We were lucky to catch up with Shay Beaulieu recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shay, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

The first few weeks of motherhood were overwhelming for me when the days bleed into nights. Every postpartum journey is unique and so is motherhood. My journey gave me an idea for a business. My son at the time of his birth was a big baby and in the 99th percentile for height. So gradually he kept growing taller. And as a new mom who is always looking to make life easier I always opted for zipper pajamas or footie or onesie for the ease of changing diapers and keeping the baby nice and cozy. Unfortunately, I found myself buying baby clothes every other month. The clothes that read 0-3 months lasted only couple of months. We kept sizing up. Always out looking for deals and sales. Had I have known about the benefits of bamboo baby pajamas, I would have made that investment a long time ago. Bamboo baby clothes are a little expensive in the market as compared to other baby clothes. Mostly, parents don’t want to drop hundreds of dollars on baby clothes that will essentially be worn only few weeks before they have to size up. And I completely agree with that. But, what parents are missing out on is that bamboo baby clothes are an investment. They have antibacterial properties, natural UV protection, are hypoallergenic, thermoregulating, stretchy, durable, and eco-friendly. On average, parents can save around $300 or more by investing in bamboo baby clothes due to their durability and longevity, reducing the need for frequent replacements in the first year. My son wore his first bamboo when he was 8 months old, he is going to turn 10 months soon and he still fits into his first bamboo zipper pajamas. He will still fit in them up until his first birthday if not more. This sparked fire to my passion for entrepreneurship and an opportunity to offer bamboo baby pajamas with affirmation prints. I knew I wanted to start a business of my own for years and had many failed attempts. I was stuck at the planning phase for a long time with every idea or business I attempted. It takes courage besides money to start something on your own. You cannot risk with courage. And courage comes from those failed attempts. This time I knew I have to move with time to avoid being stuck at the planning phase and reach the execution phase. Quick but sound decisions were the key. I started brainstorming and planning sometime in February 2024. And, in March I formed a Limited Liability Company (LLC) and quickly came with the name MIMI Baby Boutique. A name drawn from my life and personal experience fits just right. My son’s first sounds were “Mi Mi” when he was 4 months old and I know he used it to call me Mi Mi. I started with baby clothes but I plan to expand it for mothers as well, hence the name “MIMI Baby Boutique”. The all caps on the word MIMI is a personal choice to stay unique and curious. As a mom to an infant you barely get time to yourself and so I was racing against time to do quick research and make fast decisions. Every nap time or play time, I would sneak away to work on my business. There were a lot of things to juggle at first. First was to make sure everything was registered correctly and legally including all city and state permits and licenses. Second, registering for an EIN was crucial otherwise you cannot open a business bank account. This was an important step in the process because I wanted to keep my personal finances separate from my business. It’s easier to keep track of all your expenses and good for taxes as well. I would normally do a mental brainstorm in the shower then do a quick research on my phone during nap times and finally make decisions at bedtime once he was tucked away. Third, I used Alibaba to source products since it was easy and convenient for me. There are so many suppliers with a lot of good products. I ordered some samples which includes bamboo zipper pajamas, cotton zipper pajamas, and some teether toys. The bamboo pajamas were of great quality and I already knew I wanted to launch with bamboo clothing but it’s always a good idea to research other products. I love cotton clothes too for babies which I will explore later as I expand the business. It was exhausting especially because I was also working my remote day job and taking care of an infant while trying to launch a small online business. Not to mention, I was also taking care of the house. I worked my day job for six months after maternal leave until I was laid off in April 2024. It was a big setback on our finances. But I was as determined as ever to continue working towards my business. I was unstoppable at this point. I hired a freelancer on Fiverr to have my own designs made which I sent over to the supplier for printing on fabric. I was naive and new to this business but it didn’t discourage me. If you want to get started in the clothing business I would recommend keeping 4-6 months of time before launch. I had stumbled upon some sizing issue with the designs. There were a few back and forth with the designer on Fiverr and the Supplier on Alibaba. I was coordinating the requirements and specifications to both ends. I had no time to lose because I wanted to keep up with my original timeline for launch which was Summer of 2024. I requested the supplier for a rush on the custom sample order. These were with my designs on it and my label. Our designs feature affirmations for the beautiful mamas. This was the second time I had felt proud of myself and how far I’ve come when I saw the custom samples in hand. The first time was when I had opened a business checking account. Once everything looked good I gave the Supplier the green light for production. Meanwhile, I also ordered production for the teeter toy I had sampled. I used the sample teethers as a giveaway prize on Instagram to spread awareness for my brand. I also created a sign up landing page on Mailchimp for free and had people join my newsletter. Email is more personal and visible as a marketing tool as I have gathered. Reaching into people’s inbox with ready to shop items is way more effective than any other social platform. Not to say that social media is not as effective, they are the pillars of free marketing which is how I decided to market myself at first along with sponsored posts and videos. Later, I bought Google’s GSuite which is a cheaper option for professional emails and domain service. This had worked for me and my budget. I was able to send professional looking emails to all those who signed up for the newsletter.
Now that some of the basic tasks were taken care of, I started working on office supplies such as items needed to fulfill an order. These included a packaging material like poly mailers, a thank you card, clear bags for packing, etc. I ordered poly mailers from an online shop I found on Instagram through someone else’s video. I ordered custom thank you cards that I designed myself with the help of and from Canva. Although, I have not launched yet but I am good with my timeline to launch in Summer. I have carefully thought and prepared every aspect that goes into launching a product. I am launching with 4 designs of bamboo zipper pajamas and 2 colors of teether toys. Last but not the least, I plan on launching my products on Etsy. I have been on Etsy since 3 years and I know the organic traffic will be a boost for my brand as I navigate to better establish myself and my business. I used to sell digital prints on Etsy as a self taught illustrator. Those were fun times but it did not bear fruit. I do plan to launch my own website later. I am very excited to launch buttery soft bamboo baby zipper pajamas and share the benefits of bamboo with other mothers.

