1. Tell us about your business:

   Project Night Night (PNN) is an award-winning nonprofit organization that equips children across the country living in homeless or low income situations with the basic nighttime essentials they need to feel safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued. While meeting the immediate needs of disadvantaged children, PNN also sets a foundation for lasting change by providing meaningful, hands-on volunteer opportunities to thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations each year.

   Families living in poverty are often stretching their budget just to pay for rent, utilities, and groceries; in these situations, buying items to reduce fear and anxiety in their children is simply not an option. Children in these families face a constellation of problems related to poverty and often lack healthy interaction and stimulation as well as a safe environment in which to learn and grow. These problems are exacerbated by a lack of the nighttime essential items that their wealthier peers take for granted. We help children in need: children who don’t have a book to read, or a security blanket to stop them from shaking with fear, a stuffed friend to whom to talk, or a tote to take their books to and from school. When young children don’t get access to these basics, they have difficulty learning. They have a hard time feeling loved, protected, and valued.

2. Why did you start this business?

   Before I founded Project Night Night in 2005, I was a corporate attorney. I had created many nonprofits for others, but had never seriously considered starting one myself until a confluence of events made it impossible for me to prolong what was very clearly becoming my destiny. My husband elected to get his M.B.A. a little later in life. We were both in our 30’s when he was accepted into the M.B.A. program at the University of Michigan. Unfortunately, we lived with our young son, in San Francisco at the time, and I was not licensed to practice law in Michigan. But we did move to Ann Arbor, and I found myself unemployed and home with my 18th month old in the middle of a Michigan winter. My husband was off drinking beer and “networking.” I was lost. I found respite in those few hours after my son went to bed but before I did. Getting Cole to sleep became a crucial part of my evening. I relied on a consistent routine that included a network of comfort items. Cole loved his blanket, his books, and his stuffed animal. With those items in his crib, with a familiar book read to him at night, he would fall asleep peacefully and easily. And I would exhale and regroup.

   One evening, I began to think about the victims of domestic violence. These are women who are often forced to flee in the middle of the night – lucky to escape with their child let alone their child’s favorite stuffed toy. When they arrive at the shelter, the shelter is at best noisy and unfamiliar, and at worst frightening and dark. The child has no blanket to which to cling, no stuffed animal to squeeze, and no books to pull at their imagination. Everything is amplified. Everything is worse.

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1. Tell us about your business:

   Kidzola is an online marketplace where people can buy and sell everything for kids. People can buy and sell new, handmade and resale children’s items. We have everything from clothing to toys, video games, furniture, books and just about everything else parents need for their kids.

2. Why did you start this business?

   My partner, Lisa, and I decided to start Kidzola because we just weren’t happy with any of the other kids resale options. We wanted to create a site just for kids’ things that was simple to use and let parents buy and sell locally or nationally.

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Today we’re talking to Karen Gallagher, who started a Children’s Book of the Month Club with a sweet twist as a business out of her home. She has a lot of insightful information about starting a home-based business. Enjoy our interview!

Tell us about your business: The Lollipop Book Club delivers books to children in a fun manner that gets them really excited about reading. A bright package arrives in the child’s name (kids love mail!) with a book, a whimsical lollipop, and a gift note. The gift note is printed on a sticker for inside the book, so the child always remembers who shared the gift of reading. A variety of packages are available, ranging from a single book to a year-long subscription. You can pick your group of books based on a theme (i.e. Just for Girls/Boys, Caldecott Medal Winners, Holidays) or build a package by selecting from all of the books on the website. The Lollipop Book Club is a popular gift for relatives who want to connect with a child. It is also especially good for birthday party gifts, or even moms & dads who want to inspire their own children to love books.

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This week we’re talking to Stacee Gillelen, who started a Cottage Industry called Dragonfly Designs: Jewelry with a Conscience. If you are interested in her jewelry or jewelry-making classes you can visit her website at www.jewelrybydfly.com.

