I was introduced to Go Baby products when I was reviewing mom and kid products for a local magazine, and I've been in love ever since. And Go Baby showed me some lovin' in return when they came on board as my official sponsors for Buttercup's First Birthday Blog Bash back in June!
I get to return the favor now with my next Tuesday Ten edition.
Go Baby co-owner Robin Shane is a 36-year-old wife and mother of two, with an interesting background in costume designing for theatre, film and television. Read on to find out more.
Q.: So many good ideas never get past the idea phase...how did you make your business a reality?
A.: Not to butter her up, but I really need to thank my partner Gina for the encouragement to do this. I had great dreams for the business, but I had no know-how on what to do to start. Gina came along at the perfect time, and we moved forward from there! I also had great support from my father who had contacts for factories to make our first lines, the InMat and OutMat, so we were able to cut through the manufacturing obstacle very quickly. :)
Q.: How did you come to decide to pursue this type of business?
A.:I was a costume designer for 12 years before my first daughter was born. When she was born I had to give up that schedule because it didn't allow me to be home with her during my favorite times (dinner time, story and bedtime) so I needed a creative outlet somewhere. As an artist I am always brimming with a need to create, whether it's a quilt for home or a new product for the mass-market. Go Baby allows me to channel this creativity and also be home with my children.
Q.: What's your favorite part of owning your business?
A.: The ability to take my crazy creative ideas and make them a reality. Also, the ability to take a task, go through the steps, and then complete the job. So many aspects of mommyhood are so "go-with-the-flow," which is counterintitutative to my way of thinking - I love making lists and checking things off. With Go Baby I can design products that help me in my role as a mom, play with fabrics and color from my costume designer days and still be home for my girls - not to mention being a role model for them.
Q: What's your funniest mommyhood memory to date?
A.: Oh, there are just too many...I guess the funniest I can think of right now is when I had gated my second daughter Miranda in her room while I took a shower...she was about a year old and was whining that I had fenced her in, but I had to get ready. Suddenly things got really quiet, and I went around the corner to check on her, and she was trying to eat a piece of poop (where it came from, who knows!?)...I immediately pulled it out, of course, but I just had to laugh. At least I know it was hers! I guess that's the difference between first and second kids- if it had been my first child doing it I think I would have run to the emergency room!
Q.: Glass half empty of half full? Or can you not tell because it already got spilled by one of the kids?
A.: Wow, interesting question. I suppose it depends on the circumstance. With my kids and family, definitely half-full. With Go Baby, half-full. With myself, half-empty. I'm a pessimist by nature, but I'm lucky to be married to an optimist, so we even each other out.
Q.: Secrets to success? Tips for making it through to tomorrow with our sanity intact? (read: how did you do it?
A.: A great husband, a great therapist, a great sense of humor, great friends, and when all else fails, a great anti-depressant.
Q.: What press have you received since you started? what's the coolest, berrie sweetest press you have gotten to date? (answer carefully....*wink wink*!)
A.:Our products have been well received by both print and web blogs. Hybrid Mom, Baby Couture, TONYKids, offered some great reviews but what really matters to us are the mom bloggers who use the product in their everyday lives and praise the items in their blogs. To us it is a real testament to the work and love we have put into our products. Thanks to Berrie Sweet Picks for being the first to feature us!
Q.: The best part of being a mom? And what's the hardest?
A.: The best part of being a mom is watching these two little people experience the world and looking at it through their eyes. The wonder, the new experiences, the excitement about the simplest things. It's a great lesson in being present and living life in the moment. The hardest is when they have worries or hurts that I can't fix- my older daughter has minor physical disabilities and, as she gets older, kisses and songs won't be able to fix the difficulties she faces every day.
Q.: If you could have one mommy superpower, what would it be?
A.: The ability to bend and stretch time- to bend it to shorten those long rainy afternoons with two stir-crazy kids, and the ability to stretch time so I could get more sleep and more work done!
Q.: What's on the menu for dinner tonight? (and can I come over?)
A.: Turkey burgers, whole wheat rolls, french fries and salad. We eat at 6:00....c'mon over!
