Soon we are having our first ever Pop-Up Shop and we are excited to introduce you to Jenny from Taylor Joelle Designs. She is the founder and inspiration behind the Taylor Joelle clothing line. She started making and selling crib bedding on Ebay and now sells her designs online nationwide and has a loyal and thriving social media following (68k followers today). Jenny loves working with her family on their business involving the whole family in finding new trends and making adorable children's styles and accessories. We had the opportunity of asking her a few questions to get to know her and Taylor Joelle Designs a little better.
Why did you start your company?
I have a passion for baby fashion! Well, that and I really wanted to do something I could do from home. I use to teach and have my degree in secondary education. Teaching was amazing, but I am loving being on my own schedule and getting to stay home in my pjs.
Tell us about the journey of your company?
We started off with a 200 set of crib bedding that I designed. We didn't have an established website yet so we sold them on eBay. We then used the funds from the crib bedding to slowly expand to clothing and creating our own website.
What has been the most satisfying achievement so far?
The day my husband was able to quit his day job and stay home with me. It's been so amazing to work together and support our family through Taylor Joelle. It really is a family business. My mom helps create patterns, my daughter thinks collection names, my kids have all been models. Its super fun!
Meet Jenny and Jason from Taylor Joelle
What has been one of the most difficult parts of starting and growing your business?
Getting our name out there. We are in a pretty saturated marketing. There are TONS of kids clothing brands, and so it takes work to get noticed.
What advice would you give to other parents/moms trying to start their own companies from home?
Reach out and get to know people in the area. There's a pretty amazing community of instagram shops who really help and support each other. We are often going to each other for advice and collabs. Also, take advantage of the free advertising through social media and word of mouth. It pays off so much more than anything we have paid for.
What makes Taylor Joelle different?
Our quality and our fresh designs. I am constantly looking at the trends for the upcoming year so that Taylor Joelle can stay on trend. We also love to create collections that coordinate really well together, which are SUPER for family pictures.
What have you learned about parenting and family as you’ve started your company?
It's hard to do both. I am guilty of trying to constantly do both at the same time (parent and work) and I think neither both areas are not as effective this way. I try to get on my phone and answer emails at the same time as hanging out with the fam, and they all can tell I am just distracted. Something I am definitely trying to work on. When you work, work hard, and when you play (or play with your kids) play hard.
What are 3 things you wish you had known when you started that you have learned?
1. Plan your year out. Before we did things on kind of a whim, now we know what we are producing and doing in Spring 2016. having a schedule makes it easy to plan and market. 2. Start small. This way if you come out with a product that doesn't sell as well, you are not taking an huge loss, and you can try again with another product or design. 3. I wish I had taken some photo shop classes in college or high school. Such a useful skill and I still don't know how to do it. Good thing my husband does!
What is your favorite thing about owning your own business?
Its fun! I feel a huge sense of accomplishment as I watch it grow. And it's pretty awesome to be able to spot our designs out in the public. I love watching Taylor Joelle grow.