Hello StartupNation!
My name is Heather Nolte, and I have enjoyed being a small business owner for the past four years. My company, Glamajama.com , is a lifestyle clothing company that creates glam-studded clothes for women, toddlers, and babies. Glamajama has been featured on The Today Show, The Early Show, Oprah, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, E! Daily 10, USA Today,Star Magazine, Parents, ePregnancy, and Working Mother to name a few. Celebrities who have received clothes include Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry (note from Halle) , Jennifer Lopez, Angela Bassett, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Lisa Rinna, and Jessica Alba. The line is currently available in hundreds of boutiques throughout the states and overseas including Nordstrom’s and Barney’s New York.
(Watch me on CBS News)
I founded the company in 2003 as a 25 year old first-time mom. I had always wanted to be a stay-at-home Mom, but deep down I couldn’t let go of the passion I had for business. Launching Glamajama was an attempt to satisfy both my personal and professional goals and it has led me on a wonderfully fulfilling journey. Along that journey, I have been blessed with three children that continue to inspire me each and every day. As a full-time Mom and full-time business owner, I can relate to the work/life struggles Moms face as they seek financial success outside of the home.
I am very excited about writing for StartupNation and looking forward to meeting my fellow Moms in Business. Nearly 10.4 million businesses in the United States are women-owned. Of those 10.4 million women, many of them are juggling the demands of motherhood and striving to achieve that elusive work/life balance. With 41% of the businesses out there today being women-owned, the world of business is learning to embrace the diversity and innovation that women can bring to the table. As the numbers of women entrepreneurs rise, business will continue to become increasingly mom-friendly. Gone are the days of naysayer’s telling women it’s crazy to think you can “have your cake and eat it to.” I have benefited from these trends and I am thankful for the women before me that have helped pave the way. Five years since launching, my company is stronger than ever and I have never missed a single moment with my children. It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.
My goal for this blog is to share tips and advice for starting and growing your business, pass along tales of successful Moms in Business, and to report on technology and innovations that can help you find your work/life balance a little easier. And finally, I hope to inspire you to live your dream of “having your cake and eating it too”!
Is there something you like to hear more about? Story to share? Please leave a comment!
Heather Nolte is the founder and CEO of www.Glamajama.com. Glamajama creates glam-studded clothing for children- clothing they can wear “from the crib to the catwalk”. The company has been featured on The Today Show, The Early Show, Oprah, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, USA Today, Star Magazine, Parents, and Working Mother with celebrity clients including Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Angela Bassett, Christina Aguilera, Gwen Stefani, Lisa Rinna, and Jessica Alba. Contact her at heather@glamajama.com.
June 18th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Hi Heather,
What a cool story you have!!!
I’d love to interview you on one of my tele-classes - I know my international women entrepreneur data-base would love to hear your story.
Please check out my website at http://www.salesdivas.com and if you’re interested - send me a note.
Warm Diva Regards,
Kim Duke
http://www.salesdivas.com
June 19th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Hi Heather
Can you tell me how you were able to get your product featured on The Today Show, The Early Show, Oprah, Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, USA Today, Star Magazine, Parents, and Working Mother?
Thanks so much!
Anne
June 19th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Heather…what an awesome story! Sounds so much like my own!!!
I have had my online business since 2006 and although it is growing steadily, I would love to make it chug along quicker!
I would love to know your PR secrets if you are willing to share? I have read everything I can get my hands on but do not feel I can get the PR I so desperately need! Did you hire someone or do it on your own?
Any suggestions to other small business owners, you have had so much PR success, it would be great to hear a little more about how you did it!
Jill Caren
http://www.ilovephotogifts.com
June 19th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Hi Heather,
What an inspiring story you have, and a great source for all entrepreneurs.
My question is will you be discussing how to contact celebrities, and share your products with them?
My company designs stylish diabetes accessories and there are many people in the spotlight I would like to collaborate with but have trouble ‘reaching’ them.
Also just wanting tips on getting the press to take note.
Looking forward to reading your blog.
Sweet Regards,
Rickina Velte
June 19th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Hi Heather:
Your story really brought lots of inspiration and motivation to go forward. I am a web designer and a mom of two. I started KBizz last year and am growing steadily. You are correct it sure is both rewarding and wonderful. I am putting my hard earned degree to work without sacrificing the world of motherhood.
