Entrepreneur Friday: Amy Michelle Totes
WHO: Amy Wright and Michelle Herbert
WHAT: Amy Michelle Totes
WHERE: Golden, CO
WHEN: 2004
HOW: Friends since graduate school, Amy Wright and Michelle Herbert had the idea for their business when they were out to dinner. Herbert, a mother of two, reached into her bag for something, and when Wright saw the disarray of diapers, bottles, paperwork, and food inside, a spark was born. “Even in the saturated markets of baby products and women’s handbags, I could not find a bag that was organized, functional as well as sophisticated and elegant,” says Herbert. “Instead, a mom who chose organization and function sacrificed her style and elegance, while a mom who chose elegance and sophistication sacrificed organization and function.” The pair thought, “Why can’t a baby bag be both?” and started designing bags that evening on a restaurant napkin.
Each was working at the time – Herbert, a part-time office manager and full-time mom, and Wright, a product manager for an overseas cut-and-sew manufacturer – but went into it for different reasons. “I wanted a job that allowed me to schedule my hours so that I could be there for the kids, but still provided me with the mental challenges I so desperately wanted,” says Herbert. Wright, however, had the entrepreneur bug in her – and had the right experience to try it. “In my position working for the manufacturer, I was helping my customers design and develop their product line, which allowed me to design and develop products for my own company,” she says. And, it had an added benefit: “We were able to use my contacts with the factory to create our first product.”
Launching the business didn’t come without challenges, however – especially financial ones. “We each invested $40,000 of our own money to acquire products, create our brand, and attend our first tradeshow,” says Wright. The pair launched their first line of baby bags – and the business took off. With features like stroller attachment, a quick-release pacifier holder, a changing pad with its own pocket, and full sections for both mom and baby, who wouldn’t want one? “Motherhood requires many important sacrifices,” says Herbert, “but we did not believe choosing a baby bag should be among them.”
Despite their success, it wasn’t until January of this year that the business expanded to what it is today. After conducting some market research, they found that 40 percent of their customers didn’t have a baby! “We asked our customers what they used the bag for,” says Herbert, “and overwhelmingly, if it was not for baby, it was for work and travel. ” This sparked an idea that led to the business today – Amy Michelle Go Totes. With bags for baby-carrying moms, professionals, as well as frequent-flyers, the business hired their first employee last year, has two part-time interns, and nine sales representatives. For now, they’re working to expand their current lines – but in 2011, they hope to add even more functional and fashionable bags for women everywhere.
THEIR ADVICE: “If you have a business partner, make sure you have complementary skill sets and clearly define what your roles and responsibilities will be,” says Wright. “Make sure that the two of you can communicate really well and know that you are going to be together for a very long time. Michelle and I joke that it would take a divorce for us to go our separate ways!”
