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Co-founder, Tirza Baby
www.tirzababy.com

At every baby shower, don’t some gifts always steal the show? You know the ones – they’re so soft or cute that you’ll put aside layer cake to touch and admire them.

Such baby-shower showstoppers might spring to mind when you check out the clothes, blankets and other gifts from the just-launched online boutique at Tirza Baby. See below for a special discount code for Ladies Who Launch members.

Colleen Wolfe, the company’s co-founder, joined forces with two other women to launch Tirza Baby after her successful career in the telecom world was taking a toll on her family and happiness.

Hanging Up on Her VP Title

“I spent about 17 years in the tech industry. My last assignment was as a VP at one of the top telecom companies. I knew everything there was to know about telecom – how to sell it, build it – but I still wasn’t happy. As my third child turned about one and a half years old, I knew I was done committing most of myself to my career alone.

“Actually I knew I was done about three to four years before that, but when you work hard, you have many doors open before you. You’re sitting in a position that many women and men would love to have. You’re used to the money, the lifestyle, the prestige. It took me a while to get the idea of quitting to fit me.”

Hurray, I’m Home with the Kids. Now What?!

“Every day I was painstakingly fighting my desire to be home with my kids. I wanted to be more of an influence with them than I could be in three to four hours a day. As my elder kids entered school, there was a bigger pull to be home and to be present with them on their journey.

“I had no plans. None. I was fortunate that my husband supported me. It was a huge lifestyle change. We went from feeling really free to buy and purchase and do whatever we wanted to do – to OK, we need to be more conservative and plan a little bit more.’

Cleaning the Closets & Searching for Inspiration

“During the first three months, I set a goal every day – to clean out the closets, or clean up the garden bed. It took me a year to free myself from needing to have something tangibly accomplished at the end of the day.

“I did, however, decide to receive my master’s degree/certification in executive coaching, and I thought, ‘If I need to, I can venture out and do that.’ I was included in an opportunity to co-author a book called ‘Remarkable Women.’ But nothing really inspired me. Until about nine months ago, when I was connected with one of my partners in Tirza Baby, Gayle Holmes.”

Finding It

“She was the owner of an executive mentoring company for years. She started talking with me about designing and fabricating beautiful clothing and linens for children in a classic 1940s kind of fashion. She had hired a designer in Germany, was fabricating the clothes in Brazil, and wondered if this would be something that I wanted to do.

“When I told my husband, ‘I think I’m going to sell baby clothes, ‘ he about fell off his chair. Because here I was, a very high-tech-oriented person used to dealing with billion-dollar companies, considering selling baby clothes. But I have never looked back, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.”

Baby Boutiques Abound – What Distinguishes Tirza Baby

“Tirza Baby is a private-label line of nursery linens and clothing. We have an exclusive arrangement with our designer. Nothing that we fabricate will be available anywhere else in the U.S. other than at Tirza Baby. Our colors are classic – our clothes are European in style. Many of our clothes and blankets are hand-embroidered. With each washing, the clothes become softer and they’re virtually indestructible. We say you could crawl around in the back yard with them… it’s like the simpler times in the ‘ 40s when you bought quality clothing – that’s what you get from Tirza Baby.”

PR Dilemma

“(PR and marketing) is the hardest piece right now. We have to get brand recognition. But as a startup, we have warehouse costs and inventory costs. Where do we go for PR? How do we spend our money wisely? What markets do we pursue? Our main line of distribution will be our Web site. We have been doing fabulous trunk shows and will continue to as a fundamental distribution channel. We have a signature showroom here in Minnesota open on certain days to help people design their nurseries and select clothing for their children.”

Formula for Work-Life Balance

“I don’t think there’s a formula – everyone juggles work and family the best way that they can. I prioritize being good to my family and myself first, way more often than I did when I was working in a corporation. In a start-up business, you’re the designer, the decision-maker, the trashcan dumper, but if I can include my kids in the experience, it’s no different than if I were taking a walk and talking with them. I’m home every day when school ends, and I don’t leave the house before they go to school. I’m really present during their important times.”

Breaking the Mindset of Being an Employee

“I grew up in St Paul, Minnesota and I had four siblings. I’m the fourth out of five. My father worked for Burlington Northern for his entire adult life, and retired early, at 54. My mother stayed home until my younger sister and myself were school age and then she went to work. In terms of entrepreneurship, there was not role modeling.

“It was expected that you worked for a company, you were honorable with the company, you worked hard and at the end of the day, the company would take care of you. You worked, that’s what you did. I began cleaning houses at 12. A bank account was expected of you. You did what you could do that provided you money resulting in choices.

“After I graduated from college (University of Saint Thomas), my Dad suggested I go into marketing and said there are lots of opportunities for women in marketing. So I went into marketing. I never thought, ‘How do I feel about this? Does it meet my needs?’ I didn’t have that type of upbringing. I have no regrets; I am very lucky to have had a career as I did. And I am very lucky to have support today to venture into something more risky.

“I think it’s important for my children to know that you can make a change any time in your life and the world will not stop. They need to see that role-modeled. They need to know that they have choices. Make good decisions, and go for it”!

Greatest Success

“We have a warehouse full of amazing products to distribute and which are beautiful, high quality, and we are so proud of our designs. We’re launching this company from a trip to Germany (for a big fabric show), an idea, a meeting with an acquaintance, to a full-fledged distribution company in less than a year.”

Greatest Challenge

“My greatest challenge right now is getting to my customer, and identifying who my ideal target customer is. Gayle and I walked with two suitcases full of products in New York along Fifth Avenue, First Avenue, the West Side, Upper East Side, asking retailers what do they like about the products and would they carry our products. It is important that we are open to doing whatever it takes to bring customers to Tirza Baby.”

Most Valuable Business Resource

“The Number One thing I do is to talk to everyone and listen to everyone. There’s not one person that I meet that I don’t ask a question of… have they done something or know someone or how have they done this or that. I have no fear of going to industry experts – I have no problem going to the VP of XYZ Company and asking for a coffee date to discuss ideas with her. If you stop doing that, then you’re not going to better yourself or your product.”

Words of Advice

‘You can learn anything about anything. I’m convinced of it. I’m not an importer. Before we got involved in this business, we knew nothing about duties and currencies and trade with Europe. But we now import hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of clothes into the U.S. and we do it well. There have been lots of bumps along the way, but we do it. Trust in yourself and be open to the possibilities.”

Special Discount for Ladies Who Launch Subscribers

Ladies Who Launch members can receive a discount of 10 percent at www.tirzababy.com. Enter discount code: LWL10.

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