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Archive for the ‘SMB Spotlight’ Category

SMB Spotlight: Max’s Mud

Posted by Mona On January - 26 - 2010
good clean fun!

good clean fun!

Kim Smith is a former baker mother whose own experience led to a business, Max’s Mud, that not only has helped her family, but aids other families looking for creative and healthy play for their children. She tells us her story on what it’s like to balance a new business and family bustle, and the work it takes to enter the toy market.

Tell me about the genesis of Max’s Mud. Where were you in your life and what gave you the idea?
My husband, Craig and I had a preemie, Max at 31-3/7 weeks, basically 8-1/2 weeks early. Since Max was our first as my husband says we didn’t know any better and to us being in the Swedish NICU and step down unit for 7 weeks was our “normal.” With that being said our instructions in bringing Max home was to keep him inside until spring, Yes that’s right SPRING, which in the great northwest might start in May! So began our playtime and as Max’s motor skills developed and as Mom was looking for more stimulation I cooked up a batch of organic “play dough,”–let’s face it, we all have a recipe–and after hubby/daddy brought home some varieties with glitter and foam pellets in it, I decided to make some that I knew the contents of.

Who is Max?
Our oldest son! Now he is a cleaver kindergartner who still loves to play with the mud, creating everything imaginable.

How long have you been making Max’s Mud?
I made the first version of Max’s Mud when Max was six months old in 2004, then as we were playing at the kitchen table over the next few months I had an epiphany if we were going to go to the effort to develop a certified organic sculpting dough I wanted it to be something everyone could enjoy! This is where my profession and trade experience as a baker came in.

Why is Max’s Mud unique?
I tested numerous combinations, all based on the desire to have a certified organic and certified gluten-free product, considering availability of goods, what the limitations of the certifying agencies were, production abilities, etc. Through this process I developed a unique formulation that no other sculpting dough or modeling compound is using the unique aspect of Max’s Mud is that we hold a provisional patent.

I read about the special composition of Max’s Mud (certified organic and gluten free sculpting dough, 100% organic rice flour, vegan, and free of gluten, wheat, soy, corn, and fragrance.) Why is this important?
We don’t want to leave anyone out of the fun! Through our experience with our preemie we learned that allergies and asthma are so closely related, as a baker I am keenly aware of these flour allergies albeit wheat, soy, corn. It was a natural progression to use rice and jojoba oil, they are wonderful mediums for our Mud and compliment sensory play.

We actively choose not to scent our Mud, obviously from a allergy & asthma direction but for me it is also about sending the right message, we are talking about curious kids, if it smells like food they are going to be want to try it! Right? I feel that most of us with curious kids don’t need another reason to tell our little ones not to put something in their mouth.

With that being said as a consumer I wanted to see the certifications that I would expect on a product like Max’s Mud we are the world’s first certified organic sculpting dough, we are certified as a food product as there is no category for organic toys or art materials, since kids will put this in their mouths we were able to become certified. We are the world’s first certified gluten-free sculpting dough, numerous kids can’t play with dough that is made from wheat. Being certified we are tested to have less than half the regulated amount of gluten parts per million.

max's mud

max's mud

What would you say to parents who aren’t as aware of these issues?
The thing about Max’s Mud is it is a great sculpting dough, and hopefully most parents don’t have to worry about allergies or asthma episodes, its not fun for the child, parents or caregivers. We want everyone to play, I think it is just important to know as much as you can about what your kids are playing with and putting in their mouths. Being certified through ACMI, our containers and labels are tested and through CPSIA, we have independent third party labs testing for lead in any of our components. I would say now I have an entirely different appreciation for what small companies have to go through. I think as parents we just have to do our best to be informed so we can make the best decision for ourselves and kids.

Did you find it difficult to break into the kid’s toy/craft business?
Well yes in a sense, I was persistent. I remember “cold calling” the buyer a Top Ten Toys, telling her I was making this product. For obvious reasons she said they don’t purchase “homemade” things and that I would need to have all the CPSIA testing documentation for consideration. She was very up front about the federal requirements and with a kind smile I think she expected to just continue to see me as a customer perhaps not a future vendor. After some time I brought all the required documentation our original brown and white Muds was connected with a great rep of kids activity products and have not looked back.

