Erika Deady-Wohlers, Tutu Pour Mon Deux
Tutu Pour Mon Deux of Granby, Mass., sells adorable design-it-yourself tutu shirts online and donates a portion of the proceeds to Children’s Hospital Boston.
‘Ah ha’ moment that led to launching the business: Four days after she was born, our daughter Maeley was placed in the surgical hands of Dr. Sitaram Emani who would successfully repair her heart. Following the surgery and during her stay at Children’s Hospital Boston, a profound sense of gratitude began to envelop me. The answer to “how can I give back?” came to me months after Maeley’s surgery. One day my daughter Alarice asked if I could sew her pink tutu to her pink shirt. I was happy to, and made one for my niece as well. The girls just loved them. Tutu Pour Mon Deux was born.
Ideal customer: Moms with little girls.
Landing first customer: My first customers came from friends and family and their invaluable word of mouth before I launched the first version of the website.
Measuring Success: For me, the opportunity to ‘pay it forward’ is a priceless measure of success. Sending the first contribution to Children’s Hospital Boston felt like a major accomplishment. CHB is a world leader in pediatric cardiology and cardiac surgery, and we designate our charitable proceeds to the CICU to help maintain this level of excellence.
Biggest Struggle: I have a limited budget for advertising and PR. I work to overcome that by sourcing free or very reasonable guidance online.
Surprise!: I am constantly amazed by the unlimited resources on the internet. This has been very time consuming, but so worth the effort.
Promoting Business: I have established really great relationships with a few national magazine editors. Placements from both regional and national publications have substantially increased sales.
What I wish I would’ve known: I wish I had realized what is required to build a strong e-commerce website; I had to create a second website soon after the first. I also wish I had taken more time to source each item in the completed tutu shirt. I realized the tag alone could help keep costs down. I am now moving from embroidering the logo onto the shirt to a more cost effective sewn in tag.
What keeps you up at night (business-wise!)?: I have spent many late nights sewing organza, patches and ribbon onto shirts.
Ever tempted to throw in the towel and just get a job?: Yes, I have, especially when the money begins to dry up. I remind myself often exactly why I created Tutu Pour Mon Deux. I believe in the importance of giving back. Our family celebrates knowing that each donation helps save children’s lives, and that is a great reward.
Moving Forward: Making new connections and ultimately move into different retail markets.
Pricing, Getting it Right: My best advice comes from my target audience. Early on I asked friends and family for completely honest suggestions on the price they would feel comfortable paying.
Funding: My start-up costs were manageable and I took it one step at a time, paying out of our household budget. We are fortunate to run a small furniture and pottery shop in the barn behind our home, so that helps. I believe the time home with my three-year-old is not time off from work, but time poured into a dream that will eventually become our reality. My advice is to work within your means and realize that the “cost of your time” will payoff.
A Few Good Tips: Packaging is key: creating the right colors, logo and signage are paramount to creating any interest. Settle for nothing less than something that you are extremely proud of and connected to on a visceral level. Focus on the different avenues people will take on-line to find your product. Try to be forward thinking with the process of creating your product, and if your product has a big launch, will you be prepared? When sourcing, try to work to create the best product for the least money without sacrificing quality or integrity. The web is the most amazing resource tool for all things related to PR. With little girls and their moms being the focus of Tutu Pour Mon Deux, I owe a debt of gratitude to mommy bloggers.
Must-read Online Resource: Mashable, Advertising Age Digital, xconomy, Environmental Leader, and Treehugger since we are a mix of social media, digital media and green.
The absolute best part of owning my business is: knowing my daughters are growing up in a house where ‘giving back’ is second nature, as well as the added bonus of them seeing Mom work to create a business that started with an idea.
If I had to start over again, I would: taken the time to look into grants, at this point that is still a possibility but my day is full…and so are my nights.
I never imagined: the PR aspect of the business would be so difficult.
If standing on a rooftop facing crowds of aspiring or struggling small business owners, I would shout: “Follow your heart and be patient: nothing happens overnight.”
