It was the summer of 2004 when I began building my baby planning business. I couldn’t find another business like it anywhere. Every day, I would Google “Baby Planning” and “Baby Planner.” Nothing. I talked to baby boutique owners and all my friends with kids...they’d never heard of such a thing.
I wasn’t searching to be the first. I was searching to find a guide. After all, every business start up book I read said, “don’t re-create the wheel.” They advise you follow an existing business model. And all of the models are out there to be followed. Just check any bookstore. “How to start a law firm.” “How to start a lawn mowing business.” The closest I could find was, “How to start a wedding planning business.” But, it just didn’t fit.
In the end, I was left no choice but to create a new mode of business transportation. To start, I listed all of the services I planned to offer. I then determined what my relationship with the client would look like. After a lot of time and a lot of re-working, I ended up combining bits and pieces of three different business models: A Contractor, An Event Planner and an Interior Designer/Decorator. From each, I took pricing models, employee structures and standard practices to create a brand new business model, Baby Planning.
It took about two years of trial and error to shake out all of the details and perfect the model. The funny thing is that in the spring of 2007, I received a phone call from a woman in another part of the country. She was calling to say that she and a friend were starting a business. She said that they thought that they had come up with an original idea until they Googled “baby planning” and found me. She went on to say, “I can't believe you’re the only baby planning company we could find.” I thought, ‘Tell me about it sister!’ I reflected back to when I first started researching baby planning and wondered what my business would look like today if I had followed someone else’s lead. I might have found myself further along in my venture. No matter because the lessons I’ve learned along the way are invaluable.
Since then I’ve received calls from a dozen people wanting to know the ins and outs of my business model. This excites me. It tells me that there might just be a market for the concept of baby planning!
Please note the thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are based on the experiences of the author. The information contained in this blog is in no way meant to take the place of professional advice. It is only meant as insight into the world of a small business owner. As always, thank you for visiting and feel free to share your own experiences or conerns by leaving a comment