What advice did you seek when starting out?
Be persistent, Max’s Mud was one of several business models I was looking at, I had a notebook of ideas for small businesses that I might start most based in the culinary world, I would weigh the pros and cons about manufacturing, shipping, even what the demo commitment might look like. Max’s Mud just started to become the most obvious choice and was most closely related to the culture of a business that I was interested in putting my and my families time into.

Starting out takes a lot of time, energy and commitment, I knew Max’s Mud was the right choice for us to pursue when I just couldn’t stop thinking about it, and the kids loved playing with it. I adjusted things along the way when I would get feedback from friends kids and suggestions on what would make it better. I am so fortunate to have my partner and husband Craig for support and without him I could not do it myself, he has allowed me to dream a little bigger and advises me to keep my feet on the ground at the same time. It is a partnership whether it is your spouse, friend, or family member have a game plan, a direction, re-evaluate as you go, be willing to adjust your dream.

What advice would you give to other mothers thinking about starting their own businesses?
We were really started on a shoestring, I like to say “one dry bottom” at a time. Our family budget is like so many others so as the boys got out of diapers a little more money was freed up in the budget! Write down your business plan, and everything you need to do to complete it. I would have these check lists and literally check off the most basic things one at a time.

Research all the hidden costs and don’t discount them, having a good lawyer to help you through setting up a business is a huge help, following your intuition in your branding is important because you do know your product the best.

Trying to keep a balance, it is so exciting to start something, but it can be addicting and can take precious time away from your family, so much of my research and tasks were done early in the morning or well after everyone went to bed.

What or who inspires you?
My boys, my husband, my family, my students and a really good sunrise out our kitchen window.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Calm, enjoying our family. Giving back to those that have helped us along the way!

You can find Max’s Mud at various stores like Top Ten Toys and some Whole Foods.


Do you have a mommy-business or know of one? We’d love to feature them here at Seattle Mom Blogs! You can leave a comment below or

SMB Spotlight: Growing a Baby in Seattle Reviews

Posted by Mona On January - 6 - 2010

growingababy


Seattle Mom Blogger Carrie is a powerhouse. Not only does she write a sweet blog, Growing a Baby in Seattle, she has expanded her internet reach with a review blog as well: Growing a Baby in Seattle Reviews. We interviewed her to find out what it takes to run a review blog while managing a family life and if it’s really all about the free goods.

Talk about yourself. Who makes up your family?
Ooh, talking about myself, my favorite thing! Smile emoticon I’m Carrie, a 30-something mom of two kids. The kids are Ethan (age 2 1/2) and Vivian (age 7 months). I’m married to a wonderful, kind man, Daniel, and we all live in Seattle, just a few blocks from the Space Needle. Right now I’m mostly a stay-at-home mom, but I do work a few hours here and there for my “real” job, as a toxicologist.

How did you get started blogging?
I found the world of blogging when I ran across Daring Young Mom’s blog, back when she was blogging for the Seattle newspaper. Then I went and read some of the blogs that she had links to on her site and then I was hooked. I started writing my own blog in December 2006, when I found out I was pregnant with Ethan. We weren’t telling many people about the pregnancy until the first trimester was over, and I desperately needed to talk about it, so I started blogging and found out that I really loved it!

What made you start a review blog?
I started the review blog in August of 2009, a few months after Vivian was born. Hanging out with two small kids was keeping me busy, but hanging out with a baby and a toddler all day is not the best way to maintain your sanity, and I needed something else to do, something that I could do during my brief moments of alone time, and something that would be fun too. So I started writing reviews of things that I had gotten as baby presents or purchased, and I offered a new diaper bag that I didn’t want as a giveaway, and things went from there! It’s located at Growing a Baby in Seattle Reviews.

Do you track your subscribers or blog traffic in any way?
I use StatCounter to track my blog traffic. I track my email subscribers through Feedburner.

What kinds of products do you feature?
Things that I use in my life, or things that I have learned about. This includes baby gear, toys, websites that I like, makeup, bath products, food… pretty much if it’s something that makes my life easier or makes me smile, I’ll write about it!

