Miracle Baby Inspires New York Businesswoman

Life handed this NY entrepreneur a whole bowlful of lemons, but with hard work and a little miracle or two, she managed to rise to the challenge. Enduring the heartbreak of infertility, several miscarriages, and the loss of her job, the arrival of a long-awaited "miracle baby" gave Donna Bliss the motivation she needed to move onward and upward to create a business that's well on its way to being a true entrepreneurial success story

Even in the worst of times, Donna Bliss believed in miracles . . . why wouldn't she? She, her family and business are all tied together in one package as the result of a tiny little miracle named Jillian Nicole. And Bliss also finds it quite 'miraculous' that in the period of less than two years, she has moved from the unemployment line to a full-time business owner whose already profitable My Miracle Baby.com (www.mymiraclebaby.com) has become the subject of a book about work-at-home Moms, a featured story in Long Island Business News as well as a 2-page accolade in Queens Parent Magazine.

Having emotionally survived infertility and several miscarriages, topped by the loss of her job, Bliss found strength and inspiration in her long-awaited miracle baby, Jillian. Soon, with a closet full of barely used infant clothes acting as the catalyst, she began selling baby clothes on eBay with amazing success. Seeing the potentially large market for affordable baby clothing and accessories, Bliss started her own company, made contacts, turned her entire basement into an office, hired help, and set about developing a thriving business that now allows her to work from home.

While My Miracle Baby.com got its early start with what Bliss calls "pre-loved gently used clothing," she says its continued success is due to the great buys from major manufacturers like Carter's, Oshkosh, Little Me, Baby Gap and more . . . all which she purchases as close-outs, over-runs, or from liquidators -- brand new children's clothing for about 1/3 of the usual retail cost. "New clothing is 90% of my business," states Bliss, "but the surprise of the past season was the enormous success of gifts and keepsake items. People seem to love anything personalized with a child's name, and that segment of my business has become so popular that I now employ my own embroiderer."

As for future expansion, Bliss says her head is swimming with ideas. "I've already begun expansion into the high end side of the business. My new baby boutique department includes top of the line ensembles, most with all the accessories to complete the look." And there's another little bonus in the works for parents too. "Many mothers who shop at My Miracle Baby.com have actually come to know each other through the 'miracle baby' stories we let them share on the site. Soon they'll be able to do clothing exchanges through us too. I'm not giving away the details just yet, but it will soon be operational and our customers are going to love it!"

This enthusiastic entrepreneur is decidedly pleased with the turn of events in her life and says, "I'm thrilled that despite all the reported economic indicators which are discouraging to small business owners, my hard work and persistence has paid off . . . last quarter we had record sales, and the repeat business is the best news of all! It's now official and assured that My Miracle Baby.com is here to stay! And it's a great plus and a joy to me that while my business succeeds, it also helps other Moms keep their little ones dressed in the best, at prices they can afford."
# # #