We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jennifer Sanger a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jennifer, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?
It was very simply, actually. I created the company while I was pregnant with my son Jamison. I wanted to provide a different clothing for my children than what you typically find in big box retailers. So while creating the company, I turned to my own experience as a mother and tried to figure out what kind of clothing I wanted for my kids. So it made the perfect sense to name the company after them. I want to create a legacy for them and a company they could work at potentially when they get older, if they want to.
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
My name is Jennifer and I am what I like to call a “mompreneur.” I am a mother of 2 (with one on the way) and run my business fulltime since the pandemic started. I went to college and obtained a degree in fashion retail management and moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio to pursue a Fashion career. When I first moved to Ohio, I had the aspiration to be a fashion designer and I participated in a few fashion shows as I created a women’s wear collection. It was fun to do but as I started having kids. my priorities shifted and I realized that creating a women’s wear collection was more of a hobby and I need to refocus on actually creating a business that I could live off of. So after my son was born, I officially started my online children’s boutique which I named after my two children and we just had our 5 year anniversary this past September. Once the pandemic hit, I quit my full time day job and put in 100% into my business and my company has grown so much. I was featured in publications like US Weekly, featured on The Drew Barrymore and featured in local publications in the Ohio area.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I feel like everyone had to pivot when the pandemic hit. In my case, I used all that time stuck in the house to teach myself about SEO and take business refresher courses that I may have forgotten since college. I also had to learn how to juggle being a fulltime mom and a business owner. Up until that point, my children were in daycare for 8 hours a day, and it was the first time that I spent 7 days a week 24 hours a day with my children which as much as I love them, I missed my alone time. So I had to create a schedule for both them and myself to keep us all sane.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
For the first 3.5 years of my business, I still worked a full time job. I used my own paychecks to purchase merchandise, fund my website and all the expenses. It wasn’t until 2020 when I could fully use business profit to fund the business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jamisonandbexley.com
- Instagram: @jamisonandbexley
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/jamisonandbexley
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-sanger-44100415b/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jamison_Bexley
Image Credits
Charensky Pierre-Louis Erin Burke