What would you tell someone who is just starting with a review blog?
The most important thing is that you must be prepared to be honest-there’s no point in starting a review blog if you’re not going to be honest with your opinions. You are not being fair to yourself or your readers if you don’t tell the truth. You don’t have to write about things you don’t like, but don’t write posts saying you like something if you actually don’t like it.

Be prepared to do quite a lot of work, especially at first. I’m still in the early stages of the review blog, so I get my products mainly through pitches that I email to companies. And since my blog is still small, I get a lot of rejection emails and have a lot of my pitches ignored. I do get the occasional email from a PR person, and that’s always really nice, but most of the time I have to do a lot of work before I even receive a product for review. Decide what you want for your blog before you get started. Are you open to putting up ads for companies? Writing paid posts? How big do you want your blog to get?

Also, you must be very organized. Even though my review blog is still fairly small, I generally have at least 10 things that are waiting to be written up, plus I’m usually running multiple giveaways at any given time. For all the reviews and giveaways there are PR people and winners to be emailed, so there are a lots of balls up in the air at any given time. I have spreadsheets to track everything and have learned that if I don’t keep up with my spreadsheets, I’m lost!

Try to get involved with sites like BzzAgent or Product Review Place, sites that will get you connected with PR people and the products they want reviewed.

What tools do you use to manage your blog (online or not)?
My personal blog was on Blogger, so I just started a new blog on Blogger for the review blog. I did end up buying my own domain after a few months, through GoDaddy.com. If you think you’re going to be serious about your review blog, I’d suggest getting your own domain sooner rather than later, as it could mess up your Google Page Rank (it did in my case), and that’s not something you want to lose if you can avoid it.

The other tool I use, as I mentioned above, is Excel, where I have spreadsheets to track upcoming reviews, email addresses for PR people, and giveaways.

What are the challenges you have found with running a review blog?
I am an overly sensitive person, so I admit my feelings sometimes get a little hurt when I get rejection emails from companies that come right out and say that my blog isn’t important enough for them or when I work hard sending out lots of pitches and no one seems to be interested in working with me. Other than that, the biggest challenge is just getting everything done in a timely fashion!

What are the benefits to running one?
I get lots of fun things for myself and my family, and we don’t have to “pay” for them! That’s really great, especially in the current economy. We don’t have a lot of money for extras, so this is a nice way of getting some fun things for us. And keeping busy with blogging keeps me from shopping online, and that saves us money too Smile emoticon The other great thing is that I’ve been able to write a few posts for small start-up companies, ones that can’t afford much advertising and don’t have something to offer me for review, but that just need a little help and a little publicity. I love being able to help people pursue their dreams and it makes me so happy when I write up a website or an online store, and they write to me to let me know that people have visited them because of my post.

Are there any misconceptions you’ve found with review blogging (like, it’s about free stuff, etc)?
I haven’t run into too many of those, but I know that many people think that review bloggers are just greedy and are trying to get free products. While the “free” products are nice, I write the blog largely because it’s something concrete that I can do with my time. So much of what I do as a mom is endless and monotonous and gets undone within minutes of me completing it (laundry, cleaning the bathrooms, cooking, etc.). It makes me happy to open my review blog and see my posts- it’s something that’s more permanent and something that reflects me and my personality. I love that!

You’re home now, working and running a family. How do you manage your time between blogging and parenting?
I have a bit of a computer addiction and probably spend WAY more time online than I should. Generally I try to get through my emails and do small things in the morning while Ethan watches his hour of PBS. The reviews take a bit longer to write, so I usually do those during naptime (if it happens) or in the evening after my husband gets home and the kids have gone to bed.

What review blogs do you read?
There are so many- some of my absolute favorites are these linked below, but I have a lot more on the sidebar of my review blog. Go visit my blog to see them all!
StyleLush
Go Graham Go
Jolly Mom
The Mommy Files

Anything else that I’ve forgotten to mention?
Just have fun with your review blog! People want to hear your voice, so be yourself, be prepared to work hard, but it’s totally worth it!

Do you have a blog you’d like us to spotlight here? Leave a comment or send an email!