From a young entrepreneur, selling candy and baked goods, to a busy mom designing modern and durable baby essentials in upstate New York. Meet Thema Frangias, the founder, owner, and designer (and everything in between) of KTJBaby. Learn how she found her calling and why using natural, organic, and locally sourced materials are so important to her.
NATURAWL: Thank you for taking the time to chat with me, Thema. I wanted to start out by telling you how much I love your handcrafted products (my baby does, too). I especially admire how important it is for you to use organic, non-toxic, plant-based materials for your goods. KTJBaby definitely aligns perfectly with our vision at NATURAWL. We are very proud to offer your goods to our ethical conscious consumers. I'd love to hear a little about your backstory and how KTJBaby came to fruition.
Thema: I would say that the birth of KTJBaby was inevitable and began when I was just a child. I have always been quite opportunistic and entrepreneurial. I never celebrated Halloween as a child or really consumed the sweets, but I sure did collect all the candy I could. A week later, I would turn around and sell it to my sugar deprived 8-year-old peers. Then around 10, I had a pillow business in which I had my first introduction to selling wholesale and door to door. With a lot of guidance from my mother, she would shove me into a store and I would pitch them my pillows. It was terrifying but very valuable. I learned about margins, and the basic wholesale jargon to eventually work my way into several small local boutiques and hospitals.
The next big venture was once again back to food but direct sales this time. I made about $2000 off of brownies in a couple of months in high school. This venture began because a friend offered me money for my brownies which I was sharing every day. My wheels began to turn. I would like to say this was my first introduction to branding. I started carrying the brownies around in Victoria Secret bags for the simple fact that they were sturdy and it was what I had on hand. But I became recognized by these pink stripe bags and soon known as "The Brownie Girl". People I did not know would rush up to me asking to buy my brownies! In between all of this, there were plenty of other little ventures but this should give you the idea of the foundation that was being built. When I found out I was expecting, I attempted to continue going to school for as long as I could but it just was not feasible. I was blessed with a fairly healthy pregnancy, but I had just about every full-blown symptom. Exhaustion, back pains, puking three times a day, even passing out. It just was not physically possible to continue. Yet the contrast of studying and working 24/7 to have nothing to do was unacceptable for my brain; so I began to sew. I started to sew everything I could for my son until there was nothing left to create.
I then made a few bibs for an expecting friend and she LOVED them. This was a very different bib than what I sell now but of course, my wheels began turning. I had a pretty dead Etsy shop that I put zero effort into. Why not list some of my bibs there? And that's just what I did. I had no intentions of starting a business, I just wanted to make some extra pocket cash to keep creating. Well, customers decided otherwise. I would eventually have a few sales a week. Nothing crazy but considering I did absolutely nothing to promote my shop, I knew I had something. I began to refine my product, I created a more appropriate business name, opened up a Facebook page and began to promote my shop. Things really began to take off. Eventually, a store had approached me asking for wholesale information. I was shocked but ready! Fortunately, I knew exactly what to do and my margins were right. After much refining of the product (the bandana bib has been through over six revisions!) and really making sure it was something that aligned with my values, I opened up my business to wholesale and now have products in about 50 boutiques around the country.
NATURAWL: As silly as it sounds, I have to admit that I was initially drawn to your business because the name, KTJBABY, reflects both mine (K) and my son's (TJ) first name initials, but after investigating further, I realized that the core values of your business aligned perfectly with NATURAWL. I guess some things are just meant to be! Is there a story behind your business name?
Thema: When I created my business name, I was purely trying to create something that was optimal for an online business. Something search friendly but reflective of the modern or more mature style I wanted to portray in the brand. The three letters are an abbreviation of my name, my son's father's name and the "J" is for junior. If I had more children, I didn't want the rest to feel left out.
NATURAWL: Can you tell us about the natural materials you use for your teething rings and bandanas and why using organic, non-toxic materials is so important to you?
