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 I didn’t plan to start a baby accessories business...really! After the birth of my first son, I knew I would not be returning to my high-tech corporate job. I had been in the software industry in Silicon Valley for nearly 10 years, and I knew that the busy life of a new mom would not be terribly compatible with that of a highly demanding, midlevel-management position in product marketing. Combine that with a less-than-family-friendly boss, and I knew I would not be returning to the company I was with. However, what was to be ahead of me was unknown. I had just figured I would take a few months off and then maybe consult.
Serendipity, however, intervened and created a new path for me. When my son, Zack, was several months old, I realized he didn’t have a security blanket. I received a number of blankets as baby gifts, but all were full sized, and I had visions of Zack looking like Linus from the Peanuts® comic strip dragging around a big blanket. I wanted something small enough to keep in the crib as well as fit in the car seat and stroller. So I dusted off my long-forgotten sewing machine and made him a little blanket with terry cloth on one side, printed flannel on the other and trimmed in printed satin ribbon (with a Hey Diddle Diddle nursery rhyme theme) and satin blanket binding.
The following week, I brought Zack, clutching the first Cuddle Bug Security Blanket®, to the infant/mommy group we attended at our local hospital. The nurse practitioner who runs the group took one look at the blanket and began a session on the importance of a “lovey.” She had me show the blanket to everyone and explained that most babies take to a certain blanket or stuffed animal and that they are important developmentally for helping babies transition to sleep. These become treasured items that will be well worn with cuddling and washings. Losing a lovey is nothing short of disaster (she recommended having two of the item just in case!).
The nurse partitioner was so taken with Zack’s blanket, she quipped, “you should go into business selling these!” I just laughed, and when the moms sitting on either side of me asked me to make them blankets, I still didn’t think too much of it. The following week, when eight more moms put in their orders, I realized that I had created something special.
Soon thereafter I wrote a business plan, launched Cuddle Bug Baby Products, and have been selling Cuddle Bug Blankets ever since. I market them directly to customers via my web site as well as wholesale them to a number of select baby-specialty stores, gift shops, gift basket companies, and on-line retailers across the country. I manage all aspects of the business myself, including marketing, sales and web site design – heck, even the accounting! In January, 2000 I was pleased to introduce a new product line to compliment the Cuddle Bug Security Blankets: Cuddle Bug Burpies™ (attractive and absorbent burp cloths for babies). Subsequently, we followed up the success of these products with the introduction of other new product lines, the Cuddle Bug Cloverleaf Blanket™ (a wonderfully designed swaddling blanket for infants), the Cuddle Bug Bib™ (a washable bib that matches the Cuddle Bug line) and our newest product, the Cuddle Bug Quillow (a large fleece blanket with a pocket for folding the blanket into a pillow). We have further expanded with our Cuddle Bug Muffin and Jester Hats, Cuddle Bug Diaper Cakes, etc.
Probably the biggest joy I have with running this business is when a customer takes the time to write or e-mail saying how much they or -- even better -- how much their babies like my products! Fortunately I get quite a few of these notes, and I treasure each one.
My business philosophies are simple:
• create products that thoroughly delight both baby and parent;
• offer high quality products that are crafted in the USA and made of domestic components whenever possible;
• respect and value my customers by offering superior service and personal attention and never disclosing their personal information.
Starting Cuddle Bug Baby Products may have been an unplanned accident, but it is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I learn something new each day, and enjoy every challenge the business brings. It's the next best thing to chasing around the-cutest-kids-in-the-entire-world and being married to the-greatest-guy-in-the-world!
Cherie Hammer
Owner, Cuddle Bug Baby Products
Bio:
Cherie Hammer is a San Francisco Bay Area native and resident. After nearly a 15-year career on Wall Street and working as a senior product manager and producer with several high tech consumer software companies, she left the corporate world completely after the birth of her first son. A few months later she launched her first entrepreneurial venture, Cuddle Bug Baby Products, which produces unique, handcrafted accessories for babies and toddlers. She has an M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. She is married to a wonderfully understanding and supportive man who is an executive at a Silicon Valley software startup company. They have one son and one daughter.
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