Rae Lynn Glispin of Raelynn’s Creations

Name: Rae Lynn Glispin

Tell us a little about yourself:
I am the proud Mom of two toddler boys…Parker just turned 4 years old and Noah will be 3 in November. I am extremely happily married, and very lucky to have met my “fantasy man”…perfect Father and Husband.
In April, my position was eliminated at a company I had spent the better part of 19 years at. I am very motivated and a go-getter, so I was determined I was going to do something I enjoyed now. I would invent something, or start a business, or something!

What is your business name and web address:
My business name is raelynn’s creations! You can visit us at http://www.raelynnscreations.com or http://www.mydoudou.com to view our assortment of My Doudou™ child themed safety bed bumpers.

Tell us a little about your business:
Over this past Winter, I had been trying to come up with a way to keep my boys from resting against their bedroom walls while they slept, because I felt their walls were always chilly. Along with that, I was also concerned because they tossed and turned during their sleep like jumping beans. I came up with this bumper, and very quickly threw a couple together on my 38-year old sewing machine. When my position was eliminated, I started researching on-line to see if it was something with potential. I was amazed to find that no other bumper like this existed! I networked, researched, and I’m sure drove my Husband crazy. Within the span of two months, I became an incorporated legal business and have patent pending status on my bumper. I received so much support from the CWE, Center For Women in Enterprise. Through government grants I was able to become a successful business in just a few months.

What inspired you to become a work at home mom:
I always wanted to actually be able to raise my children without a five-day-per-week daycare. In this day and age, it is very difficult. It is nearly impossible to afford living expenses on one income. Luckily, I have a fire inside of me that has always driven me to try to over-achieve. Having kids has made me want to be a better person, and my Husband is the kind of person that makes me want to be a better person. I guess you could say they are my inspiration.

Is there any advice that you would like to share with other women on the path of working from home:
Don’t ever get discouraged. If you do, just shake it off the next day and plow on! We can do anything if we put our minds to it. On the occasion when I get a little discouraged, I just try harder, try a different angle, dig a little deeper and look for encouragement from the people that support me. Sometimes all it takes is a few encouraging words from a friend, family member or even a chat room.

What has been the most effective advertising method for you:
So far, I think it has been emailing other related business, magazines and newspapers. Letters to editors of area newspapers, related magazines, etc. Get articles out there. Most of these methods are free as well. You really need to promote yourself even if sometimes it may feel awkward.

Can you share with us one negative business experience that you learned from:
I was almost talked into buying a “list” of names and addresses to do some snail mail marketing…postcards and such. Their price quotes were very inexpensive and they had lots of info on how successful it could make me. I decided to research it from top to bottom, and come to find out, there were way too many other expenses associated with this method. I also learned that for my type of business, the success rate of this form of marketing is very low…under 1%. There are lots of people out there that “want to help”. Unfortunately, a large percentage of them are out for themselves. You need to do your research before making any financial decisions just based on one or two suggestions from contacts. Research, research, research…has been my best friend.