On March 16th, I was interviewed for a news piece for ABC World News with Diane Sawyer about Middle Class families having financial struggles. You can read about it more on my personal blog, A Whole Lot of Nothing.

Way back in 2006, my husband and I decided it would be best for our family for me to stay home with our two young girls, 2 and 6 months old at the time. My teacher’s salary, even with the extra pay for having earned a Master’s Degree, was barely more than daycare costs for our two young girls. We still needed a few extra dollars a month to make ends meet, so I began selling maternity & baby clothes on eBay. I got the bug for selling after I started making extra cash on my own. I felt proud of the little accomplishments in sales I was making.

After having completed a few sales on eBay, I found I needed some Nuby replacement spouts for my girls’ sippy cups, and like anything else, I figured I could buy them on eBay. A few sellers had some spouts listed on eBay, and seeing as I was an up-and-coming entrepreneur, I found out where I, too, could buy and resell the spouts.

Really, it was a massive success. I found my online-selling niche in little silicone parts for sippy cups.

The next step was to start my own web store. I would be selling all of the Nuby spouts that the US distributor was selling out of their office, but didn’t have available online, nor were they advertising the availability of the spouts to consumers.

Total SCORE for me. Next up? World domination.

I started finding other products that were either hard-to-find or created by mom-owned small businesses. The business was growing every month, and I was spending more and more time doing something I could be proud of.

It was not unusual for the store to have 20+ orders a day. Less than 20 orders a day, and I was worried. Every month was better than the last.

My business was successful.

Until the Fall of 2008.

I was naïve to think I was immune because I was doing so well the 2 years previous. I was naïve to think that I could pay off the debt I had created that I was steadily paying down in my success.

I had been supporting small businesses, I was helping parents purchase products they needed at an affordable price, and I had a growing return-customer base.

But the damage had been done. Consumer confidence immediately dropped as news reports increased about cutting back on personal spending. I didn’t even need to watch the news reports and see the statistics to know that people were holding on to their money much more closely than they had just the month before.

Yes, people were losing their jobs at an astonishing rate.
Yes, people were becoming more conscious of how they spent their money.
And yes, consumers stopped buying “extras” for themselves and their kids.

This happened seemingly overnight.

I can see the drop-off in my own business’ financial statements.

Where I once had the confidence to be a successful and responsible small business owner, that confidence was now replaced with mounting debt, skyrocketing interest rates, and the inability to help support my family.

Near failure.

I have had to drastically change how I market my business by basically slashing my prices, offering deep discounts, and depend on word-of-mouth marketing.

To be honest and fair, I’ve not treated my customers with the attention they deserve. It now takes me longer to ship orders out, I have shut off my business phone (partly because the hours of operation were not respected and I was receiving calls at 1am), and I am not as quick to answer customer emails.

I wish I could do better for my customers, but because the web store is not bringing in the money that it used to, I have had to take on other writing jobs to make extra money. That additional work has taken away from my store’s time, and it has left me playing catch-up with my customers and their needs. For that, I am deeply apologetic.

My sincere hope is that my customers (and potential customers) will see this article and understand that supporting small businesses, even in the smallest capacity, helps our economy. I, too, have not been doing my full part in supporting fellow small businesses, but when I can, I will.

I am making a concentrated effort to focus more on my customers.
I am selling off most of my inventory to focus on a smaller product line.
I am telling the world about my struggles.
I am hoping for a miracle.

My family and I are struggling.

We need help.
We don’t need handouts.
We need the powers of the internet to guide us and help us with my mom-owned, woman-owned, small internet-based retail business.

If you have a blog or a website, I would love to have my store’s badge up on your site (it’s over <—- there all coded and ready).
If you Twitter, please tell your followers about my store.
If you email (and I know you do), please subscribe to my newsletter (below).
If you feel you can, please tell your blog readers, friends, and family about my store.

The support I’ve received from my friends online so far has been overwhelming. People are calling me “brave” and “courageous” for coming out of the shadows of debt and sharing our story.

I’m not doing this for the attention.
I’m doing this because I am no different than so many of you.

My 3-second piece on the national news has given me an opening to be able to share our struggles and to ask for help.

Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support that has been extended already, and thank you to those of you considering extending a few minutes of your time, and possibly a few dollars, to help me and my business.

You are truly appreciated.
Thank you,
Angie

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Giveaway (because you stuck through all of that)

Leave a simple comment letting me know the name of your favorite item in the store.

I’ll pick a random winner from the comments left between now and Wednesday, March 24th, at 8:59pm EST to win a $50 Gift Certificate to Good for the Kids.

If you Twitter about the contest, leave a link to the tweet in the comments for an additional entry.

Two total comments allowed per person, per day.
(One out of the two comments must be a tweet.)

_______

Updated: Jill is our winner and has been contacted!

First off, I want to extend a HUGE Thank You to all of my customers who ordered in January. After returning from vacation, then kids back to school, I ended the month with a nasty stomach flu that put me behind on shipping orders. I assure you, they are shipping this week!

I’m sure you’re asking yourself, “Why is this company talking in the first person? Aren’t companies supposed to be conglomerates of never-ending employees?”

Yeah, well, not this one. Good for the Kids is owned and operated solely by myself, making it a mom-owned company. Yup. One person does everything from home. Albeit a messy, kid-filled home, but a home nonetheless.

So, when I get sick, or one of my girls gets sick, packages unfortunately become delayed in shipping. For that, I apologize, and hope you understand that my family comes first, as does yours with you.

As my big huge THANK YOU for supporting a woman-owned small business, I’m extending a 25% off discount through the end of this week.

Visit our Specials page for up-to-date sales and coupons.

Follow @goodforthekids on Twitter for updates on new items & Twitter-only discounts.

Use coupon code feb3blog for 25% off your orders through Sunday, February 7th.

Back in the olden days of our parent’s and grandparent’s youth, toys were either wooden or tin. Ever since the government thankfully removed all those harmful metals and verybadthings, most of the throwback toys in our kid’s generation are made of wood.

Wooden toys are durable, wood toys are safe, and wood is attractive. Melissa & Doug recognizes this and develops toys made of lightweight, safe wood with safe paints free of toxins.

Wooden toys are available and are inexpensive from Good for the Kids. As a Melissa & Doug authorized retailer, you can find a variety of wooden toys in stock, ready to ship to your kids.

Safety of the wooden toys is important to parents and children alike. The safety of Melissa & Doug’s toys is their number one policy as they sign their own names to every toy they manufacture.

Once you go wood, you never go back.
(Get your mind out of the gutter, I’m talking about kid’s toys here. sheesh)

Let’s be really honest here. Most kids don’t like watching sports on TV. My girls may say they want to watch hockey with their daddy (they’re good kids like that), but really, they’d rather watch Star Wars or play with new toys.

The next month or so in our house will be spent watching the Olympics (U-S-A!) and the day-long Super Bowl commercial-fest.

When Mama watches her Olympics, the kiddies need toys and activities.

For your convenience, and the sanity of those around you, get your kiddies some toys with which to be entertained. I’m all about win/win situations and new wooden toys.

Order now for the toys to arrive in time for the Opening Ceremonies on February 12th.

Visit our Specials page for up-to-date sales and coupons.

Follow @goodforthekids on Twitter for updates on new items & Twitter-only discounts.

20% off ALL orders placed through Sunday, February 7th

During the winter months when the snow is piling outside and your kid’s fingers turn into fleshcicles, you tend to stay indoors in the warmth. Staying indoors with little kids means OH MY HECK, WHAT WILL I DO WITH THESE KIDS ALL DAY?

Good for the Kids is here to save your endless days of coloring books & watching Nemo on a loop!

Brand new in the store are the best Melissa & Doug All-in-One, Decorate-Your-Own crafts.

All are available under $10, which you’ll know, is crazy-cheap, but with the Melissa & Doug quality, is super awesome.

We’re stocked up on the best cups and bottles from Nuby:

Visit our Specials page for up-to-date sales and coupons.

Follow @goodforthekids on Twitter for updates on new items & Twitter-only discounts.

COUPON

10% off ALL orders placed through Sunday, January 24th
Promo code jan15blog

5% of sales will be donated to the RedCross
5% of sales will be donated to Friends of Maddie

We are committed to providing our customers with the best of what is good for your kids.

