Pass the word!

Karla

Ok, enough of the nostalgia. If you can’t tell, I am just so proud to live in the USA. I have lived overseas so I know what it means to have freedom. So today I am not only celebrating my freedom of religion and freedom to vote but also free enterprise. We take all of these freedoms for granted but today is the perfect day to thank God for all of His blessings.

The small blessings are just as important as the big ones. Today my landing page went LIVE! www.head2toepub.com is up and running. I hope you will take time to read about our company and leave us your email address and/or mailing address for future updates. Now Eric and his team will be working on our web pages but at least you can see our 3 mascots and get the feel of our website. We can’t wait to hear from you and tell us what you think.

Today I talked to Cathie Black of Hearst Corporation and she also stressed that small steps are more important than jumping ahead to the big picture. I couldn’t agree more. Cathie shared that I should have my company goals written out so that I can make sure that I am working on tasks that will help me make my goals. I have done this and it is so great to be able to check off some of the goals as they are completed. The last bit of advice she gave me was something that I feel that everyone should consider doing if they are starting a new business. She told me that I should contact a local university’s business school and find a professor that would take my company as a case study for one of their graduate courses. They can help me with the biggest concern I have-finances. Every product we create to sell, I have to consider gross profits and gross margins. This is totally out of my expertise, but if I can find a grad student that would take this information and help me understand it, that would be one of my biggest goals I can accomplish. Maybe I can finally get some sleep. Luckily, I live in a city that has many universities so I shouldn’t have difficulty finding an interested professor. I am also going to contact my niece, who just graduated with a business degree, and see if she can help me talk to one of her professors. This will go on my task list for next week.

As you gather with friends and family, don’t forget to be thankful for the freedom you are celebrating. Enjoy yourself and be safe. Take the day off and don’t work today. Carolyn Kepcher emailed me on Wednesday and told me to do the same thing. So today, I will not open my computer or check my email on my iPod Touch. Today, I am going to do the things I love to do, laugh, visit with my 95 year old grandmother, and hopefully eat some sweet watermelon. Work can wait for at least a day.

Enjoy your freedom and consider all of your blessings today!

Karla

As the 4th of July approaches, thoughts of one of my great mentors comes to mind. Every 4th of July, her family has a big get together at the beach. She is the Owner/President of the publishing company where I worked as the product development/marketing specialist. Even though I wrote 11 products, I really loved the marketing side of the business. I guess that is why I am where I am today. She had a great vision for her company and definitely had the passion to make sure that her dream came true. Shortly after she hired me, I traveled with her and 3 other ladies to her beach house for a marketing weekend. After that weekend, she took me under her wing and taught me so much. She taught me the basic essentials for running a successful small business-provide excellent customer service, create high quality products for your targeted audience and most importantly set yourself apart from your competition. I have great respect for this woman because she believed that she could make something of herself and she did. I am driven to make Head 2 Toe successful based on my belief that I can make a difference in the lives of children with special needs.

One way to find out from therapists, parents and other professionals about the types of products they need to work with children is contact local groups or organizations or foundations that focus on special needs children. Recently I partnered with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham and one of their child care facilities will be testing some of our products and we will be a link on their website. Easter Seals of North Georgia also agreed to partner with H2T. We are currently deciding what type of partnership but this is a great opportunity for Amy and I to hear from a wide range of professionals. The key is listen to your customers

Great news! www.head2toepub.com will be up by the end of June. Eric Yonge of EY Studios sent me the first proof my landing page and it looks fantastic! I am so excited. He did a great job at making it POP! This is just my landing page so I can’t wait to see the website. There is a place on the landing page for customers to sign up for emails and regular mailings. Please sign up because you don’t want to miss any of our updates and we will be mailing out a special promotion. I will make an announce that the landing page is live as soon as I get the green light from Eric. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the look for Head 2 Toe.

