My husband Brian Sullivan is a sculptor. He made the first baby figurine that we now market as Brooklyn Bambini in 1996, for me, in the last trimester of the pregnancy of our oldest daughter.
He wanted to make me something to hold onto during labor, to focus my attention. He told me he imbued the object with his love and intention for a safe passage through delivery for both the baby and I. We've been making these artful heirlooms for 18 years, and selling them privately. In 2014 we decided to bring them to a larger audience. Brian makes every wax himself from which each finished piece has been individually cast by partner foundries in the US.
Our objects are handmade in America, from start to finish.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Over the years prior to launching our store on Shopify, our sales were generated via the classic word-of-mouth channel. Now, in addition to word-of-mouth we are using social media to introduce our brand to the world.
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
We use UPS for shipping and our fulfillment is pretty straight forward. Since we make everything ourselves, an order is only complete only when we're done making it, which keeps the fulfilling of orders very close to home.
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
Be patient with yourself and your venture's progress. Keeping high expectations balanced with rational, strategic thinking will actually extend your capacity for persevering through the challenges that will present themselves.
If you love what you want to sell, and you believe deeply in its value, and authenticity and integrity frame your consistent efforts to nurture it, then Relax--it will work!