Business

MOMpreneur®, Where Two Passions Meet... Business Articles Regardless of the size of your company, your courage, your finesse and your situation will determine how effectively you implement the ideas you garner here.  You know your business best; you know where your business needs help and where the opportunities are.  You also know how quickly you want to grow.   We're here to make sure that between the information and the contextural situations we provide that you have a number of parameters and perspectives to help you make the appropriate decision at the right time.  The future is, indeed, bright for Mompreneurs!

Green Meets Chic in Eco-Friendly Clothing Business

Green Meets Chic in Eco-Friendly Clothing Business

Q&A with Jill Wirth, Founder, Green Baby Clothing Company

While pregnant with her son Joshua in 2007, Jill Wirth became very aware of the planet and the future. In learning how important organic items and sustainable agriculture are, she began to look for “cool”, affordable organic baby clothing. “I had a hard time finding anything at all,” says this Cambridge, Ontario Mompreneur. And this is when Green Baby Clothing Company was born. With annual revenues of just under $25,000, she says, “When my daughter Kaiya came into the world last September, I expanded the product line to include lots of flowers and dresses and hats.”

Q: How do you find your products?

I look for eco-friendly clothing with a one-of-a-kind factor. We focus on organics, bamboo, hemp and handmade products. I often search the Internet and read reviews before testing new products. There are also governing bodies to consider to ensure items are truly certified organic and fairly traded – this is very important.

Q: What criteria do your products need to meet?

They must be eco-friendly and good for our planet! In June 2009, the Organic Products Regulations (OPR) came into effect in Canada making the new Canadian Organic Standards (COS) mandatory. The OPR legally requires organic products to be certified according to the COS if they are traded across provincial or international borders or if they use the Canada Organic logo.

Since starting Green Baby Clothing Company I have seen many positive changes; we are all getting better at ensuring the certification of these products. As consumers, I believe it’s important to read the labels and make sure we are choosing to buy certified products and items that are made in a fair trade environment.

Q: There are quite a few companies selling children's organic clothing in Canada.

How are your products different?

We only sell top quality, earth-friendly products. I hand silkscreen each of the onesies and tees using fun designs with kid- and earth-friendly dyes. Our handmade products are also all unique since they are made individually by hand rather than in factories.

Every tee, hat, dress and stuffed animal we consider is hand picked by me and tested by my family before it goes

to market.

Q: What gives you the confidence to enter

this field?

Some days I am full of confidence and other days I think, “What have I gotten myself into?” However, my mantra from the beginning has been: “Work hard, send out the best products, keep the pricing fair and be passionate”. It seems to be paying off. Our products truly are good for our environment and more people are making conscious decisions to purchase items that help the planet even if the cost is a little higher.

Q: What are your goals for this year?

I decided late in 2009 that we would need to spend some money to make some money. On New Year’s Eve my husband and I worked out a budget plan. Our priorities included hiring a web designer to create a new site, adding special features like a gift registry to the website, adding new products to our line and buying a company van. This year my goal is to capture those investments back and also add to our inventory levels.

Another big focus has been bringing on handmade items produced by other Mompreneurs – this has been very successful and fun!

Q: What is your marketing strategy?

Word of mouth is so important – I make sure every product that goes out is 100% great. I label everything with Green Baby Clothing Company so that when other moms see our products they know where they can get their own. I also like using social media platforms to get the word out about our company; we are currently active on Facebook and Twitter!

Q: You mentioned buying a company van – why is this important?

The van allows us to have a local presence. It’s also a moving billboard advertising our website. I attend many events with other moms and this made me think – what a great way to get the word out about our online store! I have had people stop me in parking lots to ask for more information about our company. This was money well spent.

Q: What do you do to keep healthy?

I am a strong believer of “clean eating”, removing pre-servatives, eating local organic produce, limiting refined sugars, etc. We have a wonderful Farmer’s Market here in Cambridge that we visit every week. I also enjoy swimming and I try to exercise as much as possible (this does not happen as much as I would like, though!)

Q: Who are your Mompreneur heroes?

Mary Kay Ash comes to mind – she started out with a $5,000 initial investment in 1963 and made $200,000 in profits her first year! Even better, the Mary Kay company allows so many other women to be successful through their business model. (Visit themompreneur.com to read our article about Mary Kay in our Sept/Oct 2009 issue!)

For more information, visit GreenBabyClothingCompany.com.

- MOMpreneur®

“Word of mouth is so important – I make sure every product that goes out is 100% great. I label everything with Green Baby Clothing Company so when other moms see our products they know where they can get their own.”

 Return to Business Articles


Don't have our magazine yet?
The MOMpreneur® magazine is a Canadian magazine for women who are balancing the role of motherhood with being an entrepreneur. We create an environment of sharing, support and encouragement to our members through our magazine, our seminars and webinars, and our online forums. Purchase our 6 issues per year to get connected with this exciting women's network!

Click here to order your MOMpreneur® Magazine NOW.