Spotlight on Mom -- Naomi Catalina of Wordsation -- Offering Designer Baby Apparel

                                                                    

                                                                    

                                                                     

I am excited to share this week's second Spotlight Mom with you, as I am loving her unique and fun clothing line for babies and toddlers.  Recently, I stumbled across Wordsation, owned by Naomi Catalina and fell in love with her designer baby apparel. Wordsation offers baby fashion in a unique way. Naomi finds artists from around the world to create original artwork for her decorated onesies. In addition, she feature new onesie designs every month, available individually or as a year long subscription as baby grows. And, as you can see from the photo below, Arabella is loving her new onesie that Naomi kindly sent for review.  I will definitely be bookmarking Naomi's site to check in each month and see the new designs.  I can't wait to pick up matching onesies for Savannah and Arabella.  They are so soft and look comfortable.  I even had a hard time getting Arabella to take it off, as she liked how it felt and was breathable, in turn, keeping her cool the other day when we had a mini heat wave (80 degrees) in New England.

 

Head back here on Friday, when I will review this onesie and share more information about Wordsation, as well as offer a coupon code and give a reader a chance to win one of Naomi's cute onesies for your little one.  But, in the meantime, please enjoy my interview with Naomi of Wordsation.

Name: Naomi Catalina

Company Name/Product/Service: Wordsation, Designer Baby Apparel

Company Location: California

Company Website:  www.wordsation.com

Facebook URL: http://www.facebook.com/Wordsation

Twitter Handle: @wordsation

Age of Company: Launched website in March 2012

Favorite Inspirational Quotes: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

Favorite Book: There isn't one book I would claim as a favorite. I enjoy most of the books I read! A few that have stood out over the years:

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, Replay by Ken Grimwood, Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates by Tom Robbins

  

Tell us a little bit about yourself.  How many children do you have?  What are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.

I am a new mom, my daughter is 6 months old already! She has brought a lot of joy to our lives. We love to cook, garden, take long walks in cities and in nature. Aria hasn't hindered any of that, we take her right along! I am also interested in all kinds of arts & crafts and diy projects. Before I got pregnant last year I refinished a dresser I've had since I was a baby. These days my projects are tougher to get to.

Briefly explain your business.  How did it come about?

We work with illustrators and designers to create customized artwork for our products. When I was pregnant I received two of the same outfit (in different sizes). Even though I really love the outfit, it made me think about how cool it would be to give a mom something that was a bit more unique with a story behind its design. By offering designs from accomplished artists, there is another layer to the product. I think the artistic mom especially will appreciate the concept.

Each month, on our website, we feature new designs from a different designer, and there is a section dedicated to learn more about them. We offer our products for purchase individually as well as in a subscription so that mom & baby receive new clothes in the mail as baby grows.

What is a typical work day like?

Day-to-day work consists of social media outreach, working on media placements and updating our website accordingly, working with designers, and retail efforts. And loads of emails!

What has been a struggle while starting up your company? 

Initially just getting our name out there. We've been putting a lot of effort into that and gotten a pretty good response. We were recently included in a People Magazine Moms & Babies giveaway, which is great exposure for us.

What did you do in your past work life?

I am a graphic designer for web and print. It has carried over to Wordsation as I created and maintain our website, create our marketing materials and anything else needed in that area.

What have been some of your major successes?

I consider waking up every day loving what I do as a major success. I know a lot of people are not happy in their jobs or careers and I feel completely blessed that I've been able to earn a living doing what I love.

What have been some of your major challenges?

I am constantly thinking of new ideas for businesses. A few I've pursued have not gone anywhere. Pursuing a new business is a major challenge in itself, and learning not to follow every little idea I have has been a great learning experience!

On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?

I tell myself that I am only having one bad hour, or one bad day and that it will pass. Every challenge is a chance to learn something new, about myself, about the nuance of whatever challenge is being presented. I know I'll come out on the other side of it with more experience. Sometimes right in the middle of something impossible I'll laugh and say "ok, I get it, things can't always be perfect!"

What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?

Setting my priorities every day. Some days are more focused on work and some are more focused on family. Being flexible to changes in my priorities for the day is important. 

What is next for your business?

We will be expanding our product line and hopefully you will find us in some retail locations soon.

Do you have any advice for other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out and struggling, or are on the fence about starting a business? 

If you want to start a business do it, you only live once! It's an amazing learning experience. But having a great product is only the beginning. Make sure to educate yourself about running a business, it's difficult to be successful if you know how to make widgets but don't know how to actually sell them, keep your books, have the right business documents, etc. Or get a partner who does know that stuff. Make sure you trust them and have a solid agreement.

If you're starting out, same thing, educate yourself as much as possible about all aspects of your business. Great companies have great leaders, and they understand all aspects of their businesses even if they aren't on all those day-to-day tasks.