Crib Sheet #5: Kelly Neylan of BuddhiWear

Like yoga or not, this momtrepreneur knows exactly what you need to get comfortable in it. Enjoy this interview with Kelly Neylan, owner of BuddhiWear Organic Apparel Company.

What motivated you to start your BuddhiWear Organic Apparel company?

I wanted affordable and stylish organic yoga themed apparel for myself and my children and I couldn’t find any on the market. Then I became interested in energy healing and I couldn’t find any shirts with those themes either so I added them. It’s just kept snow balling with my interests now we also have pilates, environmental, and other positive designs as well.

How many children do you have, and how old are they?

I have two children: Julia, 6, and Ethan, 3.

How long were/have you been running your BuddhiWear Organic Apparel  business?

This is our third year.

How long did it take you to start becoming profitable and/or successful (however you chose to measure success)?

It took about a year before it really started to take off.

How did your husband and/or family react to you starting your own BuddhiWear Organic Apparel business?

I think they were surprised but very supportive.

Easiest part of your job?

Coming up with new design ideas. I love to be creative, it’s so much fun.

Hardest part of your job?

Accounting and fulfillment.

What, if any, tools or advice do you wish you knew then that you know now?

More details on how Google and search engines work. It took a while before I was able to get a handle on how all the search engine metrics work. What tip I would give new start-ups would be to use the Google trend site and see what search terms are the most popular for your product/site see what the long tail (less popular) ones are. Concentrate on trying to be the highest rated site on the Google search for the long tail search terms. It can be difficult for a small company to come up number one on the most popular search term for your product/site but it’s a lot easier to be high in the ratings for, say, the next 10 long tail search terms and reach a good amount of people.

Any people or computer programs or other materials that you recommend for fellow momtrepreneurs to use/buy for their companies?

Make sure that the business credit card you choose can easily download into your financial program (Quicken etc.). Also, I recommend the following books: Guerrilla Marketing (and their series), and Facebook Marketing: Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business.

Anything else I should have asked you that you should answer?

Find something that inspires you every day. Being a mom and an entrepreneur can be all encompassing and it is import not to loose yourself in the doing. You need to continually renew yourself and find new sources of inspiration.

A few more questions, just because American Express should be featuring more momtrepreneurs…

Childhood ambition….to become an Egyptologist, the closest I came to that was doing an archaeological dig in Maryland and ending up on a children’s TV show segment. Still haven’t made it to Egypt yet.
Fondest memory….too hard to pick just one. Spending family time and hearing my children laugh with utter glee.
Indulgence….massage.
Last purchase…..organic food.
Favorite magazine…..Yoga Journal.
Inspiration…..comes from my daily meditation practice.
My Life…is wonderful just how it is today.