1. Tell us about your business: We are a socially conscious jewelry company that offers jewelry making classes for adults and children, Jewelry making parities for adults and children, handmade jewelry, jewelry making supplies, custom design, date nights & Jewelry making year round camps (winter, spring, summer & day camps for children ages 5 and up).

2. Why did you start this business? Because I fell in love with the art of making jewelry and wanted to share my passion with others. This business allows me to combine all of my passions into one career (jewelry making, teaching, children, and giving back to society) while making a commitment to outreach programs that promote equality, the environment and support women & children.

3. What is your background? I am a mother of 4 young children and when my second was born I left a 17 year long career at Bank of America (the last 5 years as a VP/Bank Manager). I returned to school to work towards a career as a social worker for children when I discovered my love of jewelry making. I completed certificate in early childhood education, and subsequently started my own business.

4. What skills did you need to acquire for your new endeavor? I had to learn about a business that I knew nothing about. I had to learn how to create, manufacture, price, market & sell my product, including where to sell it (trade shows & how that process worked). I had to meet with business lawyers to set up my corporate structure, human resources to set up an employee handbook, pay structure, hiring documents. I had to learn an accounting system, and how to set up a website, create a logo etc..the list of responsibilities is endless when you own your own business.

5. Biggest challenges? My biggest challenge remains to this day to be cash flow.

6. What have you learned and advice to others? I love what I do and can’t imagine doing anything else but when you work for yourself the work never ends, never! I’d advise others to do their homework and get a realistic picture of what it takes to start a business. However much capital you calculate that you need to start a business, triple that number. Decide if you want to dedicate all of your time to your work. I’ve heard it said that it takes 7-10 years to become an “overnight success”. I equate owning a business to having a child, you can do the research and talk to friends all you want but until you’ve actually done it you have no idea what you’ve gotten into; it’s something that you have to experience to fully understand. My advice is love what you do and don’t take the step of starting your own business lightly.

Take a look at her website. She has some gorgeous pieces. We wish her good luck with her Cottage Industry!

Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim
Founders, Rubbingnickels.com

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This week we’re talking with Alicia Sable-Hunt, RN, MBA, who is the Founder and President of Sable’s Foods (www.SablesFoods.com). She has created a unique niche business within the Nutritional Bars and Supplements space. Here’s her story:

1. Tell us about your business:

   Sable’s Foods is a line of Nutritional Empowerment Bars® designed for the cancer community by the cancer community.

   Developed with the input of nutritionists, cancer specialists, and most importantly, with patients themselves, I have created a line of bars that are baked like a brownie, bursting with flavor and offer a nutritional value enjoyed by the cancer community, athletes and everyone else in search of Nutritional Empowerment!

2. Why did you start this business?

   Sable’s Foods Nutritional Empowerment Bars were born from firsthand knowledge developed over many years caring for cancer patients. As a long-serving oncology nurse, I understood the immense struggle of those fighting cancer and what I term cancer’s “nutritional challenge”—the crucial need for proper nutrition during treatment coupled with the loss of appetite and digestive issues that often prevent patients from receiving the nourishment they need. Discontent with patients’ lack of flavorful yet nutritionally balanced options, I felt compelled to direct my experience and empathy toward a solution. I knew that cancer patients needed foods that would meet their specific nutritional requirements while offering flavors and textures that would taste great and be easy to eat. I also wanted to offer them something portable, as I strongly believe that patients should be able to thrive while continuing with their daily lives during treatment and recovery. Championing this cause, in 2006, I stepped into my kitchen and began baking up a solution.

3. What is your background?

   I am a Registered Nurse with a master’s degree in business administration. My commitment to the cancer community stems from over 15 years working as a bedside oncology nurse, clinical research nurse, manager of a leading orphan-cancer consortium, and consultant to disease-specific non-profit organizations.

