How They Did It: Introducing Em & Liz

The MOM IDEA…The Em and Liz Box! The Em and Liz Box was inspired by our passion for shopping for the sparkliest, girliest products and accessories for our own daughters as well as incorporating elements from our own childhood. Each box is curated with 4-6 full size, high quality age appropriate items that closely tie into a monthly theme. The boxes also feature 2 sheets of theme based stationary and our SurPRIZE Pod.

We vividly remember collecting Lisa Frank stationary, writing letters to friends and eagerly checking the mailbox everyday for a special note. Our aim for the Em and Liz stationary is to ignite that lost art of letter writing and to encourage friends to send fun messages or drawings to one another. The Em and Liz SuPRIZE Pod is a mixture of our take on the pop culture phenomenon of surprise eggs and our nostalgic nod to vending machine prizes. With all of these features mixed into one fun subscription box, the Em and Liz Box allows young girls to experience and prolong the magic of girlhood month after month.

To the left Riki and Elizabeth (Liz). To the right Effie and Emanuella (Em).

 

Click here to shop The Em & Liz Box.

How She Did It: Introducing Melissa from Baked by Melissa

My goal in life has always been to find something that I was passionate about and would leave me exhausted from hard work at the end of the day. On family vacations, my brother and I would lie on the beach and think up new business ideas; then we’d come home and actually try to implement them. I didn’t realize at the time, but all that dreaming would come in handy. In 2008 I was working as an assistant media planner. I certainly wasn’t passionate about my job, and I guess it was clear to the people at the company because – I was fired. On that day, I called my brother, and he told me, “Don’t worry, it’s the best thing that could ever happen to you.”

He was right. “Go home and bake your cupcakes; we’ll start a business out of it” is what he told me. I ran to the supermarket, looking for flavor inspiration. That’s when I thought up s’mores, cookie dough, and peanut butter cup cupcakes — three of my favorite things in the world. These went along with the flavor I famously had been making for all my family and friends — tie-dye.

Following a serendipitous series of events, I got a tasting with a well-known NYC caterer. We needed a name and a logo, and my brother insisted that it have a personal touch. We settled on Baked by Melissa. My friend Matt was twiddling around on his computer; within minutes he turned his monitor around and asked, “What do you think of this?” It was the exact same logo that we have today.

I went to that meeting with the NYC caterer with boxes that I got from the deli across the street from my apartment, our new logo printed on a piece of paper that we glued on top of the box. Inside were my cupcakes, which I decided to make mini without paper, so the aesthetic was just like they are to this day – simply designed with a little touch of the stuffing on top. The caterer loved them and from there, everything was a whirlwind. We created a website, baked cupcakes for events and holiday markets in the city, started selling at a pop-up, and then launched our first retail location – a pickup window in Soho. It is amazing how our business has continued to grow and I definitely recommend starting a business because it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Now it is easier than ever to start a business with websites that help you to create your business and give you support. People often forget about all the elements of creating a business and at the beginning, I was a jumble, but when we set up this location it was important to use an official registered office address service through places like Your Company Formations. The information is always out there you just have to look for it.

Baked by Melissa has always been a group vision. In those early days, I had an amazing team of friends (old and new), plus my brilliant brother, parents, and now husband! You can’t do something like this alone: you have to recognize what you’re great at and surround yourself with people who have the strengths that you don’t. That’s exactly what we did, and that is what we do today. Now we have 14 locations and ship our baked goods nationwide. It’s been a magical ride, and there is so much more to come. I feel so fortunate to wake up each day and make life sweeter for people everywhere.

I’m surprised at just how far my business has come in just a short space of time and this is only the beginning. There are so many things that I want to achieve to keep my dream alive. One of my friends told me that, in order to keep achieving my dreams, I need to step up my marketing. She said that I need more clients and business. Apparently, using SEO companies like OutreachPete can be useful for this. By using link building techniques, SEO companies are able to increase your Google rankings, helping your page to rank higher. This helps more people become aware of your website, encouraging them to visit your page and learn more about your company. My friend said that technique might be good for my business, so I’ll keep it in mind. Hopefully one day I will be able to have some of my own employees who will be able to help me keep up with our increasing workload and then I can reward them by deciding to use a payroll company that can help me to easily manage their wages, as well as any vacation time that they need. Because of this, they will be able to work hard in helping me to make my business successful. That is the dream, but it is important that I focus on my business and how it is now.

Running your own business is not without its challenges though! For example, in the catering industry, it is so important to stay on top of your utility bills as these can soon spiral out of control. Utility Bidder is a great resource for businesses looking to switch energy providers as you can use their website to compare different suppliers and ensure you are getting the best price. Ultimately, it is all about finding unique ways to save money where you can.

Click here to shop Baked By Melissa.

THE MOMS: SARAH JESSICA PARKER

SJP in the Mamarazzi House!  We were so touched by SJP, the mom, the person who could just be your best friend( she kind of makes you feel like you already are), the smart business woman, and oh you know, forever Carrie Bradshaw!  We can’t explain what it feels like when Sarah Jessica Parker walks into your event and hugs you, asks about your health, remembering every detail and tells you how deserving you are for your success.

SJP was our very first Mamarazzi guest five years ago and helped jumpstart our event business. We thanked her again over and over and she continued to tell us that “it would have happened anyway” and that “you had an idea that was really smart and what you wanted to do no one had attempted”. We do pinch ourselves in moments like these. She talked all about social media, her own struggles with how to respond sometimes to the negativity and of course her hit HBO series Divorce.  Nothing but love for SJP. She’s the girlfriend you dream of.  Oh and then the dashing Thomas Haden Church walked into the room. Drop Mic. SO TUNE IN THIS SUNDAY AT 10pmEST for Divorce on HBO.

Event produced by Geanine Cilenti

THE MOMS: Cheryl Hines

We sure were #BADMOMS with Cheryl Hines at our LA Mamarzzi event for Bad Moms Christmas just before the holidays. Cheryl brought her own mom to the Mamarazzi event and told us and our audience some ‘Bad Moms’ stories.

(Click to listen and watch our Facebook live with Cheryl here). We loved learning so much about Cheryl like how she was a bad mom taking her 13 year old daughter to see the film.

She told us that you have to be a happy mom to be a good mom and that she goes to play poker to take time for herself so she doesn’t go crazy. That’s so important. Taking some time to do what you love doing is crucial for happiness. No matter how busy she is, Cheryl told us that she always finds time to play xe88 apk livemobile66 online. This is what makes her happy, so that’s what she plays. She told us to find something that we love and then spend some time doing it. All in all, she taught us to trust your gut and do the right thing. Whether that’s blowing off steam on 918kiss my.bossku.club websites, or doing family activities. You have to go check out Bad Moms Christmas right away!

Event produced by Geanine Cilenti

THE MOMS: Valerie Bertinelli

We had so much fun chatting with Valerie Bertinelli about her new cookbook, Valerie’s Home Cooking at our Mamarazzi event.  We learned so much from Valerie about her son, ex-husband (rockstar), managing her weight, and her love of cooking. We can’t say more good things about this lady! Be sure to go out and get her cookbook, Valerie’s Home Cooking for delicious recipes!

Event produced by Geanine Cilenti