Featured Cloth Diaper WAHM: Tiffany of Jelly Bean Diaper Co.

Q: What Led You to Start Using Cloth Diapers?

A: My decision to use cloth actually came with my second child. With my first child I disposables diapers, as most do, and thought nothing of it. When I became pregnant a second time I joined a pregnancy discussion group online and in particular post that I read when I was 8 or 9 months along, I saw a signature line that contained a link to a WAHM that sold her handcrafted cloth diapers. It was an Ahaaa moment for me. I had no idea how far cloth diapers had come. I was amazed. I had dismissed all previous thoughts about using cloth diapers, if they happened to be mentioned, with an exaggerated "Ewwww!" I didn't want to clean poopy diapers and I didn't want to use flat diapers that had to folded in intricate patterns, and I didn’t want to stick my baby with safety pins. But these diapers were fitted, they had velcro-like closures, and they were CUTE. I search far and wide for adorable clothing for my babies so how could I resist adorable diapers? I was like a child in a candy store. Of course then I decided to research the other benefits…I was very pleased to find in my research that cloth diapers were healthier for baby, better for the future of our planet, and a frugal choice as well. Cloth diapering quickly became a personal passion.

Q: How did you go about making cloth diapers your business as well as your personal passion?

A: When my daughter was born and I started using cloth diapers personally, I fell in love with them. I wanted one, or two, or three of every cloth diaper type available. I wanted the plain cotton diapers and soft wool covers, I wanted the super easy waterproof All-In-One variety, I wanted Pocket Diapers, I wanted the cute Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob print diapers I had seen. I wanted them all. But since I was a stay at home mom and I didn’t have a great amount of money to put into diapers, I decided to remember the frugality that cloth can represent and start sewing my own. I fashioned a pattern layout from a mixture of disposable diapers and other cloth diapers I had used and I started sewing. Soon my daughter was exclusively wearing my own creations and I found that I had stumbled upon an endeavor that I found truly rewarding and I wanted to continue making cloth diapers for other babies. And my business was born.

First and foremost I worked on my product and did my best to make a functional and beautiful product, using my daughter as a tester and a model. To keep overhead low, I joined several online fabric and supplies co-operatives. These are basically groups of women in similar businesses who join together and order fabric, notions, and other supplies in bulk at wholesale prices. This ensured that I had everything I needed at the lowest price possible so that I could keep my diapers affordably priced. I also spent a lot of time in that initial dreaming phase, inventing a cute company name and coming up with creative marketing plans, designing my collaterals and business cards. Once I had the production aspect in full swing and I had the behind the scenes business details taken care of, I was ready to start offering my diapers to the public. Which meant that I needed to develop an online presence, a way to reach people.

Q: How did you go about offering your products on the Internet?

A: I started out by selling my diapers on Ebay. First 1-2 a week and then up to 15-20. I customized every auction with my company logo and information and used very creative auction templates that I designed. I was creating a brand for my company that I hoped people would remember. They sold very well, with several going for well above my retail asking price. I started to develop a customer base with repeat business and great word of mouth. These initial Ebay sales provided me with the income necessary to establish a broader web presence. I selected a host that incorporated a storefront in their hosting package and I designed my own site. I spent many hours writing effective text, taking pictures of my diapers, and of course trying to stay true to my goal of spreading the word about the benefits of cloth diapers.

Then, once I had the site done, the real work began and I had to spread the word and create traffic. Being a small WAHM of limited means I had to go with no cost advertising at first. I joined list-servs, discussion groups, and various forums to get my name out there. Usually they were groups that catered to a very targeted audience, moms who subscribed to the theories of attachment parenting and natural living and/or who were already using cloth diapers. I now subscribe to some forms of paid advertising along these same lines but little by little I am trying to reach a broader audience and expose more parents to the benefits of cloth diapers. Parents like myself, who knew nothing about the evolution of cloth diapers, their benefits and features, and the dangers associated with the alternative.

I also took a step back and evaluated the need to market my business locally as well. I started talking to everyone I met about cloth diapers, always having a business card ready to hand out. Whenever I went out in public I made sure my daughter was wearing one her most eye catching and adorable diapers so that people could get a visual idea of what I was talking about. One of the best places I found to promote my business was in fabric and craft stores. It seemed I always had store employees or other patrons asking what I would be using a certain fabric piece for and I would happily tell them. I also had good experiences in public bathrooms as wild as that may sound. Women would see me changing my daughter and curiosity led to some good discussions and opportunities to market my business.

Q: How do you manage to run a business in your home with two children?

A: I’ll be honest. It is tough having a business and having children underfoot. Everything must be organized to the fullest extent possible to make it work. I find that I do most of my work in the early morning hours and late evenings when my children are asleep. Usually doing the production and sewing work in the mornings and taking care of other details at night. Sometimes I will use my children’s regularly scheduled nap times to work as well but usually those times are reserved for household duties like laundry, preparing meals, doing dishes, etc. Whenever possible I try to conduct my business via email, so that I do not have to worry about talking to customers with Barney blaring in the background. I try to check my email every two hours, since I have high volumes of email. My email management program is set up to route things to appropriate folders and weed out the really important messages. When I get a new order or deadline I drag and drop the information into my calendar so that I won’t miss anything. I break tasks into small manageable pieces so that I won’t get overwhelmed and I have a daily, weekly, and monthly goal sheet hanging next to my computer. I have also, on occasion hired in help, when I am especially busy.

Q: What does Your Home Office Look like?

A: I struggle to keep my business from encroaching into every aspect of my house but it is tough sometimes. Two rooms in the house are devoted to production and supplies storage. They house my sewing machines, sergers, notions, cutting tables and fabric. Luckily I have some very large walk-in closets because I have many, many bolts of various fabric. I arrange them on shelves and in plastic storage containers, by fabric type, so that I can have easy access to what I need. Another room in the common area of the house is where I house my computer, digital cameras, and business files.

Q: What Is The Most Rewarding Thing About Running Your Home Business?

A: Getting to stay home with my children and witness every part of their development and growth, all the while teaching them about responsibility and work ethic. I get to spend every day with my children and that is more rewarding then anything.