4. What skills did you need to acquire for your new endeavor?

   My expertise lies with the cancer population not in food production. The first thing I needed to do, was to identify my strengths and weaknesses then hire consultants to fill the voids. That level of self-reflection is paramount. The second skill set necessary for success is the ability to identify, engage and manage vendors. Due to the nature of my target market, it was necessary to engage experts in the field of food products, nutrition, nutritional supplements, etc. It is time consuming yet critical to set forth clear deliverables, create budgets and manage every step of your vendor relationships. Without this level of oversight, you are at risk of spending too much money and not obtaining the results you need.

5. Biggest challenges?

   I think the biggest challenge I face as a start-up company is building brand awareness. The sheer amount of money and time required to build a brand in the food product industry is enormous. Especially, in my case as my product is designed for the cancer community. While my market is expanding to include athletes, busy moms and dads, teenagers and other medical conditions, my brand activities center around the cancer community.

   Due to the nature of cancer, we all know someone that has been touched by the disease. Therefore, everyone should know that my product exists; however, my consumer is a sub-sector of “everyone”. Building brand recognition within the food product industry and the cancer community has been a challenge as it is for any start-up company.

6. What have you learned and advice to others:

   I knew that starting my own company would difficult. I even knew it would be very difficult. I didn’t know it would be so lonely. I am a one woman show responsible for every aspect of the business even in my outsourced model. The all consuming responsibility of the day to day activities of the business as well as managing the expectations of customers, investors, vendors, and my own expectations is very difficult. Burnout is a very real part of an entrepreneur’s pathway. Simply finding time for you and allowing yourself to the take the time, is critical to remain motivated, creative and effective.

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This Cottage Industries article features a company called “Mama’s Goodies, ”which produces Iranian-inspired artisan nut butter brittles in unique flavors including sesame, which is traditional in Iran, and almond, another Iranian flavor. They also produce the brittles in cashew, pecan and macadamia – coconut flavors. Their story is a good one to share around the holidays because they are Iranian immigrants who are living the American dream as entrepreneurs by starting their own family business.

Here is their story:

In 1979, Rohy Khorshidian, her husband and their four young daughters fled Iran for a better life in the United States. They left behind all of their personal belongings but retained the things deeply rooted in their heritage. One of those things was Rohy’s old-world family recipe for nut butter brittles.

In the early years as new immigrants, Rohy strived to help her family adjust to their new life. One thing she did to “make her feel at home” was to work in the kitchen making her nut brittles that she had become known for in Iran. She began with the traditional flavors of sesame and almond. Before long, Rohy was recognized throughout the community for her nut brittles, often taking them to family gatherings and giving them to neighbors as gifts. When she was invited to an event, the host would often call and say, “Don’t bring anything except your nut brittle”.

Her daughter Kathy saw her mother’s gift as an opportunity. As a former businesswoman turned stay-home-mom, Kathy decided to market her mother’s brittles, but also to teach her young children the importance of following their dreams. Kathy lost her husband to a sudden illness when her children were only 9 and 5 years old. Today, her son, Ryan, is 14 and her daughter Dana is 10 years old. She wanted to show her own children the importance of pursuing your passion, moving forward and feeding the entrepreneurial spirit. And thus, in 2008, Mama’s Goodies was born.

Today, Mama’s Goodies produces five unique flavors of nut butter brittles –and Rohy and Kathy are always there to taste and approve each batch to insure they have that old-world, homemade quality. Rohy still makes her own batches every week, which she continues to share with friends and family.

The skills that she needed to acquire to start the business were to learn the ins and outs of the food industry, learn how to market a food item, but most importantly, learn how to deal with many walks of people.

Their biggest challenge has been to Brand the company name in this economy when many retailers are not adding on new vendors AND downsizing their current inventory.

Kathy has learned that there is nothing that is easy in life, but if you love what you do and have a true passion for it you will succeed no matter what the economy is doing or the odds whether the odds are stacked against you in a food industry. She says that she loves to cite Confucius’ phrase “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”. She is living proof of that phrase!

To order from Kathy and Rohy, visit www.mamasgoodies.com.

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