Greetings from the Owner of Storks & Berries!

Hi,

Welcome to my first blog ... ever!  I am excited to be joining the world of blogging ... and, to be honest, a little nervous as is to be expected when you do anything new.

I will start by telling you a little about myself.  My name is Dawn and I am the proud mommy of a wonderful 10-month old little boy, Griffin.  I am still amazed he is already 10-months old and by the time I grasp this concept he will be a year and my maternity leave will be over!  Time just flies so quickly these days.

I am also lucky enough to be the wife of a wonderful guy who I fell in love with and was smart enough to marry!

I love spending time with my son (mommyhood is like being handed a return ticket to your own childhood as you get to play all the games you haven't played in 30 years!), and of course my husband.  Outside is where I prefer to spend my spare time ... walking, skiing, playing, anything that gets me out into the fresh air!

In addition to all of this, I am also the owner of a great little online store called Storks & Berries (no biases here :), which is based out of Okotoks, Alberta.  Through Storks & Berries, I sell a variety of high quality and affordable baby products, including cloth diapers (which I am a huge fan of!), baby carriers, nursing pillows, skin care products designed specifically for babies sensitive skin, and a number of other really great products!  I opened up Storks & Berries (www.storksandberries.ca) at the end of December and have been working very hard since then to build my business.  So far, things are going well!

The idea for Storks & Berries was planted in my head when I was pregnant with my son.  I knew I wanted to use cloth diapers, but had a really hard time finding them locally, and an even harder time finding useful information on them online.  My initial goal was to fill this gap so that cloth diapering was more accessible for parents.  My product line has grown ... and continues to grow with some great new products on the way ... and I continue to work on the information part of my website.

I am proud of the products I sell.  I have a spent a great deal of time researching them, and have tested most of my products (and all of my cloth diapers!) out on my son.  I have chosen to offer only those products which have been able to meet my high standards.  I strive to maintain a focus on Canadian-made products whenever possible.

I hope you will read my future blogs to see how my business (and my life) is progressing.  Lots of exciting things have been happening and more are in the works.  Also, please visit my Storks & Berries at www.storksandberries.ca.  Your comments, feedback, and suggestions are always welcome and appreciated.  I am happy to answer any questions you might have.

Thanks for reading!

Dawn

Owner

Storks & Berries

www.storksandberries.ca

The Dreaded Business Plan

Do you have one? After 5 years in business and knowing that they are the single most important thing you can do for your business I hang my head as I answer no, I do not have one. I've always had the intentions but you know how it goes; excitement at starting a business, getting it going, filling orders, having babies, filling orders, taking care of babies, filling orders......Ok, really it just sucks to write a business plan. It really, really sucks!

I'm a creative person! I love to create, dream, market, network. I don't want to talk financials! I don't want to talk about statistics and market shares. I don't want to talk lawyers and accountants! So, here I sit. Five years in and major growth happening. I've hit that point where I'm making more money, but I need more money to grow. What to do? Up until this point I've always followed the law of bootstrapping. Growing out of my profits. But that only takes you so far when you want to grow faster!

One thing venture capitalists and bank loan officers have in common is the question "Do you have a Business Plan?"
Your business plan is your company's calling card. It allows you to see your business through your investor's eyes. As the name suggests it is a plan of your business; your communication tool; selling your marketing, sales and operations. Every time you have a meeting with a potential lender/investor it is your business plan that will do most of the talking.
A business plan is the key to long term success for new and old businesses. Your business must have a foundation to start from and you have to give your business time as success will take longer then merely weeks.

Your reason forwriting a plan will be different for each situation:

• If you are starting a new business you will require a plan to clearly assess every aspect of the business and show how it will succeed.
• If you are buying an already established business you will need to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the business to decide if you will be able to make it a success.
• If you are already up and running and in need of extra finance you will need a plan to convince those putting capital into your business that you can and will succeed.
• If you are applying for one of the many grants available.
• (In my case) If you need to sit back and reasses your business and figure out just where it is you want to go and what you need to do to get there.

I am currently "trying" to work on my plan. It's not fun, but it is necessary so I am making myself do as much as I can on my own then I am getting help with the areas that I'm weak in. There are a lot of resources out there for free where you can go for help with your business plan. There are even good templates you can find online that you can print off to help you on your way. I recommend checking them out and I definitely recommend getting help with your plan if you can. But most of all I recommend writing one in the first place. Those with an clear end goal are more likely to succeed then those who aren't sure where they are going.

Here are some great places you can go for help with your plan:

Business Development Bank Of Canada
Canada Business
Small Business Finance Centre
The Business Link
Alberta Women Entrepreneurs

Bottom line if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. This old saying has great merit and I encourage all business owners to write a business plan. It is an invaluable tool and usually directly relates to the success of your business.

If you don't hear from me for awhile...that's what I'll be doing!

Kristina
Bouncing Off The Walls

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to take a minute and say hello to everyone! I am have recently opened an online store for babies and kids Small Steps Eco Store, featuring Organic, Natural and Handmade Items with a focus on items made in Canada and also made by my fellow WAHMs! I am based in Saskatoon, SK and work mostly out of my house although I do help out at my Son's dayhome two days a week. I love being able to be at home with him and watch him grow up, he will turn three next weekend (OMG)! Along with running the site I also create some of my products and work in collaboration with Anna from Immogens Garden (on Etsy). I am so thankful to work with Anna she is an amazing Artisan and I am very privileged to work with her and carry her products on my site. As well I carry the Bare Organics bodycare line which are truly amazing products for your children especially those with any skin troubles. Another great line that I carry is the Bambu line of Organic bamboo bowls and utensils for your little ones a great alternative to plastic! I am very passionate about researching for the latest, safest and modern products for your children and I spend a great deal of time doing that in the hopes to provide you with products that are unique and of an exceptional quality. I have some new exciting things coming up in the next few months and can't wait to share them with you! I am also in the process of moving my store out of my bedroom and into the office we have just finished renovating for my store. So on that note I must get back to work have a great day!