Feature Friday - Cocoa Babies
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing Group is pleased to present our November Feature Friday interview with the lovely Nia Tillett-McAdoo, owner and founder, of the widely popular Cocoa Babies.com. Cocoa Babies is an eCommerce website offering clothing and accessories designed specifically for children of color. We had the opportunity to chat with Nia about her inspiration and development of her burgeoning niche business.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: Please tell us about yourself?
Nia: My name is Nia Tillett-McAdoo and I am the owner of Cocoa Babies. I am originally from Buffalo, NY and have lived in North Carolina since 2005. I moved to Charlotte after graduate school and worked as the Associate Director of Programming at UNC Charlotte until July of this year. I now run Cocoa Babies full time which has been a blessing.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: Why did you start Cocoa Babies?
Nia: Honestly I was tired of seeing young children and teens in clothing that was either suggestive or inappropriate. I started to look at what was marketed to them in the stores and online and saw that there was a lack of positive messages and non marketed directly for children of color. I decided to create an alternative, one that would feature trendy designs and tees that children and parents could both appreciate.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: What advice would you give someone trying to start a retail business like yours?
Nia: To do your research to make sure that you have a quality product and that you have enough capital to successfully launch a business. I know a lot of people who launch without a marketing budget or a quality website or they put out a subpar product with the hopes that initial sales will allow them to upgrade down the line. The problem with that is you risk losing the customers who showed the initial interest in your business and if they are turned off they will share that experience with those in their network. The reality is that people will judge your product by your website and marketing so make it informative and attractive and if your selling a product (vs. a service) make sure that you have an ecommerce site. When I launched Cocoa Babies I used a site that I designed that did not have a customer backend, because I had no clue how to set it up. I thought that it was something that would cost an arm and a leg but I was wrong. Once we switched over to an e-commerce site it increased business dramatically. My customers started to see Cocoa Babies in a different light because of the change that I made to the website.
The last bit of advice I would give is to look at your network and begin to surround yourself with like minded individuals regardless of their field. I think that the listserves that I join and the websites I frequent contain great resources and ideas especially as it relates to marketing. As a small business owner you will need a sounding board from time to time to assist you with different aspects of your business.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: Where do get inspiration for your designs and slogans?
Nia: It’s truly the families and the children who wear the clothing. I receive a number of suggestions through our website from parents and sometimes I just get an idea about something that I would like to see. The Caribbean Flag onesies along with the Christian line are both examples of customer ideas that I have implemented on the site. I often receive pictures from parents who have either purchased Cocoa Babies items or received them as gifts and I keep each one, I love to see babies in our products.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: What makes Cocoa Babies unique, why should we buy your products?
Nia: While there are a few similar companies that have popped up since I started Cocoa Babies very few to cater to infants and toddlers. One thing that stands out is our price point which is very affordable and the quality and variety of the products we carry. Cocoa Babies recently started carrying home items.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: What techniques do you use to market your company?
Nia: I try to use as many marketing techniques as I can. Cocoa Babies has a very active Facebook page which is great since customers will post about the products and respond to the different promotions, sales and pictures that I post. I have found that running different contests through that medium has been very successful. We also use Twitter to keep our customers up to date with Cocoa Babies and any new products that we have.
We have great relationships with a different blogs that cater to parents of color. We run different giveaways for their readers which usually comes with a posting about the business which is great. Since most blogs also have a Facebook and Twitter presence it assists me with marketing it on multiple sites. One thing that we can’t deny is the importance of old fashioned word of mouth, this can make or break any business. It’s important that our customers have a positive shopping experience so that they share that with others.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: What is the biggest obstacle you faced in your business so far, how did you overcome it?
Nia: When I started Cocoa Babies I didn’t know a lot about the industry and that hurt Cocoa Babies. I had to really take a step back and learn about not only how to run a business but how to run a printing company. I enrolled at a local community college and took screen printing courses and learned about various printing techniques which helped me understand every aspect of my business. I purchased screen printing equipment and did everything in house until I realized that outsourcing the production of certain items would be better in the long run. Now that I understand how to print it’s a lot easier when I meet with suppliers and printers, it allows me to negotiate better deals which helps my bottom line.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: Please name some of your greatest accomplishments since founding Cocoa Babies.
Nia: I think that the greatest accmplishment is that after 5 years we are still here and that we continue to grow. In July of 2010 I began running Cocoa Babies full-time and since then I have been able to open office space so being able to pursue my love on a full-time basis is definitely an accomplishment that I am proud of.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: Where do you see Cocoa Babies 5 years from now?
Nia: Over the next five years we will continue to expand Cocoa Babies. In January of 2011 we will be launching our Cocoa Babies Home Parties which will offer customers and their friends an intimate shopping experience. We are excited about the Home Parties and after posting about it on our facebook and twitter sites we received a lot of inquires from people interested in hosting. We often hear from customers who are interested in getting involved with Cocoa Babies so we are currently researching the feasibility of launching a sales consultant program in 2012. This would not only further expand our customer base but also provide an opportunity for people to make money while selling the products that they love.
We are currently testing our new line which will feature products in Spanish. We have seen a large increase in the number of requests for custom onesies that are printed in Spanish and we want to make sure that we are meeting our customers’ needs. We hope to offer a full line of onesies as well as children’s tees in Spanish in the summer of 2011.
Long term we would like to move from our current office space into a small warehouse that will allow us to bring in additional machines and to keep more stock on hand. We are currently developing our wholesale catalogue and over the next few years we would like to shift from a 100% retail focus to one that includes a mixture of wholesaler customers.
Seven5 Seven3 Marketing: Where can we find out more about your company?
Nia: You can visit us online at www.CocoaBabies.com and through Facebook and Twitter.
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Every month Feature Friday shines a spotlight on the world of small business owners. If you would like to be featured, please contact us at bking@7573marketing.com.