Back to reality.
Back to the routine. Back to the rigmarole of daily life. Back to houses without blinking lights and blow-up reindeer in the yard.

And please tell me I’m not the only one excited to have the kids back in school.

Back to normal means back into stocking up on what you need for your kiddos. Nuby spouts, baby bottles, sippy cups, and replacement parts for your kid’s cups.

We’re stocked up on the best cups and bottles from Nuby:

Did you run low on arts & crafts supplies over the holidays? Stock up with Melissa & Doug’s incredibly-valued, high-quality supplies:

Visit our Specials page for up-to-date sales and coupons.

Follow @goodforthekids on Twitter for updates on new items & Twitter-only discounts.

My friends and I at Aiming Low are hosting Shop for Anissa on December 10th to help raise money for the Mayhew family. Naturally, Good for the Kids will be participating along with an astonishing number of other stores online. I encourage you to shop at any of the stores who are generously donating to the Hope for Anissa fund.

Good for the Kids will be donating 20% of total sales from the “Play” category (toys and arts & crafts) to Help 4 Anissa.

If you are shopping before or after December 10th, and you would like 50% of the net proceeds from your toy purchase to be donated to Hope for Anissa, please use promo code ANISSA.

Thank you SO much for your support of the Mayhew family.

Here’s where I stop yammering and get to the good stuff…

30% off Cyber Monday SALE

Take 30% off all in-stock toys and gifts with the coupon code below. I already reduce the price of Melissa & Doug toys, so with the extra 30% off, you’ve got a major deal.

With our Melissa & Doug toys in stock, it’s hard NOT to find the perfect gift for the kids in your life. Plus, with their high quality standards, you know the toy will outlast the packaging it came in. (You can’t say that for most toys out there…)

Visit our Specials page for up-to-date sales and coupons including Free Shipping on toys for the holidays.

FREE SHIPPING
Free Shipping for all US-shipped orders of $75+
Discount is taken automatically and does not require a coupon code.

COUPON
30% off ALL orders placed through Monday, November 30th
Promo code: holiday2009

In remembrance of Maddie, Good for the Kids will be donating 20% of the total sales from the Toddler gift category to Friends of Maddie, a charity originated in her honor. Friends of Maddie supports families and babies during their stay in the NICU after premature or complicated births. Maddie was a preemie, and Heather realized just how important it was to be supported while in the hospital.

Heather is a personal friend of mine. She let me know that Maddie loved playing with dolls and playing dress-up, like many other toddlers. Because Maddie can’t celebrate her 2nd birthday with us, we will be honoring her by donating the monies collected from the sales from the Toddler category sold through Sunday, November 15th.

Please use code MADDIE when placing your order to better track the donations.

If you’d like to donate directly to Friends of Maddie, please follow the link to contribute.

Thank you for supporting the Spohrs and other families in the NICU.

Here is a list of our customer’s favorite toys for boys from Melissa & Doug:
(Melissa & Doug toys are always on sale ~ 10% off)

Dinosaur Stamp Set by Melissa & Doug
Blue Sticker Collection by Melissa & Doug
Let your boy’s creative side emerge with the dinosaur stamp set including colored pencils. Pair the stamp set with Melissa & Doug’s Construction Paper and Blue Sticker Collection to make interesting art creations.

Funny Frog Games by Melissa & Doug
Looking for a fun birthday party activity for your boys? Entertain them for at least 1/2 the party time with the 10 Funny Frog Games, all in one box! Keep it for after the party for an inside snow day or rainy day activity (not just for boys!).

Pirate Role Play Dress Up Costume by Melissa & Doug
Every single one of my girls’ boy friends love pirates. They find anything around the house or outside to use as a sword, but with this costume set, they can use a “real” pirate sword!

Make-Your-Own Monster Puppet by Melissa & Doug
Complete with its own storage bag, this monster is sure to be HOURS of activity-time for your boys. Let their imagination go crazy with the pieces and parts they velcro to the puppet. Make it a game with your boys to see who can create the craziest monster and share the pictures with Grandma!

P.S. I’m an equal-opportunity toy giver, so I’d give any of these toys to my girls as well as boys. Trust me – my daughter was dressed as Buzz Lightyear this Halloween.