a focal point, Read more
Meet Amy Long, Founder of Secure2Me
March 20, 2008
Amy Long had just had her third child when she realized she had a great product Read more
Meet Melissa DeMourdaunt, Co-Founder of Snugabug Baby
March 6, 2008
Check out the Warmsie, sweet baby thermals designed by Melissa DeMordaunt and partner, Krista Lewsis. Read more
Featured Interview: Emily McCormick and CK Wooley, Shabby Apple
February 28, 2008
If you’re a fan of Shabby Apple, then you’ll be thrilled to know Shabby Baby is here! I love the classic look of Shabby Apple and couldn’t be more impressed with Shabby Baby. Shabby Baby has the
most adorable dresses. The dresses are sweet and simple and just plain cute. When your shabby baby wears one you’ll surely hear the question “where did you get that dress?” more than once.
Shabby Apple is an on-line dress company offering modest, flattering designer dresses at great prices. They call it “a return to what dresses were always meant to be — a one-piece outfit with no need to add anything…no tank tops, no cardigans, nothing.” The company teaches women how to ac
essorize in different ways to make the same dress appropriate for different occasions. Shabby Apple sales are on-line or by trunk shows. Check their website if interested in attending or hosting a trunk show.
Feel good about purchasing from Shabby Apple. It’s a women owned and operated company. They pride themselves on making women feel empowered. Most of their employees are moms and they accommodate by having alternative work schedules. They have also partnered with Unitus, a leading non-profit organization in the microfinance industry, offering micro-credit loans to women world wide. A portion of all their proceeds goes to Unitus. Shabby Apple donates time and money to help alleviate global poverty for millions of women and their families.
As if these founders of Shabby Apple aren’t amazing enough they have impressive backgrounds as well. CK has a B.A. from Stanford University in Art History and Dance. and a M.S. from Columbia University in Social Work. She danced professionally in London and the Amnesty International Film Festival in San Francisco. She provided therapy to the homeless, rape victims and victims of domestic violence in Harlem and Brooklyn. She was a lab assistant at neuroscience lab in Stanford, California.
Emily has a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Brigham Young University and M.A. in Communication. She has worked in marketing and public relations for several advertising and design agencies. She also has a 2 year old and a 2 month old!
Special Thanks to Shabby Apple for sponsoring Startup Princess Founder, Kelly King Anderson’s pageant for Mrs. Utah in May!
Featured Interview: Barry Moltz, Entrepreneur and Author, Bounce!
February 27, 2008
Typically we feature Fairy Godmother posts on Wednesdays… how about we switch it up and feature wisdom from a Business Wizard this week?
It was my pleasure to interview Barry Moltz, internationally known speaker, author, and entrepreneur this week. His latest book, Bounce: Failure, Resiliency and Confidence to Achieve Your Next Great Success 
was very refreshing to read as we don’t often enjoy reading about business failures, we typically like to read the success stories, but the truth is we go up and down in our careers and Barry calls it “Bounce.” Loved it.
QUESTION: Barry, please provide us with your definition of “Bounce”
Let go of what you were taught was the secret path to succeed in business and in life. Let go of the idea that something to learn comes from failure or tha
t you can always duplicate your success. Let go of the shame of losing and the enlarged ego that comes with a big win.
QUESTION: What 3 specific skills do you feel are helpful for entrepreneurs to develop early on in their careers so they are prepared for any unforeseen “Bounce†in their path? Is it an attitude?
- Resiliency. Realize that life is not a linear line. It is a series of ups and downs. It is change. Regardless of the outcome, success or failure, you can always bounce! Take that next action
- Define your own brand of success, not what everyone else says it is. Set money plus goals. Learn to downsize your dreams and define what makes you happily successful. Set patient interim goals: Forget about getting a foothold- get a toe hold! Set small goals to get surely toward your goal.
