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Jady Babys Soft Soled Boots wins 2013 Mompreneur award

Jade barr - jady babys soft soled boots wins 2013 mompreneur awardCongratulations to Saskatoon’s Jade Barr of Jady Babys Soft Soled Boots (jadybabys.com)!

Jade was selected from more than 300 nominees
after 64,000 online votes were cast. The award was
announced March 2 in Toronto at a gala dinner
following the first annual Mompreneur Conference.

“I’ve been sewing since I was 11,” said Jade,
with 14-month
Emery on her hip (three-year-old
Cameron didn’t make the trip). Jady Babys began
in February 2010 when Jade sewed her first bootie
prototype and posted images to Facebook. By June
2010, she was in business and has since expanded
her product line to include “leggies,” flats for babies,
baby wraps, cart covers, diaper purses, play mats
and other coordinating clothing. “The money and
prizes are really going to come in handy!” said Jade.

“The success that Jade has already accomplished
with Jady Babys is incredible, and we are so proud
to honour her with this award,” said Maria Locker,
founder and CEO of TheMompreneur.com. “We
couldn’t be more pleased to award her for her
determination, hard work and creativity.”

ParentsCanada co-sponsored
the award (with
Savvymom.com) and was on hand with Al Haid,
President and CEO of Children’s Education Funds
Inc., who donated $5,000 to the prize. Jade also
won another $25,000 worth of business services,
including a premium submission package to
Parenttested
Parentapproved
(PTPA).

“Do not wait for luck to strike,” PTPA founder
and CEO Sharon Vinderine told the audience of
about 175 mompreneurs. “You often hear people
say ‘Oh, he’s so lucky he started a business at the
right economic time. Oh , she’s so lucky, she had
enough money to fund an idea. …None of that is
about luck. It’s about perseverance in the face of
obstacles. Yes, you can start a business during an
economic boom, but sustaining that business over
a long period of time takes perseverance. Yes, you
might have the finances to start up a business but
that doesn’t guarantee its success.” Sharon also tells
mompreneurs to create their own board of advisors.
“It’s easy during the startup
phase of a business to
lose confi dence in yourself and your abilities and
that’s why a team of ‘cheerleaders’ is so important.“

Another tip? Create a priority list for your
business, says Jennifer Varner, founder and CEO
of PureEcommerce.com, which specializes in
helping first-time
entrepreneurs create ecommerce
businesses. “So many times I see my clients work on
the wrong tasks first. They work on what they enjoy
– the more creative and fun side of their business.
Ask yourself, ‘Are these tasks going to bring my
business money in the shortterm
or longterm?’
Focus on creating shortterm
cash flow first.”

Jennifer also recommends learning all aspects of
your business, not just the parts you like. “I hated
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) when I started
my first ecommerce business. Then two years in
I realized I was out of advertising dollars. Since I
never focused on what would bring in money three,
six and 12 months down the road, I had spent the
past year focused on what I loved and never pushed
myself to learn what was hard for me.”

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, April 2013.

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