Today's special guest on The Accidental Pren-her Show, Stories of the Unexpected are Accidental Pren-hers Kendall Morris and Alana Lennie of The Blue Top Hat.
This quick-fire, 10-minute interview talks about the origin of their unique gift service business:
We were driving to the airport one day, trying to come up with an idea for a good friend of mine for a wedding gift, and my mom talked out an idea for creating a gift so the bride and groom could celebrate each monthly anniversary in their first year of marriage. We took that idea and created a book that guided them through 12 themed dates, and selected 12 gifts to coordinate with each date.
And about what it’s like working together as a mother-daughter duo: “From my point of view as the mother, I think it’s critical that you have truly cut the umbilical cord before you start a business with your child.”
You can download their interview and listen to it from your computer or ipod, or read it in full below.
Hey! It’s great to be here today talking with two wonderful women who have made the journey from Accidental Pren-her to successful small business owners. Today we have with us the mother-daughter team of Alana Lennie and Kendall Morris of The Blue Top Hat. Welcome, Ladies!
K & A: Hi. Thank you very much!
S: It’s good to have you here. Alana, let’s go ahead and have you start us off. Tell us a little bit about your journey into the entrepreneurial lifestyle.
A: Well, I began as a stay-at-home mom, and then I went from that to becoming a nanny for 10 years and then a literary agent. Then Kendall and I joined up and formed The Blue Top Hat.
S: And Kendall?
K: I was an elementary school teacher, and then I worked as a stylist for a photographer before I decided to stay home and raise a family. After my third child was born, we decided to start our company.
S: Now, did you guys accidentally stumble into your business, or how did this happen?
K: That’s pretty much exactly what happened. We were driving to the airport one day, trying to come up with an idea for a good friend of mine for a wedding gift, and my mom talked out an idea for creating a gift so the bride and groom could celebrate each monthly anniversary in their first year of marriage. We kind of took that idea and created a book that guided them through 12 themed dates, and selected 12 gifts to coordinate with each date. Our friends just loved the gift so much that they kept it in their living room all year as a centerpiece and conversation starter. They were really the ones who encouraged us to approach this as a possible business venture.
S: I love that idea! I love how this just organically grew out of a wedding gift.
K: Yes. It’s pretty fun!
S: How long have you guys owned this business, and what has this meant to you, owning this business?
A: Well, we’ve owned the business for three years. For me, the best part of it all has been the opportunity to work with my daughter. She went away to the East Coast for college, fell in love, and got married. They remained on the East Coast, and I was a little worried. As it turned out, we talked on the phone several times a day – always at least once – and we’d get to share our ideas and goals.
K: For me, owning a small business has just been a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with my mom. We’re really close, and this provides us the opportunity to work on something that is important to both of us. It’s also given me a great outlet for my creativity and desire to have something challenging and stimulating to work on in the midst of raising three kids.
S: Now, you guys are East Coast-West Coast, aren’t you?
A: Correct.
S: Wow! That probably poses some challenges, doesn’t it?
K: Not so much in this day and age!
S: What or who inspires you to keep moving forward in your business?
A: For me, I love the creative angle of the business. I’m definitely a behind-the-scenes sort of person. But I think when you have one part of something that you really love, you’re able to get behind the tasks that might not be as pleasurable to you. We get so much positive feedback from persons who have either given our gifts or received it that that inspires us to just jump right back in and work that much harder.
S: Oh, indeed it does.
K: And for me, my mom’s support of this concept and business has really inspired me to continue working on it. I’ve also found a wonderful resource online. Every day I start out my morning by checking out two online forums. One is MomPrenhersOnline.com and the other is MommyMillionaire.ning.com. They’re both forums for women entrepreneurs. A lot of the people on there are stay-at-home moms like me. These sites have really changed what I do on a daily basis with my business, because I’m able to access all this great experience and ideas from other people who are doing the same things as I am. It’s a great environment for any woman who is working on a business but wants sounding boards for their ideas or advice.
S: You know, Kendall, you just really touched on something: the importance of connecting to other people and networking with them for support. Not to sell to them, but for support.
K: Sure.
S: So what are the top three pieces of advice that you guys would like to give to small business owners just starting out?
A: For me, I think it’s important to maintain a level of professionalism. No matter how small you may be, it’s always going to be better for your clients and/or customers that way, and it forces you – the owner – to look at things in a serious manner.
K: And I’d say the most important advice from me is to just get in there and do it. Just get started. I think it’s so easy to stop yourself with “what ifs”, but if you start one little step at a time with your new idea, you’ll find that you get so much further than you ever thought you would. And love what you do.
S: Love what you do! That’s what I was just going to say. Wonderful! Now you guys have such a unique product that you’re offering to the gift industry. What makes this so unique?
