Three Reasons you need a Peer Group in your business!
They say it takes a village to raise a baby...
It also takes a village to build a business!
This is my village.
We are a group of mom inventors that met each other through various industry events about 4 years ago. When we started our businesses, only one product had been on Shark Tank. Now TEN of us have stood in front of the Sharks! Last week we got to meet in Las Vegas for 2 days of learning and sharing at the Shark Tank Reunion '22.
This event was the first time many of us met each other in person! We have done zoom calls and stay connected weekly on Facebook, but getting to spend two days together in Vegas was simply unbelievable.
Why you need a peer group
1) Learn from their experience!
Someone else has been in your shoes before, they have had to make that tough decision or maybe already made a mistake that you can avoid. You can bring a situation to others in the group where you may feel stuck and quickly find a solution with their input. Five or ten brains are much better than 1!
2) They GET IT!
Your family and friends may be great at rooting for you, but they don't actually know or understand the crazy rollercoaster of emotions you ride as a small business. Your peers can help you move through the tough times and also help you celebrate the amazing moments. Your peers really know how hard you worked to achieve a special goal and can help you celebrate in a more special way.
3) Industry Specific Contacts and Group Discounts
Some people may feel like it would be silly to reveal all of your contacts or resources with 'the competition'. Once you realize there is room for EVERYONE to be successful, you can really take advantage of the power of a group. When someone in the group needs a new contact for Target, you can bet someone else in the group can get them connected. When someone gets burned by an ad agency, you can bet they will tell the whole group so no one else suffers the same pain. Some agencies will offer the whole group a discount if they can get all of our business at once. It's a win-win for everyone!
The theme of this year's Shark Tank Reunion was Dream, Build, Amplify. This is what you can do in spades when you spend time with like-minded individuals with the goals. It was an honor and pleasure to attend this event and I look forward to the next!
Small, Mom-Owned Baby Businesses you can Support!
Below is a list of some of my baby-brand peers who help me get through the ups and downs of owning a small business in the baby industry. Please check them out!
Like, follow, and comment on all of our social media pages if you want to help us out for free.
Buy a product from one of our websites to really support our businesses and get some smart gifts for your loved ones that have a baby in their lives. We would appreciate it more than you know!
First and foremost is my BFF Amy from Big Bee Little Bee. She already had a number of smart inventions on the market, but last year I got to watch her coach her 7-year-old daughter as she took her very own idea to market. You can see little Miss Marlo on Shark Tank on October 21st! She created a solution to kids' markers constantly rolling around and drying out. These will sell out on the 21st so you may want to order early!
Becca and her mom Barbara at Unbuckle Me created a simple tool to save your nails and fingers when trying to unbuckle a car seat.
Dahlia at Buckle Me Baby Coats created a car seat safe coat that can safely keep our kiddos warm in the car without having to take puffy coats on and off.
Lou and Katy, another mother-daughter team at SlumberPod, created a black-out tent for baby and toddlers to help parents get a better night's sleep when traveling or sharing a room with the kiddo.
Becky from T is for Tame created amazing hair products that are safe for littles. We use them everyday for my son's curly locks. He wakes up with them in knots every morning, but we quickly get them back in line with Becky's products!
Amy and her husband Mike from SnoofyBee started their journey with the clean hand's changing pad, and were the first company in our little group to air on Shark Tank.
Nikki at Junobie developed the first non-plastic breastmilk storage bags and continues to develop new products to make a mom's journey with breastfeeding easier.
Anna from Zenimals makes mindfulness easy and screen free for our littles.
Lizzy from Curious Baby Cards shows you what activities to do with your newborn child through toddler based on their developmental readiness.
And last, but certainly not least is Tiffany from 'Opu Probiotics, making guts healthier at all ages. Tiffany was on the very first episode of Shark Tank EVER with her original invention, Ava the Elephant.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of the heroes in my peer group. These are the women I had the honor and pleasure of sharing time with in Vegas. They have inspired me and continue to make this scary journey of entrepreneurship a whole lot easier!