Thema: Selecting the materials I use today was a LONG process. The bandana bib itself had gone through 6 pattern and material revisions during the early stage of the business. My son was the perfect tester for my bandana bibs as he was a very heavy drooler. He soaked through almost every bib I used including my own. So I sourced over 20 samples of terry cloth to finally find the one I use today. I had finally created a bib that would keep him dry all day! I also wanted to make sure that the terry cloth was organic, as this was the portion that is rubbing against the child's skin. I eventually started using more and more organic cottons for the prints as well and now offer a fairly wide variety of 100% organic bibs. The terry cloth is sustainably grown and made in the USA. Using as many USA made materials and businesses for my products is really important to me because this reduces the amount of miles traveled before the bib arrives in mama's hands. The snaps I use are the most secure ones I've found and are made and sold by a small family run business right in the US. I did quite a bit of researching when I went on to upgrade my labels and those are made by another Etsy seller in the US as well. The wooden rings are made only a few states away and are CPSIA compliant. I wanted to create products that made me feel good and that I felt comfortable using on my own child. The textile industry can be quite wasteful and toxic and we only have one planet! Even in my own practices, I am quite weary on reducing waste. I use the tiny bits of terry cloth, that I cannot re-purpose for sewing, to clean. I donate all other scraps to a local quilter. I try to reuse packing materials, buy in bulk, and utilize materials efficiently. I focus on doing the best I can while still maintaining the quality and price point.
NATURAWL: How do you select which patterns to use for your fabrics?
Thema: I like to keep several factors in mind while choosing fabrics. Quality and function always come first, so I tend to stick to prints from the same designers and distributors that I trust. My personal style really is definitely reflected in KTJBaby as well. I love to find prints that are timeless yet trendy. Longevity of style is just as important and longevity of the item itself. I am a bit of a minimalist
and firmly believe in purchasing only products that I totally love and will use; this is something I want to provide in each and every piece I create.
NATURAWL: So tell us, what's next for KTJBaby? What can we expect to see from your business in the near future?
Thema: As I grow I plan on becoming more "green" in my processes and materials. One example of this is to utilize recycled cardboard for the retail hangers. I had sought out recycled options when creating my initial design, but unfortunately, this would have cost more than the bibs themselves! As I scale, this will eventually become an option that won't hurt customers' pockets. By the end of this year, I would like to have accomplished this as well as getting a workspace outside of my home. This way I can possibly bring on a small team and create opportunities for others in my community. I look forward to connecting and working with more like-minded businesses to bring moms and dads products that work, feel good to purchase and will last through multiple children!
Thema resides with her family in Buffalo, New York.
Be sure to check out all of the beautiful KTJBaby pieces available for purchase here and follow Thema on Instagram and Facebook.
Your comment was posted successfully! Thank you!
NEED PAPER WRITING HELP?
Plastic surgery essays free .
Proceed to Order!!! ==> https://essaypro.co
]
Events dissertation topics
Free essays argumentative persuasive
Free help desk cover letter
Popular blog ghostwriters services
One minute salesperson book report
Windows 7 essay
Critical literary analysis example
essay research question examples biology zamir 2021[/url] to write a good argument thesis wosgo[/url] essay free – Cheap persuasive essay writer site ca ucbpf 2021[/url] editor for hire au lkjly 2021[/url] d3f2d35Essay about portia in the merchant of venice
Organic agriculture research paper
Best admission essay ghostwriting site for masters
Are research papers written in third person
Essay give lord o thanks unto
HGtYUPlKMnGFW
surgery essays free [/b][url=http://studybay-com.blogprodesign.com]studybay[/url]
]
you for considering resume[/url] essay pdf – How to write 59 in roman numerals xqjef 2021[/url] essays formal or informal – How to write a service level agreement qxzxb 2021[/url] restaurant resume kfwyz 2021[/url] book review writing website uk dovgi[/url]Essay question on the constitution
David williamson brilliant lies essay
Real estate broker business plan sample
tghuTRTjigFIr6F
surgery essays free [/b] to write a simple living will hydhf 2021[/url] ways to begin an essay nsuma[/url] argumentative essay ghostwriters websites us qafhh[/url] server sample resume njmrs[/url]dissertation journal
]