It has been fun looking back (even though you should really never look back) at how far H2T has come in 2 months. I talked to one of my advisors, Jeannette Peten, today about it. When the finalists were announced on April 28th, I had just become incorporated. Now our first product, Vocab U Grab, is with the illustrator. It will be ready for printing on August 7. Vocab U Grab is a Farm themed 16″ x 20″ activity book. It includes mother/baby animal figures pair, animal photo cards and animal static clings to be used throughout the book. It all comes in a easy to carry bag. Head 2 Toe is unique because we are creating products that are developmentally appropriate. Most companies make products based on a child’s chronological age but the skills targeted may be too hard or too easy for the “suggested” age on the product. Many times children are pushed to work on a certain task, but the child may not be able to complete it because they are just not developmentally ready. This is so true of special needs children. For example, a child is 3 years old but working at a 10 month level. The therapist and parent must start at that 10 month level and teach the developmentally appropriate skills to help the child reach their chronological age. This is just one way Head 2 Toe will be unique from competitors. Also, we will NOT put ages on the products. We will only have icons that represent the developmental ages. I have found from years of selling early childhood materials, parents and teachers do not purchase products that have ages printed on them if it’s younger than the student(s) who could use it. Social Stigma! My goal is to take that away.

Next time I will share how my negotiating skills have developed since dealing with China. Speaking of, I have a Chinese manufacturer calling me on Skype to discuss the bags. I am also not going to bed until I write my branding statement. Remember to take time for yourself and enjoy the simple pleasures in life and don’t get overwhelmed!

Have a safe 4th of July!

Karla

This week was a week of decisions for Head 2 Toe Publications, and they weren’t as easy as  “where should I open up my business bank account.” They were decisions that will brand my company. After much prayer, negotiating, dialogue and thought, I hired an illustrator and book designer for our first project.. Gayle McNeil of Bookmakers Ltd. has been fabulous to work with Amy and me. After we presented her with the manuscript for the activity book, she gave me an excellent quote that included her work as the designer and also the illustrator’s work. Gayle knew my funds were limited so she allowed me to negotiate a lower price on this first project. She understands that we are helping children and families with disabilities.  After choosing the illustrator on Bookmakers’ website, I was informed that he is a Disney illustrator.  I can’t believe that I have a Disney illustrator working on our first project. You may think that was an easy decision, but it was actually a very hard one. I had planned to use Amy’s brother, but after talking with him, he advised me to go with the more experienced illustrator. I must hand it to Kevin for being so practical.  He agrees that our first product can make or break us, and i want this product to make potential customers take notice and say, “Wow!”  I am happy to say that work on the book should start this week.

Then there’s the matter with China…For weeks, I have been dealing with a Chinese company which makes promotional bags, and they told me that they could custom design anything. After many “broken English” emails, I sent them sample fabrics and sketches with exact instructions and emailed photos of similar bags to help give a visual and fill in the gaps where the emails were not helping. It’s not cheap to send an envelope by UPS to China, so you definitely want to be talking to the right company. To make a long story short, I had to move on to another company yesterday because the first company wanted to charge me a sample fee. This is one of those times when I had to seek wise counsel. Rosemary Coates advised me not to pay anyone for a sample. It is common to pay for the shipping but never pay for a sample. So now I have to start the process over, but at least I know what I am doing now. I am going to ask up front if they charge for samples to save both of us time and save me some money. All of the other Chinese manufacturers I have dealt with have sent free samples. In fact, I have found a company to make the static clings that we need for our book,  and they are also willing to print the book for us. Overall, dealing with China is time-consuming, but I have set goals that I am determined to accomplish. Because of the time difference between China (13 hours) and Alabama,  I try to not go to bed until I have all of my emails sent to the manufacturers so that they are working on them while I’m sleeping. Thus far, this has worked out well.

I am also excited to say that Eric Yonge is very close to having Head 2 Toe’s landing page up for viewers. On the landing page will be a statement which explains who Head 2 Toe is and what we are about. Eric has been busy creating mascots for my web page that will be used throughout the website. I have seen the line drawings, and they are the cutest kids. I may be a little biased because one of the kids is my 9 year-old nephew, Will,  and the little girl is Amy’s daughter, Kiersten. There will be place for people to sign up for emails and regular mail, so please bookmark www.head2toepub.com . I’ll let you know when the page is ready.  Eric has guaranteed that it will be up by the end of June. In creating a web page it is so important to have a web designer who shares or grasps your vision for your company. Again, a great stress reliever!  I have that in Eric and his team.  I’m not so sure I don’t create stress for them, because I ask Eric’s assistant, Whitney, a million questions a week; however, she is always so gracious and willing to help. Communication is key!

