by Jamie West
(...Continued From The Genesis Of The New Baby Morgan Part 1)
I found some online podcasts and YouTube videos where successful entrepreneurs who were creating their own products and brands shared their knowledge with me. After I felt comfortable with what I was doing, I began contacting potential manufacturers and ordering samples.
The sample process was tougher and took much longer than anticipated. And it was pretty expensive! It took a while for samples to arrive. Every time a sample would arrive I would excitedly open the package, hoping that it would be “the one”. I had real, original Baby Morgan blankets from the 80s in my possession, and I would know right away if the sample looked and felt just like it.
The tag on an original Baby Morgan blanket from the 1980s.
Unfortunately, while many samples looked like the thermal blankets with satin trim from the 80s and 90s, they didn’t FEEL like it! Most samples I received were thin and not very soft. I was looking for something premium, luxury, that was thicker and much, much softer. But, after kissing many frogs, I finally found my prince! A sample arrived that I knew was “the one”!!!
It was about this time that I heard about a trip to Mexico with some experts in the private labeling realm, and other sellers - some sellers who were much further along in their business journey than me, but some just starting out. I flew to Mexico City and then Cancun to be with the mastermind group and learn everything I could about making my product and business as successful as possible.
During this trip, I learned so much about bringing a high quality product to market and made connections with many fun and interesting people.
When I arrived home from the trip, I felt ready to place my order. There were so many things to consider. What sizes should we offer? What colors? Do people want satin or nylon trim? Luckily, I had recently signed up for a local business group and I was able to get ideas and feedback from other small business owners.
It took a couple months for the blankets to be manufactured and another month for them to arrive from overseas. The whole process was new and fascinating to me. There was so much to do too, signing contracts, safety testing, product inspections, setting up professional product photography, arranging freight and transport.
Amid a daunting wall of the first Baby Morgan Blankets shipment.
It felt like a huge win when the blankets finally arrived at my house. I made the decision to have them at my house because I could do some quality control and because I was going to sell them on multiple websites. My husband worked diligently to create social media profiles for the business and our online store. I worked on creating the listings on selling platforms like Etsy, eBay, Poshmark and Mercari.
It was another win when we made that first sale. And the next. And the next! Another milestone was receiving our first positive 5-star feedback. Then the positive feedback kept coming in, sales kept coming in, and many buyers actually returned after making a purchase to buy even more. I suppose people recall how hard Baby Morgan blankets were to find for so many years and don’t want to risk anything happening like that again, so are stocking up. But we intend to offer these blankets as long as people want them, and we think every baby should have one (or two!).
It’s warmed my heart to make connections with real people who have real stories about how these blankets were a part of their life. It makes me happy to offer something that people can love and enjoy. This is just the beginning. I’m brimming with ideas for other products and so excited to share this journey with you!