As devoted as she was to being a full-time mom, Eileen suggested we try to start our own business. (She had big plans for home renovations, and I had a wardrobe to fund.) Having had different careers - Eileen's in marketing, mine in journalism -we thought our business should focus on what we were both immersed in at the moment: motherhood. We decided to sell sexy, form-fitting tees that would be embroidered with funny expressions about motherhood. We had an irreverent attitude toward things like playdates, whining and nannies, and we figured other moms did too. So, we made some prototypes ("I need a playdate", "Whine? No. Wine? Yes.", "Nanny Deprived") and wore them to soccer games, book club and out to dinner, using our communities as focus groups. The response was amazing! Even strangers approached us to talk and laugh about the lines on our shirts. The tees were instant conversation starters. We knew right away that we were ready to take the next step and create our own Web site (www.PlanetMomTShirts.com) Initially, we didn't want to invest too much money, so we didn't stock any inventory. We had the shirts embroidered to order. As our business began to grow, and our shirts were featured on ABC, The View, and NBC's Today show, we realized we had to invest money in an inventory. And, while we received raves for our customer service, we knew that we should try to lower the cost, despite the higher prices we paid for our American Apparel brand shirts. So, we decided to stop using UPS as a carrier and go with the United States Postal Service which saved our customers up to $8 in shipping. Not wanting to pay for any advertising (some say penny-pinching, we say prudent), we put a great deal of effort into getting publicity by pitching our products to radio shows, newspapers and magazines. We enjoyed our fifteen minutes of fame, as Eileen and I appeared on Fox News Channel, leading up to Mother's Day. But, we really hit pay dirt when we got some celebrity recognition. Comedienne Kathy Griffin was appearing in our area, and we went to see her perform, shirts in hand. Afterward, we shamelessly went backstage and gave her two shirts. She was very gracious, and we were thrilled when she wore them on her reality show, My Life on the D List! We continue to get orders from Kathy Griffin fans a year later! We also sent shirts to Brooke Shields, Cindy Crawford, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon. Two and a half years later, we continue to struggle with balancing family and managing a business. (If our kids have to wear dirty socks every once in a while, so be it!) Planet Mom has added a challenging and fulfilling dimension to our lives. Plus, Eileen has a nicely renovated home, and I have some cool new clothes. Visit Erica Ehm's Yummy Mummy site! |
Questions? Custom order request? Want to know when we get new stuff? Please email us!  Photography by Kristin Burke of Peter Baker Studios. 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 Planet Mom. All Rights Reserved. |