 I also can’t say enough about the advice that I have received from my business advisors. I spoke with Nina Kaufman of www.askthebusinesslawyer.com this week re: contracts, trademarks, intellectual property, and compensation. She is such a great resource and her website and blog are so informative. Weekly,  I speak with my main advisor, Jeannette Peten of BigAustin,  and every week I hang up the phone with a clearer vision and fewer obstacles to overcome. A few months ago, I read a business tip from Carolyn Kepcher on Finding What Matters’ website to form an advisory board. I discussed the idea with Jeannette and she agreed that I should form one. I am in the process of forming a small group which will consist of pediatric speech therapists, a physical therapist, and a occupational therapist, and possibly a parent to help discuss ideas and trends, and give feedback on products. I believe this group will make a great impact on Head 2 Toe and our customers.

A little more than 4 months left in this stage of the grant. It is so exciting for me to see how far Head 2 Toe has come since the announcement of the finalists. One thing I have to tell myself is the small steps you take equal out to be big steps. If a baby learning to walk tries to take big steps, they become unsteady and usually fall. They do better making small steps until they grow a little bigger. That is exactly what new businesses have to do until they are a little bigger and stronger. Walk at a steady pace and you will be amazed at how big your steps become as time passes.

Have a great week and keep stepping!!

Karla

I’m sitting in the Cincinnati airport on my way to Chicago and thought I better do some work while I have down time. Originally this was going to be a vacation but I figured out a way to also pull work into it. Thank goodness for computers and cell phones or I would be so far behind when I return. Months ago I was searching for a graphic illustrator’s portfolio online and found a guy in Chicago that is perfect! His name is Shawn Finley and I am going to meet with him on Friday to discuss upcoming projects. His work is EXACTLY what I want to use for my products. Check him out at shawnfinley.com. Portfolios.com is a great website if you are looking for illustrators. When I started talking to him and other illustrators in February 2008, they quoted me then on some projects and I was amazed at how expensive freelance graphic illustrators are. One clue is they aren’t cheap if they have an agent. However, it is so important to find the right illustrators for our products and this is one area that I don’t believe in compromising because it is what “grabs” the customer at the first glance and makes them return. It is so important to make the best first impression. I can’t wait to meet him finally and hear what he has to tell me about illustrating.

Monday, June 2…

I am now home in front of my computer emailing China and reviewing samples I have received so far. My meeting with Shawn was such a great learning experience. I have good and bad news. First the bad-he is not going to be able to do any work for me for quite some time and maybe never. He has landed 2 great jobs with BIG corporations, Burger King and Ferrari. I definitely can’t compete with them. I am sad but ecstatic that he has these jobs. His work is so good that I am glad he is going to get national and international recognition. Now the good news-he gave me some great advice about self publishing in the US and places to go to find other illustrators. He told me to look at a great website called lulu.com for designing, publishing and printing at a low price. He also encouraged me to NOT compromise on the kind of illustrations I want. Thank goodness Amy and I usually agree on the type of illustrations we want. Even though Shawn is not available, Amy’s brother, Kevin in Texas, is helping us with our first product called Vocab U Grab, a farm themed activity book for children with a developmental age of 2-5 years. I just wish I could afford to hire a graphic illustrator so we didn’t have to pay per job and he/she was local. This is one thing I am going to discuss with my business advisor, Jeannette Peten of BigAustin.

Overall it’s been a great week! I have finally made some head way with the Chinese manufacturers. The advice Rosemary Coates gave me has helped immensely. The funny thing is I have started writing like they talk-.very short sentences, no articles and no contractions. I am planning a trip to China sometime this summer or early Fall to meet and develop business relationships with some manufacturers to learn what they can do for me and they can learn what I want. Rosemary suggested that I read the book China Now by Lam and Graham before I go. It just arrived and I’m sure I am going to learn so much about conducting business in China.