- Strive for Minimal Achievement. Focus on one thing at a time. It will provide you incredible power in your business. This is becoming difficult because we are a multitasking culture. Multitasking Read more
Featured Interview: Monique, Founder of Lil’ Sugarplum
February 21, 2008
Who doesn’t love hair accessories for baby and big girls?! If you do, be sure to check out the fun, stylish designs Startup Princess Monique, of Lil’ Sugarplum offers.One of the most enjoyable things for us is to watch young companies grow… Monique’s really expanded her product line and focused on PR lately and i
t’s paying off. I was so happy for her when I saw the recent press this week with her hair clip featured at actress Brooke Burke’s baby shower (Brooke’s 1 year old daughter wore one of her pretty flower clips). Crazy as it is… when a celeb baby wears your product people notice, your product gets excellent exposure, and hopefully sales increase (and more $ for Monique’s charity- March of Dimes, she gives 2% of sales to them). Monique also offers wholesale too.What makes Monique stand out from the other accessory companies? Selection, style, easy to navigate website, pleasing, soft colors/well-designed homepage, all of my questions were answered by the top navigation bar, priced-right products, and above all I love that she grows her company as she can fit it around her kids… she says, “I’m a stay at home mom with a fun hair clip business on the side…” When asked what her biggest challenge was, she said, “Being patient because once my little ones start school I’ll have more time to play with the business. I’m in no hurry, I adore my time with my children.”
Enjoy Getting To Know Startup Princess Monique!
Name: Monique
What you wanted to be when you grew up: teacher, veternarian, lawyer
What you are: Proud stay at home mommy and wife with a fun hair clip business on the side.
Company Website? www.LilSugarplum.com
What inspired you? My beautiful children.
How long have you been in business? nearly two years in May
How did you fund it? It only took a little bit of money to get started. My husband makes a great salary so I was able to use some of it. ☺
Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? I’m pretty much self-taught but I have met a handful of very, very supportive business people who have had many wonderful ideas and tips for me. I try to “pay it†forward too.
Featured Interview: Jamie Dadant, Circle of Sentiments
February 14, 2008
The following interview was written by Startup Princess Writer, Jessica Cryer.
I absolutely love these charm necklaces from Circle of Sentiments. They are the cutest reminders of the ones you love the most. Jamie Dadant, founder of Circle of Sentiments, quit her job in the corporate world after giving birth to twin boys. By staying at home Jamie was able to make her wish of owning her own business come true. She started on on-line baby boutique that included hand stamped custom ma
de jewelry among other things. The jewelry became so popular that Jamie decided to focus solely on the jewelry and Circle of Sentiments was born!Circle of Sentiments offers simple chains with sterling silver or copper disc engravable charms. Choose your charms and then have it engraved with your spouse or baby’s name or initial. Or buy Grandma a cute charm bracelet with the initials of all her grandchildren. I love them all, but my favorite is the Birthday necklace also referred to as “Mommy Jewelry.” It’s a sterling silver necklace with two discs; one with your baby’s name and the other for the baby’s birth date. How sweet.
Wouldn’t you love to receive one of these as a gift? The website offers a “drop a hint” link. Provide the name of the product you want and the information on the person whom you’d like to receive your “hint” and Circle of Sentiments will take care of the rest.
Enjoy Meeting Startup Princess, Jamie Dadant!
Name: Jamie Dadant
Hometown: Newark, Ca.
Current Residence: Anaheim, Ca.
Education: BA degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara
Professional Background: Prior to staying at home with my kids, I worked in the Marketing department at the Disneyland Resort.
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Teacher
What you are: Stay at home mom, with a web-based business.
Company Website? http://www.circleofsentiments.com
What inspired you? I’ve always wanted to have my own business. After quitting my corporate job to be a stay at home mom, I started my first business, an online baby boutique. One of the many items sold on my site was a line of hand stamped jewelry that I created. The jewelry became really popular. I’ve since made the decision to switch my focus to only selling jewelry, thus Circle of Sentiments was created.
How did you fund it? My start-up costs were pretty minimal, so I was able to fund it through personal savings. Since then, I’ve taken all profits and put them back into the business in order to continue to grow the business. Read more