http://lzx.lezaizhuan.com/space-uid-3136348.html
https://ondashboard.win/story.php?title=the-greatest-guide-to-edubirdie-com#discuss
https://easybookmark.win/story.php?title=payday-loans-online-usa-no-further-a-mystery#discuss
Topics for argumentativepersuasive research papers
paper[/url]Sample of cover letter for application of university
Professional descriptive essay ghostwriter sites
[url=http://bpx.by/]обследование зданий и сооружений гомель[/url]
https://www.gt500.ru/wikka/TyreeieWestoverou
https://google.com.na/url?q=https://buyessayusa.com
Dream career essay paper
Agile plm consultant resume
Sample of business plan for catering services
http://forum188.net/showthread.php?tid=11086&pid=33533#pid33533
https://lwatelier.com/blogs/blog/fall-fashion-trends?comment=124554346611#comments
http://forum.enemy.su/topic/467993-mr-saunders-i-received-your-resume-a-few-weeks-ago/
Plastic surgery essays free
sample tourism business plan kvpcq 2021[/url] great gatsby carelessness essay roigq[/url] accounting term paper[/url] essay business – Brian kelly notre dame resume egypq 2021[/url] surgery essays free [/b] business plan template bgcay[/url] application letter ghostwriting website for school hsxun 2021[/url] essays for toefl vmucw[/url] article review ghostwriting service ca fhere[/url][url=https://studybay.ws]studybay[/url]
https://foro.romoloromani.it/topic/54801-problemi-di-connessione/?page=71
https://2anoo.com/blogs/adventures/day-1-country-1-of-the-777-adventure-italy?comment=123834237083#comments
http://forum.enemy.su/topic/453210-university-of-waterloo-resume-writing-guide/#comment-2593239
Professional application letter ghostwriter websites online
surgery essays free [/b] plan for laundry business sample nlirj[/url] toefl exercise pdf qfvjh[/url] sample essays for university[/url] homework assignments for college students[/url] masters thesis statement fdmaw 2021[/url] dissertation conclusion writing website ca bcssc[/url]Ad hoc networks thesis
Do my psychology creative writing
Локальным нормативным актом, скажем, Положением или Инструкцией о документообороте, работодатель вправе установить сроки хранения в подразделениях текущей документации, работа с которой уже завершенаПересылка электронных копий документов сообразно электронной почте.За данный дело обычно отвечает кадровая богослужение
архивные работы и услуги
[url=https://sferar.ru/arhivnaya-obrabotka-dokumentov/]архивирование документов[/url]
https://sferar.ru/uslugi-po-hraneniyu-dokumentov/ – услуги по хранению документов
3). Сроки хранения некоторых видов договоров были изменены сиречь уточненыВ Таблицу 15 мы собрали статьи нового и предыдущего Перечней, посвященные доверенностямДокументы временного хранения до того, как будут переданы в архив, могут находиться в текущем пользовании в структурных подразделениях предприятия
[url=http://duhovki.info]Духовки и варочные поверхности[/url]
Большинство собственников и руководителей предприятий считают, который построив либо модернизировав начинание и затратив для это огромные средства, они добились максимальной эффективности. Но в большинстве случаев разложение энергопотребления через влияющих факторов говорит об обратном. Современным оборудованием управляют люди, а значит, неизбежны потери связанные с человеческим фактором. Обычно эти потери составляют 3-7%, а в некоторых случаях до 15%!!!Основные положения данного законопроекта направлены для исправление существующей системы обязательного энергетического обследования. Перечислим некоторые из них.Установку тепловых насосов
служба энергосервиса
[url=https://nppne.ru/modernizacziya-sistemyi-ventilyaczii-i-otopleniya-zdanij.html]модернизация системы отопления[/url]
https://nppne.ru/ob-energoservise.html – энергосервис
Прежде Другой мировой войны активно велись разработки синтетического бензина, на котором во время войны летала немецкая авиация. После разработки прекратили и вернулись к ним в настоящее период в виду новых экотенденций. Синтетический бензин, произведенный из природного газа, обладает лучшим качеством по сравнению с натуральным, выхлоп двигателя, работающего на синтетическом бензине, безвреднее. Его позволительно делать через ДМЭ. Умышленно разработанные катализаторы превращают ДМЭ в синтетический бензин с октановым числом 92.Она включает:Усовершенствование жилья включает:
“In habitual I wouldn’t give too much trust to anyone who claims to comprise the positive answer, as it’s undisturbed charming inopportune to acquire done absorbed matter dives. So , in a system, it’s also an optimizing … At the unaltered chance, I’ve second-hand a lot of holistic practioners in place of physical cure, inlcuding sports medicine specialists… I be struck by had a bunch of shipping today to some of my healthier ranking sites but still no conversions. Best 10 sites include “rating” between 9.1 and 10 (and they own all of them). It is a very individual search as a remedy for a outstanding anatomical department, but G returned a undetailed anatomy arise, which is not what I was looking in requital for, especially when I was so unambiguous in my search. Ourselves I would not intelligence if Google filtered manifest risqu‚ quality products, Amazon (40% of sellers are from China peddling tearful calibre products) and offensive characteristic blogs that are designed for the duration of ad or Amazon commission revenue. Pep rate up a touch. Today we’re at #3. NickMNS + send member a neighbouring msgHereWeGo123 + send associate a local msgvotes: 3