Shay, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a creative person who chooses to look for beauty in everything. I am also a multipotentialite, someone with many interests and creative pursuits. I wanted to be an artist, a writer, an editor, a fashion designer, a graphic illustrator, and so many other things. Despite having many interests I have always known that I wanted to start a business of my own. I started with selling digital art prints online like wall hanging prints and stickers. This was stemmed from my interest in art and painting from years ago. I taught myself illustration and I loved it so much that I decided to embark on it. When that didn’t work out I took a break and in the meanwhile when I became a mother I realized nothing hits home like baby products. Caring for my newborn made me realize here is a product: baby clothes, that I have knowledge and care about. Baby industry is a good bet to get started with. Babies are born everyday minute, people are always buying baby clothes, and yes the industry is saturated with baby clothes but you only need to find your target audience. It’s like making new friends, it’s all about the vibe. So, I decided to start an online baby boutique business selling baby clothes and teething toys at first. I wanted to have amazing prints for babies that are something extraordinary but also aesthetically pleasing. The most appealing feature that sets us apart from other brands is that MIMI Baby Boutique will launch with four different bamboo zip sleepers with affirmation prints. Our designs feature affirmations within the design elements. It’s something I incorporated from personal experience into the product. The mind is tricky little thing. You tell it something and it will believe it. When your mind and body is fragile after birth or even after months of postpartum and you feel down and depressed, all you need is a little pick me up. You tell your brain “you’ve got this mama” and repeat it like a chant and believe me you can draw your strength from yourself. Pick your mantra and you really have all that it takes. With this little effort we hope we can bring some peace to the beautiful and hardworking mamas. My little man has filled my life with more joy than I could have ever imagined. He made me a mother and I’m grateful for him everyday. As a small business owner, you have to wear many hats. You are not only the owner but also a photographer, marketing and sales, social content creator, designer, administrator, and many more. But my favorite role is being a mom. I am proud of how far I’ve come and it wouldn’t be possible without my support system. They are my family and friends and I love them dearly. There’s a much bigger picture than just what you see or what you assume. There’s so much more intention, love, & effort that goes into a small business. Finally, I’d like everyone to know that MIMI Baby Boutique will donate 1% of all sales to a charity of choice. Through this initiative we aim to give back to the community. Shop for cause with MIMI Baby Boutique.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is a free marketing tool that every small business must take advantage of. Having a social media presence not only lets you connect with your audience but also stay current. With the shopping feature on Instagram and TikTok you can offer your customers the convenience of shopping with a click of a button without ever leaving the app. I am still in the early stages of my business but I will share my cocktail recipe that has worked for me. These social media platforms want you to keep using their app which is their product. Like any other business, they want people to use their product. So, engagement is key. You don’t need to post everyday but consistency is important. Figure out the time of day when your followers are most active and start posting during that time window. Post photos that draw people’s attention to a fact or a question. Create stories with polls, questions, or quizzes for a fun experience. Keep your questions, polls and quizzes short and less time consuming. Stories go by really quick so you need to make sure your stories are good quality, easy to understand your message, and has an urge to respond. In my experience I’ve found a story game of “This or That” to be very effective in getting people to respond to your stories. It’s also fun to play. Like the name it’s easy, you divide the screen with two pictures of whatever you like and ask people in a poll to pick This or That image. Lastly but more obvious is a Giveaway to reach new followers and create brand awareness. A paid boost to the giveaway post reaches your target audience. It’s something you might want to add to your marketing budget.

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

I used Alibaba to source my products. As someone new venturing out, I believe it’s a good place to start. You can find a ton of different options from vendors to products. I ordered a few samples from a couple of different vendors that fulfilled my criteria like materials used, quality certifications, and Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) are just a few to name. Once I had decided on a vendor, I placed another order for a custom sample with my prints. Something to take note here is to plan ahead at least 4-6 months of your launch date. It roughly takes about 4-6 months of time from your first sample order to receiving your final bulk order. My original timeline from idea to launch was 3-4 months. I had to rush my sample orders in order to launch on time. This gives you room to accommodate unanticipated changes like I had to go back and resize the design to make the affirmation texts visible after printing on fabric.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MimiBabyBoutiqueUS
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mimi.babyboutique/
• Other: Email: [email protected]