Well, the time has come. I've been teasing this on social media for a few weeks now, but truth be told, I've been wanting this change to happen for nearly two years.
BayBee Boutique will be no more within a matter of months.
In its place, I am introducing a new brand; one more reflective of our goal to support mothers and their littles.
Introducing Careha + Co., a new lifestyle brand for mothers. I will focus on the ups and downs of motherhood through social media, blog posts, and natural postpartum and baby products.
Continue to read if you're interested in hearing more about WHY and HOW this change with happen.
If you've read our About Us page, you probably know that BayBee Boutique opened just three weeks before the birth of our first baby, Jaxon. I had already begun leading a healthier and more natural lifestyle and wanted to make sure I stuck with that when it came to my pregnancy and baby products. When I was about halfway through my pregnancy I started playing around with the idea that I could open up an online boutique centered around natural products for mama and baby, using all the resources I found while pregnant. One day I sketched out a logo for my hypothetical new store. I chose the name "BayBee" for a couple of reasons. Mainly because I wanted to phonetically spell "baby" and somehow include "bee" in there. "Bee" was actually a little nickname my family gave me when I was little: Carley Bee. After a few months of research, filing all the necessary paperwork, collecting inventory, and designing my website, BayBee Boutique officially opened for business on March 24, 2014. [Read more about our history here]
In the last (nearly) five years, BayBee Boutique has gone through a lot of changes. What initially was meant to be a hobby while I was home with Jaxon, grew into something I could have never imagined. Prior to this adventure, I had NO CLUE how demanding owning a small business would be. There's always something to do, whether it be answering emails, designing, photography, social media, actually making the products... I could go on! I found myself completely involved and putting my "mom" responsibilities on the back burner. I was constantly on my phone answering emails or posting to social media.
I found myself completely involved and putting my "mom" responsibilities on the back burner.
When I was pregnant with Evelyn, I felt completely overwhelmed by my responsibilities to BayBee Boutique. I couldn't be "on" all day every day anymore, I was too tired. I had seriously contemplated shutting down BayBee Boutique several times during that pregnancy... I blame the hormones. It was then I realized I was THE BOSS. I could absolutely control the direction BayBee Boutique was taking, I just needed to slow down and rework my business model.
First and foremost, I decided I would only post inventory on the site when products were made, cleaned, and packaged ready for shipment. This drastically cut down the time I was in the office working on orders.
Secondly, I would need to make the hard decision to cut most of our products. After being in business (at that time) for over three years, I had amassed a huge amount of supplies and inventory. I spent the better part of 2017 purging as much as I could. I cut about 80 products from my lineup. It's odd to think I had, at one point, over 100 different products in my shop; no wonder I was overwhelmed!
The last step of my new business model included me seriously considering a rebrand. Although I love BayBee Boutique, it hasn't been truly reflective of everything I have to offer as a small business owner. I am not just about supporting babies (i.e. BayBee's) through the horrible teething stages; I am much more about supporting women through this amazing journey of Motherhood. I myself am not the same person I was when I started BayBee Boutique, so what's to say my business has to stay the same either?
I am not just about supporting babies through the horrible teething stages; I am much more about supporting women through this amazing journey of Motherhood.
The name, Careha + Co, came to me on September 18, 2017... I only remember because I typed it into the notes app on my iPhone and it's still there. It is a combination of my first, middle, and last name: CArley REnee HAll. The "+ co." represents my little babes, my inspiration for it all, Jaxon and Evelyn. I want this brand to reflect my journey as a mother, and I hope to continue to provide amazing products to mamas and their babies! Our focuses will be breastfeeding support, 4th trimester support, newborn babies, colic/fussy babies, teething remedies, and more! Basically, what we're doing now, except with a new name.
The transition will happen slowly at first; mostly because I'm not sure I am totally ready to say goodbye to BayBee Boutique. More concrete details will be provided soon, but tentatively, this is what we've got scheduled.
March 1: Announcement of rebrand
March 15: Begin social media name changes
March 20: Begin phasing out BayBee Boutique branding/ packaging and replace with new Careha + Co. branding
April 1: Full launch and new website for Careha + Co.
Please follow us on social media (Instagram, Facebook), for the latest updates. I truly appreciate everyone's support as we make this transition. For the time being, I do not anticipate any closures to our website, although, we may have some adjustments to our turnaround times which will be announced ahead of time.
More to come. With growth comes change...
C