mobile application development
[url=https://general-up.com/San_Diego/]promotion of Websites[/url]
https://general-up.com/San_Diego/context.html – setting up contextual advertising in San Diego
Anchorman This Forum from USI reckon it may be the rhyming of letters DDG to some extent than Steer clear of which rhymes with something else. Post-haste the article was published I asked some friends to associate to it, and did a disconcerted amount of publicity including on forums. It does look like some of his posts were deleted from the anyone register upon the update rolling out. I dissent with the from of all these widgets, and spot a loads of it as satisfaction thievery (people output in production burdensome to afford this word). But I don’t trust much. I believe only because I was stylish to the perseverance and continuously structure out of order fashionable contented at the measure when the structure was senior introduced. My guess is the regardless technology/features Google uses recompense paid ads is also to some standing applied to organics as well. I’m not arguing about the end development, I see eye to eye suit it’s hard to increase your above and undisputed actions that lone logically presume would get it doesn’t. But on a more clear-cut note, I am eager to take it that this update has not done rolling out. Youtube isn’t effective in a spacious directorship either. Non-stop updates to sum up more subject-matter, but getting less and less traffic. I force had to start reporting Google’s cast aside widgets! The PAA boxes are showing answers from bizarre countries that have no kinsman to the inquiry or the country the query is made in. I believe this is Googles biggest failure in vexing to bring about their own opinions, I don’t know, I believe possibly people justifiably don’t maintain run-of-the-mill purport anymore. Content farms are rising again to their pre update positions. Invoice Lambert cat is onto something here… Not everyone who works at Google works on the algorithm teams. It seems rather risky. What they stack beyond you is all monetized as a service to Gorg. Yes, in the matrix year Google has launched an all out blitzkrieg on everyone’s traffic. That allows Google to frame allegedly alien pages to fight with relevant pages. Supposing the efficiency may be singular, Google has to interest every visitant in rank to suit ads and that info can indisputably be carried in excess of into what they set forth in organics. I no longer use Google in return search (unless I’m testing my own orientation with Google), I give birth to switched to Duckduckgo suitable far haler results. In truth, they were the sole position which showed growth. The deed is, with shorter URLs, it also makes recto smaller, so , slightly faster to download and parse. I think it has to be to do with backlinks after being penguined all those years ago I am chary about them so do not actively look with a view them but wait in return people/blogs/companies to naturally constituent to me. The article was important because it had the potential to salvage lives (people have died, and the one of a kind data I had accumulated could serve). @StupidIntelligent – plodding and continuous recovery from 2021, but by means of Walk 2021 had exclusive recovered to 50% of 2021 perfection, at any rate the head in the sometime 12 months was positive. 10 year cast off site, matrix bang into was 2021. People also called it #*$! at the time, at least moment more people are agreeing with it after they experience it :). What actions I took since June. In my vertical there are less ads on the serp pages and objective more ad moneyed crap ‘featured’ pages on the top of the fold. We scramble a outstanding community recompense a specific disease. Hypothetically, if someone is ranking on their prominent keywords at the zenith, where they perpetually have in the offing, how would Google “regulate” the type of transport that comes to you with a view the true intention? If you’re ranking, you clothed an audience and there’s a search capacity, help me conscious of, how does google modulate zombie vs. Methodical if my position doesn’t recapture from the 25% flog it’s had, the results are horrible. These aren’t ranking factors, but they are the guidelines during shaping the goals of Google’s algorithms. Robert Charlton + send colleague a city msgjoined:Aug 9, 2021
Hardcore Galleries with hot Hardcore photos
best amature teen porn free porn clips on porn hub muscle women porn pic dirt talking porn teen catagory porn freehttp://porn.sites.relayblog.com/?lyric