I would love to get to know you and see if I can get some opportunity to grow forward.
Will keep following up on your blog.
Zahra
KBizz Solutions
June 19th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Hi Heather:
What vision! Congratulations on launching this blog and your success. It certainly is inspiring to see other Moms making it.
I’m interested in where you found your stats about how many Moms are in business (so I can read more about it!).
Cute clothes, too, BTW. I love those little ruffled onesies!!
Warmly,
Felicia
June 19th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Congratulations! What an amazing story. Thanks for sharing - you’ve made it possible to encourage others. I wish you even greater success for you and your family to enjoy!
June 19th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
Hello Heather,
Your story resonated with me. I’m a full-time executive assistant and I’m expecting a second child in August - I’ve sort of given up on work/life balance until then
Like you, I’ve always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, yet I enjoy my work very much. With that in mind, I’m preparing to take my skills virtual in early 2009 with the launch of my virtual assistant business. I’ve seen many Mom-preneurs initially thrilled as their businesses begin to grow and prosper, only to become disheartened as the work/life scales tip in favor of work. I want to help these Moms reclaim the time to enjoy their families and the breathing room to find renewed passion for their careers.
Thank you for starting your blog. The wild success of your business is truly inspiring and I look forward to reading more tips and insights for Moms in Business.
Sincerely,
Julia Weston
June 19th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Hi Heather,
I look forward to reading your blog posts. There are so many of us Moms in business out here that it’s great to find forums where we can share ideas and best practices - especially as we are all time crunched, in business and at home.
It’s very motivational to know that hard work and passion does pay off.
June 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Hi Heather,
Great story and CONGRATULATIONS for the feature on multiple media channels and venues — congratulations on breaking through!!!
My wife and I started a personal and corporate concierge service in the Charlotte area over a year ago. But since starting, my wife has taken hold of the concept and ran with it. At this time, she does it all — in terms of client management — and I’m behind the scenes doing the finance and other administrative tasks.
My wife is planning a “healthy living” event for a client that will feature Richard Simmons as the keynote speaker. However, as everyone else has mentioned, we would like to ramp up our exposure with high profile individuals and organizations.
What is the secret? Did you actively pursue this avenue? Or has your product simply spoken for itself and the calls came rolling in to you? What do you think is the one thing that you believe helped bring you this exposure?
And I’ll have to check out your website and purchase a little something for my 1 year old niece (”Rock Star” — very funny).
Many thanks,
Jim Newman
Co-Founder, Concierge
Concierge of Charlotte, LLC
http://www.ConciergeofCharlotte.com
June 19th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Heather,
Congratulations! Your story is incredible! I`m a mother of 2 boys, and a graphic designer who`s decided to do something different. I`ve started my business making “personal accents to inspire kids“ http://www.abzforme.com
I`d love to find out more about how you brought your business to the next level!
Tammy Levitt
Owner, Designer, Artist
http://www.abzforme.com
June 19th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
Greetings!
I too am a work at home mom! My biggest fear is marketing my graphic design business. On one end it’s a confidence issue, on the other it’s a fear of being too successful that it will take time from my family. Talk about negative thinking!
My current goal is to get past my fears. Any ideas on marketing/pr techniques?
June 19th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Hello everyone and thanks so much for the warm welcome!!!
I really appreciate the kind words and great comments!
I would be more than happy to share some of my tips and strategies for generating PR…be on the lookout for a DIY PR series that I will start next week!
Sign up for my blog feed here:
http://www.startupnation.com/blogs/index.php/author/hnolte/feed/
You’ll be the first to receive new posts!
All the Best,
Heather
June 19th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Congrats on your business. It’s simply amazing to see the milestones you’ve covered and achieved in your business. Although I’m not a stay at mom, i’d still like to learn from you so i can take my business to the next level. I’m in the process of launching my business - we offer families and friends an online memorial web portal where they keep the memories of departed loved ones alive. I’d like to ask how you were able to get celebrity endorsements and also ask on how you were able to get the word out about your business? Did you employ grassroot marketing or you hired a professional to do it for you?
June 19th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Hi there!
The “Today Show” feature and mention in “Working Mother” were secured through a Publicist…all the rest of the PR hits mentoned were secured by ME…I am a firm beleiver in guerilla marketing and I have never depended on a large PR budget!
