We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hannah Schumm a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hannah, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Typical clothing brands launch with several options and have to commit to 100s, if not 1000s for minimum orders. We do small batch production to eliminate waste, save money and give ourselves opportunities to perfect our product.

Most clothing brands, especially children’s clothing brands, are manufactured in Asia. We do all of our sourcing in North America and everything is physically made in Kansas City Missouri. We are really proud to contribute to the local job market and economy in this way. It does make my overhead more expensive and some of my materials a lot harder to source.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Kansas City mama of 3, a seasoned wedding planner, and a design enthusiast. After having my second boy, I struggled to find simple onesies without the frills of firetrucks or woodland animals. Most companies bragged about being extremely soft, but the fabric was thin and wouldn’t survive the wear and tear of my busy babes.

Our pajamas boast a simple design pattern allowing our durable and comfortable fabric to speak for itself. We play mostly on color to bring a unique flare to any wardrobe, focusing on fun combinations suitable for all stages, ages, and genders.

We also feel passionate about respecting our resources. Our material, a bamboo stretch French terry cloth, not only keeps baby cozy and comfortable but contributes to our sustainability mission and provides a clean planet for our little’s to grow up in.

I am proud that our brand was established and designed using local KC businesses, and we source all of our supplies in North America. We are a small women-owned business dedicated to supporting other women in pursuing their passions and dreams.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Banana Jams was my business pivot. I have been a wedding planner for nearly 14 years, my first business and first taste of entrepreneurship. Covid hit the wedding industry hard and for the first time in over a decade, my calendar was completely open. I was given the chance to spend nights and weekends with my family, as well as imagine a different career or life for myself. I am so grateful for that space that allowed me to day dream and come up with Banana Jams. Had I not been forced off the hamster-wheel of wedding planning, I would have never been able see a different future.

Weddings being a service-based business, felt limiting and time consuming. I wanted a career that had opportunities for regular hours, and passive income while still being able to foster my creativity and hone in on my project management skills. I have been able to rely on my business experience from my wedding planning business, which gave me a leg-up on some of the initial hurdles but it has definitely been a learning curve understanding the ins and outs of the fashion and retail spaces, and also e-commerce. It has been a big change but one I have really been enjoying!

Although there is a lot to learn, having previous business experience also provides some confidence in myself and my ability to make things work. I remember the early days of wedding planning and all I had to learn. I am trying to enjoy the ride more this time around with the convection that things will work out as long as I maintain the hustle.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Manufacturing was the most daunting step and when my idea was born, I truly had no idea how to execute it. I do not sew, I don’t know where to source fabrics. I desperately needed a mentor and was lucky enough to find one. I have a high school acquaintance with her own clothing line who was very generous with her knowledge and really helped get me connected to the local manufacturing world.

The vendor I work with on my manufacturing checked all my boxes: she was a woman, she was super well-connected and helpful in building my patterns and sourcing my materials – a true collaborative partner. She also valued sustainability and local support. I am beyond lucky to have been introduced to her and the guidance she provided me in the early stages of my business.

I did learn to trust the experts. Relying on the experience of my manufacturer was really key. My new business motto has become “slow is the fastest way to grow.” I have changed my business in so many ways over the last 18 months based on what sells, what works, what your customers are asking for and what is possible. You start a business and you think it’s easy to change the industry or to develop a new concept but you learn there are reasons why things are done they way they are and it takes a lot of work to carve our your space.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.banana-jams.com
• Instagram: @shopbananajams
• Facebook: Banana Jams
• Twitter: shopbananajams

Image Credits
Epaga Foto