Nannies4Hire.com: All the Help, None of the Drama
Jill Leech: Mompreneur, Potty Queen
It seems every parent has an idea for a great product that would make life with young kids a little easier. But Jill Leech took her ideas and turned them into a business. Potty Tots is a potty training program that Jill developed for her third child. So how do you go from good idea to Mompreneur? Here’s the poop, I mean scoop…
How long does it take to go from ‘ah-ha’ to getting press in the magazines?
For Potty Tots, it took us two years from the idea phase to having a complete product that we could market. From there it has taken us a year to get some coverage in the media (mostly social media and local parent magazines). It is difficult to get into the major parenting magazines as a feature article. We are actively pursuing all avenues of marketing including retailers, children’s catalogs, and trade shows. We have even sent Potty Tots kits to over 50 celebrity parents! (even Hollywood stars have to potty train their children!)
How do you go about finding an illustrator?
I found most of my artists online at www.ifreelance.com. (illustrator, animator, musician, printer etc…) I was so fortunate to be able to find a talented illustrator (Jennifer Ware of Zenware Designs) who captured my vision of the Potty Tots and brought them to life! I am happy with the way everything turned out, especially considering I worked with most of the development and design team online! (very 21st century!)
Did you partner with someone who had experience starting a business or did you just figure it out as you went along?
Most of starting Potty Tots was learning as I went along (and I learned a lot! ) Luckily my husband had the business background and experience with manufacturing and sourcing in China and was able to find a great printer for us and handle the logistics of shipping etc…
Did you ever consider just throwing in the towel?
I never considered throwing in the towel. We launched Potty Tots right in the middle of a recession and I knew it would be tough. But I knew we had a great product and that there is a great need for help with potty training so I kept on believing!
You partnered with your sister. What do you say to the people who warn against going into business with family?
With family, as with any business partner, you have to make sure that you are on the same page when it comes to anything from ideas on how to develop the product to how much money you are willing to spend on production, advertising etc… My advice is to find someone with the same vision, excitement and work ethic and you will be successful.
ChefTony of Visions Restaurant: on sharp knives, social media, and my gazpacho
Chef Tony (@ChefTony on Twitter) of Visions Restaurant in Bethesda, Maryland is a social media guru… with a very sharp knife. We had a few moments to chat before last night’s DC Tweep Up and one of the employees was nice enough to hold my Flip camera…for 10 minutes straight. I don’t know his name but hats off to the camera work dude!
Chef Tony was also willing to taste my gazpacho, and show me the proper way to chop an onion. The one-handed egg cracking trick will have to wait until next time.
If you are in the DC area be sure to visit Visions Restaurant, and check out Sisarina for the next Tweet Up date.
Thanks Tony!
Janine
Annoucing the Best Legs Winners!
August 10, 2009 by Janine
Filed under Behind The Scenes
Congratulations to our Grand Prize Winner!
Sweet shoes!
@SarahInMI – blurry photo but you can see those legs and, sweet shoes!
And our Runners Up are…
Sweet pose!
@CassieAiden - Nice pose on the stage at the People’s Party!
Sweet knee!
@ShaunaGlenn – y’all know she models in real life?
Congratulations and thank you to all who posed, played and voted!
Please remember to check out Pacific Shaving Company who sponsored this contest and remember that for every bottle of All Natural Shaving Oil sold ($7.00 will last 100 shaves!) they plant a tree!
Janine & Linda
@JoeSchmitt: On stealing material from his wife and not wearing a hat
Recently I had the opportunity to interview “Mr. Twitter Funny Guy”, Joe Schmitt. And, I owe him an apology.
Sorry Joe.
Sorry for calling your ‘Mr. Funny Guy’ one too many times (in terms of interviewers I have lots to learn…or do I?).
Sorry for not taking your advice and heading into a quiet corner.
That said, Joe was a sport and lived up to his reputation for humor. He was also soooo very nice.
We talked about the fact that everyone thinks he is wearing a hat in his avatar picture on Twitter. We discussed where he gets his humorous material (lately he’s been stealing from his wife who is newly on Twitter herself so that’s going to have to stop) and we discussed why he has no reference to his ‘real’ job on his website or Twitter bio.
If you love @JoeSchmitt watch this (and try to ignore the background activity AND his mid-western accent).
We love you Joe!
Janine (@twincident)
Linda (@shortpumppreppy)
Best Legs for Blogher09 Days 2 & 3 Contestants
July 29, 2009 by Janine
Filed under Behind The Scenes
**UPDATE** We extended voting to start July 31-Aug 7 due to problems we were having with our whrrl stories. But Whrrl.com rawks (and @ecrabb) so we’re back on track!
Tell us who you think has the best legs of Days 2 and 3!