K: For us, our greatest goal is to create personal connections for people through our gifts, and we do this by creating interactive gift experiences that are fun and memorable. Our signature gift line is created around the concept of one celebration book plus 12 inspiring gifts for a year of moments to celebrate. People just love the idea of participating in the celebration and opening a gift each month for an entire year. In working in this industry, we’ve discovered a great need for people to have high impact gifts that show thought on the part of the giver, so we also create custom gifts for all occasions for corporate clients and individuals to answer that need.
S: Okay. So you two are mom and daughter. Now, it just seems to me that you guys get along so well. Is that always the case?
A: Pretty much it’s always the case. There are some disadvantages when you’re working with family members, and they probably come much greater than those when you’re working with non-family members.
S: Tell us more about that.
A: Well, if things fall apart, you’re still going to be related to this person. As with anything else, you’ve got to be able to communicate. From my point of view as the mother, I think it’s critical that you have truly cut the umbilical cord before you start a business with your child. You have to be able to view this partner as a complete equal. You can no longer tell her how to load the dishwasher, how to raise her children, how to write a letter to a client. The dishwasher, the raising of her kids, that’s her business. It’s not my territory any longer. The letter to the client, that’s something you work out together, but you do it as equals.
S: I love that concept, and it sounds very healthy to truly cut the umbilical cord. Do you guys share the same goals, or how does this work?
A: Not exactly. We’re at different places in our lives. She’s young, she has insights that I don’t have, she has a whole lot more productive years ahead of her. I lack some of her vision, I think, but I also have some experiences to share with her that help us guide The Blue Top Hat. We’re very separate people, and I think that’s precisely what makes us a good team.
S: Kendall, do you agree with that? What’s your vision?
K: Absolutely. I think we both bring very valuable, complementary skills to the table. For me, my vision for the company is to one day have the opportunity to teach people the art of gift giving and celebration through a variety of mediums, such as our website, media, publications, and speaking. I think our world has just become so consumer-driven that people have lost the meaning of gift giving along the way. That’s why the gift cards and gift registries are so popular. Now, I definitely love getting a gift card every now and then, but there’s something very special about receiving a gift that was selected just for me with care and sentiment behind it. Those are the gifts we all remember, and that’s exactly the type of gift that The Blue Top Hat creates for people.
S: That’s true. When I’ve gone over to your website and looked at what you have to offer, both of you work together to make this a personalized gift giving exchange for people, don’t you?
K: Yes, I think that’s very important.
S: I agree. Well, we’re at the end of our show, and we have our last five questions that I ask everyone. So here we go, Ladies!
What one word describes your life today?
A: Fulfilling.
K: We both have the same one written down separately for this one: fulfilling.
S: That’s interesting! And what quality or characteristic is most important to you? Alana?
A: Respect.
K: For me, being genuine.
S: What turns you off? Kendall first.
K: Insincerity, I would say.
S: Alana?
A: Seeing people being less than respectful to others, particularly to those who are less fortunate than themselves.
S: And what inspires you both?
A: Learning something new every day.
K: Yes. We’re both in agreement on that one.
S: And the last question, and probably the most important: What’s the most precious thing you’ve learned along this journey from Accidental Pren-her to successful small business women?
K: I think we both agreed on this one, too. We’re really pleased to see how capable we are of offering something of value to others that truly touches their lives. We find it very rewarding.
S: Indeed you do, and it shows in your products. Kendall and Alana, thank you so much again for being on the Accidental Pren-her Show. Now, I know you’ve got a special gift that you’ll be offering our readers and listeners. Tell us how they can get in touch with you and what that special will be.
K: That’s right. If they go to our website, http://www.thebluetophat.com, they can view our products and learn more about what we do. They can contact us to order a gift, or have us create a custom gift for them. We’re offering 10% to anyone who places an order by June 30 and mentions this show.
S: There you have it, folks! Head on over to thebluetophat.com and contact Kendall and Alana directly, mention the Accidental Pren-her Show, and you’ll receive your discount.
Thanks, Ladies!
What a great working partnership! It sounds like mother and daughter really enjoy working together, and they are so creative and productive. That is so great to hear. A second plug for mompreneursonline.com. It is a great place for networking, support and advice. It's where women are helping women succeed in entrepreneurship.
Moschel Kadokura
www.timelymatters.com
Posted by: Moschel Kadokura | May 30, 2008 at 12:46 PM
You're right Moschel. I've come in contact with some of the nicest, coolest, mom-preneurs on mompreneursonline.com. Kendall and Alana are the first of many women I'm interviewing this year for the Accidental Pren-her Show. Stay tuned!
Posted by: The Original Accidental Pren-her | May 30, 2008 at 01:31 PM
Thanks Moschel. We really do enjoy working together. It is a wonderful way to stay connected and keep growing in our relationship.
Posted by: Kendall Morris | May 30, 2008 at 10:40 PM