I had the pleasure to talk to David Vinjamuri, President of ThirdWay Brand Trainers. Within one hour, I learned that I need to decide how I am going to brand my company. David shared that I need to brand by CORE which is the specific type of customer or CONTEXT, in Head2Toe’s case that means the developmental issue like speech, language or physical disability. He also encouraged me to create a shareable story for my customers. This should be 4 sentences or less because customers need to know exactly what you are about so that can pass it on. It’s the “elevator pitch.” What great information!! The funny thing is that I was so afraid that I would be “branded” as a company that makes products for children ages 0-3 or products only speech therapists use but that is EXACTLY what David is telling me to decide. It is essential to be an expert for one thing and be known for that so that you are credible and customers will be attracted to it and they will keep coming back as the business grows. Even if I develop products for older kids and for different markets, the customers will buy because I have already established Head2Toe as a company that is different from anyone else. Wow!! Thanks, David for your advice.

In previous blogs I wrote that I have changed jobs and tomorrow I will be back to work as a speech therapist. I am so excited because I start earning a paycheck again but I am most excited about working with special needs children and their parents. God has been so good to me through this whole process. He has provided every step and even the last two weeks has allowed me to spend time working with manufacturers and my advisors. When people ask me why I am so calm and not stressed about working full time as a speech therapist and building my company, I just reply, “It is obvious that I am not in charge and I am not going to stand in His way.” Some days I do ask, how I am going to do both jobs but it’s one step at a time, stay organized, and work on one area of the company every day. We’ll see how well I do. Now is the time to learn these steps before my company gets bigger and busier.

Let me leave you with one bit of advice I learned a few weeks while I watched a special on business tycoon, Warren Buffett. His grandson said his grandfather told him, “Surround yourself with people smarter than you because you will begin to create the same characteristics.” So true! You can’t be good in everything so make sure you have people around you that are experts so you can learn from them. That is exactly what has happened to me. Amy and I have the best business advisors to help us grow Head2Toe Publications and every day we are so thankful for this opportunity.

Next time we’ll tell you about how our products are coming along.

Karla

Overall, it was a great day! The little girl I worked with today was a star! I ended my day with a meeting with Eric Yonge and I’m pleased to announce, “I have a logo!!” When he turned the paper over, I knew as soon as I saw it! It POPPED! Now I feel like I am making progress. Time to get my trademark, and our website will be available soon. www.head2toepub.com. Crossing these business items off my “to do” list allows me to concentrate on helping Amy with products.

I am excited about the four aspects of the Yahoo! grant but most about receiving the mentoring advice. This week I have been introduced to two more mentors: Rosemary Coates, manufacturing and importing, and Jeannette Peten, BigAustin. Rosemary and I have already had a beneficial phone conversation about manufacturing in China. Here’s advice she gave me about communicating with Chinese manufacturers: 1. Be very literal; 2. Use short sentences and small words; 3. Always stress “high quality”; 4. Request samples; 5. Never accept the first price quoted. Bargain! She also told me to use www.alibaba to source the products I need. I already feel more confident. I will be talking to Jeannette on Friday, and I can’t wait to hear and learn from her.

So much has happened in the last two weeks. I have been awarded this fabulous grant; I have resigned from my job and am getting ready to start a new one; I have been interviewed by the Birmingham News, and I have been filmed all day. It is easy to get overwhelmed by it all, but there is one bit of advice that I am trying to live by that my brother-in-law gave me. He said to focus on one area of my company each day. If I try to work on marketing, manufacturing, etc. at the same time, I become distracted, and I am not able to complete an area well. Life is not perfect, especially as the owner of a new company, but his advice has helped me stay focused and get organized.

Let me share three things I have learned recently from three ladies I highly respect. Carolyn Kepcher writes that you must be passionate about your work, Cathie Black stresses that you need to work very hard but have time to have a life, and Bobbi Brown reminds us to not expect success overnight. Terrific advice!

As soon as I know when the video is available for viewing, I’ll let you know. Amy and I appreciate all of your kind comments and excitement about Head2Toe Publications. We would love to hear any product suggestions you have because we are here for YOU!

Have a great evening and keep moving forward even if it is small steps!

Karla

Five months ago, Karla Duncan and I decided to start Head 2 Toe. We were both pediatric speech therapists, and we wanted to offer the products we wish we had available for care of children with disabilities. Separated by geography (she’s in AL, and I’m in NH) and challenged by time (we both have full-time jobs, and I have a family – including a special needs child), our dream for this company seemed nearly insurmountable. So when Karla told me last week that we had won the Yahoo! grant, I could hardly believe it. We have so many dreams for this company. With the resources of this program at our side, anything is possible!

