Blog
Many awesome individuals and companies use Baby Be Hip to recognize a huge milestone—a new baby—in their clients’ and colleagues’ life. We LOVE hearing about the excellent feedback they get and the great thank you notes they receive after sending a Baby Be Hip personalized baby gift. What’s most interesting is that we see more and more of our customers sending gifts on behalf of their firms, and then doing it again and again. In business terms, this shows compelling ROI…return on investment. Here are three ways giving thoughtful baby gifts to clients and colleagues can have a positive impact on corporate profitability. Client Loyalty. It’s always a challenge to distinguish yourself from the competition [...]
Over the years, I have wondered if I am spreading myself too thin both being a mom and running a business. I’m glad I have stayed with it. This is a letter that my daughter, Molly, who is ten, gave me at Christmas time. I shed a few tears of joy, for sure. It is now hanging on my vision board in my office. I know I am doing the right thing for me and my children are good with it. So, yes, I am a happy Mompreneur. I guess my daughter is really watching my every move, and I am so happy to see she is proud of me. That’s what we all want, right? [...]
One of my favorite Christmas gifts I received this year, and now one of my favorite gifts to give, came from my husband. At first I was quite unsure what this little, hollow, round Japanese figurine – called a Daruma doll – was all about. But I LOVE what it symbolizes and I am now a big fan. I love them so much that on New Year’s Eve my family had a Daruma doll painting party. After our two little ones went to bed, my husband Brad, daughter Molly (10), son Gavin (8) and I got around the kitchen table with our Sharpies and our goals. You see, the idea of these dolls (or at [...]
Dear Ellie, Happy 6th Birthday! Six years ago today, in a heartbeat, my life changed dramatically. The years since have been the hardest of my life, but I truly believe you have made me stronger and better. I have learned so many things from you. Here are just a few: You Get What You Get and You Don’t Get Upset. After your birth, when we were struggling with all of your issues and wondering what your future would be, I remember answering Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop when they asked if I was okay, “I’m fine. Like I tell the older kids, you get what you get and you don’t get upset.” Thank you for teaching [...]
Have your kids ever tried to make you feel like you’re the meanest mom out there? Mine have, and I am okay with that. I truly believe what I am doing is helping them, and I know as parents that’s what we all strive to do. Do I make mistakes? Lots! And are they always happy with me? Of course not! About a year ago my daughter Molly, who was nine at the time, and my son Gavin, who was seven, tried to convince me they were the only ones in their entire grade (not just class) who didn’t have iPod Touches. I knew that was a gross exaggeration, but they were trying to make [...]
I have four kids and have taken thousands of pictures over the years. Given my photography skills, though, not too many of them turn out print-worthy. Thank goodness for digital photography and the ability to delete the bad ones. Delete, delete, delete. Can you relate? On my quest to take better pictures and capture these little creatures of mine before they’re all grown up, I decided to seek advice from my friend Kara Raudenbush of Lens Friends Studios. Lens Friends is a DIY photo studio that lets us amateurs use the studio’s camera, lighting and props to pretend we are real photographers. Kara’s advice was so good I just had to share it with you all. Eight Tips [...]
I’ve been in the baby business for a decade now, including both having babies (my oldest is ten) and running a baby gift business (I started Baby Be Hip in 2002). It wasn’t until this year, though, that I discovered a great service for expecting moms. Earlier this year I met Shannon Choe of Premier Baby Concierge through the wonderful world of Twitter. Given the overlap in our businesses and other things we seemed to share, I set out to learn more about Shannon and her service. Shannon was an innovator in the baby concierge field. She started her business in 2007 after chatting with a neighbor about wedding planners and how there’s so much [...]
The decision to have a fourth child after our third was born with special needs, including a variety of medical conditions and severe developmental delays, was a difficult one, but in retrospect a great one. (Not the BEST decision, though, because calling it that would upset some others in the family.) Many people called me crazy, and sometimes I wondered if I indeed was crazy for thinking that I wanted another child. Ellie, who you’ll be learning all about, is my third child and has a rare chromosome abnormality. She demands a lot of my attention, but I knew in my heart that I wanted more children. I’ve always wanted a large family (I am one [...]
