Clothes-minded: fed up with traditional outfits, one mom takes baby clothes to a whole new level

Entrepreneur, August, 2003 by Nichole L. Torres

WHAT: A line of one-piece baby clothing designed to look like multipiece outfits

WHO: Jennifer Hughes of Liloebe LLC

WHERE: Traverse City, Michigan

WHEN: Started in January 2002

JENNIFER HUGHES AND HER FRIENDS always loved the look of the cute baby clothes they received at baby showers. But when it came time to put the layers on--the shorts, the shirt and the overshirt--it hit home to Hughes, 36, how inconvenient the baby separates were. "I had tons of these outfits that were completely impractical," she explains.

Hughes wondered why no one had thought of designing one-piece outfits for babies and toddlers that just looked like they were made up of two or three pieces. After all, a one-piece outfit would be much easier to get on and off, and it wouldn't bunch up as the baby moved.

After the birth of her second daughter, Hughes started seriously researching what it would take to launch her line of baby clothes. After coming up with the corporate name, Liloebe LLC (a combination of her daughters' names, Liii and Phoebe), Hughes initially focused on securing big corporate accounts. However, "They wouldn't touch me With a 10-foot pole," she explains, because her operation was so new. So Hughes went to Plan B and embraced the boutique market, which fell head-over-heels in love with her stylish, affordably priced (around $20 retail) creations.

The most difficult part of her marketing, says Hughes, has been explaining the product to customers. Because the outfits in her Stylease line look like they're made up of separate pieces, potential buyers have to actually touch her products to understand why they're so special. Now Hughes is mounting a grass-roots consumer marketing campaign. "That's the kind of word-of-mouth that's going to grow this product," she says. With 2003 sales projected into the six figures, word is definitely getting out.

Clean Sweep

WHAT: A trash disposal and sheet maintenance service that employs people in the social services network

WHO: Chris Martin of Clean Scapes Inc.

WHERE: Seattle

WHEN: Started in 1997

CHRIS MARTIN LIVED IN AN AREA Surrounded by missions, homeless shelters and trash-filled alleys in the Pioneer Square section of Seattle. It was there that he got the inspiration for his business. Martin, 36, wanted to start a service that would not only help clean up the area, but also employ the very people who needed jobs the most: clients in Seattle's social services network.

"We try to hire employees [who] are what people might describe as marginally employable people, people who might not otherwise have a job," says Martin. "It's pretty rewarding when you take someone who has been on the streets or in a drug-treatment program and they [come] to work every day, clean, drug-free, confident about their place in the world and confident in their jobs."

With $1,500 in start-up capital, Martin formed his business as a for- profit enterprise. He based this decision on the advice of a man who ran a Lutheran community center in the neighborhood. "He said, 'You ought to be a for-profit company, because when [your employees] go to apply for and work another job, it would send a much stronger message,"' says Martin.

Armed with his good idea, Martin first had to sell it to local private property owners in Seattle who expressed some interest in his service.

But Martin really lucked out when he contacted a property owner who happened to own buildings on both sides of an alley. He was the first to buy the CleanScapes service, and additional clients soon followed suit. Today, GleanScapes has a presence both in Seattle and San Francisco, with sales set to hit $1.2 million this year.

A Helping Hand

WHAT: A job search and networking Web site for former employees of Arthur Andersen

WHO: Jonathan Goldsmith, founder of AndersenAlumni.net

WHERE: Chicago

WHEN: April 2002

AFTER GETTING LAID OFF FROM ACcounting firm Arthur Andersen, Jonathan Goldsmith was inspired to make a fresh start--not only for himself, but also for his co-workers who had also lost their jobs. "Andersen was such a family," explains Goldsmith, 29. So he started his Web site, AndersenAlumni.net, a place where former Andersen employees could network, post resumes and find new job listings.

His sales are based on advertising, as Goldsmith didn't want to charge the Andersen alums a membership fee. At first, people had their doubts. "Everybody was telling me it was a stupid idea," he says. But not charging membership actually helped Goldsmith build a user base and attract advertisers. In fact, the advertisers sought him out after they heard about the site via word-of-mouth.

Now, with a user base of more than 6,000 Arthur Andersen alums and sales expected to surpass $70,000 this year, Goldsmith is looking to expand his business. He'd like to hire a staff (he's currently a sole proprietor), seek out more advertisers, and add new features and services for Andersen alums.

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WHAT: An Internet-based travel agency

WHO: Richard Bondurant of Tahitian Travel Planners