Karla, as the CEO and Founder, is the business manager of our business. My role as Co-Founder is to lead product development. We have so many ideas for what we eventually want to create, but we’re trying to remain focused and start with just a few products initially.

Our first product will be a colorful activity book for toddlers and preschoolers that will emphasize cognitive concepts such as location (i.e. in, on, under) and quantity (i.e. one, all). It will have an open-ended story line to allow for multiple therapeutic approaches.

The second product, which will be co-authored by two Speech Pathologists, will provide practical ideas and informative pictures to help educational instructors and families address feeding and swallowing challenges among birth-to-school-age children.

Our third offering will be specially selected collections of toys and therapy aids, packaged with activity booklets outlining how each product can be used to address fine motor, gross motor, and communication skills, as well as social-emotional and cognitive development needs.

But this is just the beginning! We have so many other products that we hope to offer in the near future. Once our web site has launched at www.head2toepub.com, please visit it often for regular updates.

Both Amy and I are facing some major transitions in the next couple of weeks. We have decided to change jobs so that we have more time to concentrate on Head 2 Toe and Amy needs more time to spend with her husband and daughter. I have been a sales rep for a wonderful education company for 3 years but I have a great opportunity to return to practicing speech therapy with children 0-3 (early intervention). Amy, also a practicing speech therapist, is moving from early intervention to a local elementary school. We are working full time to financially support the new company until Head 2 Toe becomes our main income and our jobs keep us informed on what products are needed to treat special needs’ children. It is so important to stay informed and develop networks with other special educators. Thankfully we have won this grant because it helps give us a BIG push but there are still so many other business expenses that come up unexpectedly.

My brother-in-law is a corporate attorney and he has been my legal adviser. Not only has he helped me set up my company as a corporation but also given me great advice. On Saturday, he told me to get a 3 ring binder and 31 tabs and organize all of my emails and paperwork in that notebook. Now I have information about business sales tax, trademarks, current and upcoming projects, and all correspondence with manufacturers/companies regarding products at my fingertips. I know what needs to be done and what has been done. What a HUGE stress reliever!!

Amy will soon write about product development. This will give you an insight into Head 2 Toe Publications and hopefully answer any questions you have about who our products will help. Don’t miss it!!

Keep sending your questions and comments. We love hearing from you.

Have a great day!
Karla

Stay tuned for more great advice!

Karla

My company is in the process of creating games, cards, books, stickers, and toys for children with disabilities. My co-founder Amy and I hope to make our products useful for parents, therapists (physical, speech, and/or occupational), and educators alike. I am working full time as a sales representative while I develop my company on the side. I hope someday to be able to run my company full-time, but right now I need to do both. This is tough! Time management is taking on new meaning. And to make matters more challenging, my co-founder lives in New Hampshire , whereas I live in Alabama . She and I are learning how important it is to be clear about timelines and expectations. Thank goodness for computers and cell phones! Amy also works full time and has a 4 year old daughter, so she, too, struggles to make time for everything. Not only are we friends, but we strive to bring honesty and grace into our relationship. I think that’s what makes us a great team!

I have already started working with my web design team, EY Studios [www.eystudios.com] in Starkville, MS, and I can already tell it is a great fit! Since I am a brand new company (I just incorporated this week!), I need a logo, which Eric is designing for me. A few months ago, I had hired some other companies to design my logo, but nothing POPPED! I can’t wait to see what Eric creates. I know it will be great. I do have a website domain reserved - www.head2toepub.com – but we’re still too new in this process to have launched the web site yet. Make sure you bookmark it and keep checking back, though, because we will be adding to it over the coming weeks. You will want to see how Eric and his team illustrate the site. It is going to be amazing!

I have my first press interview for the grant program tomorrow afternoon with my local paper, Birmingham News. I am looking forward to talking about our company, our products, and the grant program. I’m not sure when it will be in the paper, but hopefully it will appear in the Lifestyle section sometime soon.

Next time I will tell you more about how we develop our products and where we get our ideas.

Until next time!

-Karla