All the Best,
Heather
June 19th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Hello Heather,
Your story is very inspiring. My partners and I started our process to start a business about a year ago. We launched our website on the 19th of June. When the 3 of us found ourselves unemployed and underemployed we went looking for jewelry to remind us to be find the things in our lives to be grateful for. The journey to create gratitude jewelry began. We found a designer Jessica Fields, we found a web developer and here we are. Now my question, how do we let the public know we exist? How do we spread the word? We are on a bootstrap budget and have used our savings and credit to get us to this point any advise our input is very welcome. It is women like yourself that inspire people like us to believe we can do this.
Thank you for your tiime.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Hi Heather,
I look forward to reading your blog. As a stay-at-home mom myself, I’d love to hear the REAL stories. The days when you lock yourself in the laundry room so you can talk on the phone without being interrupted, the moments when you wonder if the example you’re setting for the kids will be something they applaud or seek therapy for when they get older, and the times when you stay up late to finish something knowing you’ll be “tired by accomplished” in the morning when the kids are underfoot.
If you’ve experienced those moments, then I’ll know you’re truly juggling both worlds. I love the life I’ve created as a stay-at-home freelance mom–but it comes with it’s own set of challenges. I’d love to hear how others adapt.
Congrats!
June 19th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’m excited to review your blog! I subscribed to the feed.
I have two kids under 3 and two children’s boutiques! http://www.theoutfitkids.blogspot.com
Congratulations on your success!
Angie
June 20th, 2008 at 2:42 am
Wow! Congratulations Heather on all your milestones. May you reach many more, same goes for all the women here. I still work full-time but I am expecting my second baby and are now seriously considering the option of running a business from home. I am based in South Africa and although the economic conditions here are not the same as the US, we have a growing and very promising economy and we are well positioned in terms of access to the rest of Africa. I want to take full advantage of that and am looking forward to learning a lot from you and other success stories. Well done!
June 20th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Hi Heather,
I just launched http://www.thebridesmaidparty.com and I am interested in who did your website and what shopping cart you used. I am looking to upgrade my cart and would be interested in that information. Cute products. Do you do all the designing yourself? How about making a bridal tee just for us??? Flower girls too….I will look forward to reading your blog.
June 20th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
How did you start? What capital did you use? Did you have a savings? Was your hubby the only income? How did you do it?
July 17th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I’m overwhelmed. There is so much to know. I have ruined credit, a limited budget, & a great idea. I don’t where to start. My biggest concern is wasting money or someone ripping off my idea. I admire that you had the all the business knowledge you needed. I typically find that people leave out the real important facts of their story: like their husband/father/family money allowed them to take financial risks, or that they had tons of business help, or a mentor who navigated them past pitfalls. I have none of these. If you really did it all yourself from scratch, pls provide a checklist. Where to spend money (PR,Webpage, Legal, CPA) vs what to do yourself is a real issue on a limited budget.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Carla,
I feel your pain-trust me!!! I can assure you that I do not have a “Rich Uncle” by any means. In fact, my sister and I are the first women in my family to have held a job. We’re also the first to have gone to school and the highest degree earned in my family was a BA by my Dad. My husband isn’t wealthy either, he was the first person in his entire family to have gone to college (few have graduated HS). My degree was in Psychology and I never took a business class- or even a math class for that matter. (I opted for a philosophy class called “Math Spirit & Use”) I started the company incredibly naive and I made lots of costly mistakes. I’ve had plenty of moments when I thought, “what in world am I doing? I don’t even know what I don’t know!”. But, here I am- 5 years later and stronger every day. You are already way ahead of me when I started. I never reached out to a community like Startup Nation and I regret it terribly. That’s my main motivation for writing this blog. If I can prevent anyone from making half the mistakes I did, it’s worth it! Don’t stop here though, I highly recommend you meet with your local SBA office, contact a SCORE counselor, and find a mentor that can meet you for coffee to talk shop. You can tell the counselors your story, financial situation, and goals for the business and they will help you get there(for free). Every business and situation is different and I can’t really give you a checklist. I do, however, try to give pointers on how to do some of these tasks yourself. (Read my DIY PR Tips Post). Starting and running a business certainly isn’t easy and I understand your frustration. We’ve all been there. Just try to keep your head up and keep searching for those answers- you will find them!