How a Mistake Turned into a Business for One Southern California Mom

The year was 1993 and Nancy Wurtzel had just given birth to a baby girl. Looking to make a career shift, but still use her business skills, Wurtzel didn't realize it but her new life's work was waiting for her in the mailbox! More than ten years later, All About Baby is thriving and Wurtzel says the business journey has been challenging, exhausting but never, ever boring.

(PRWEB) March 5, 2005 -- Nancy Wurtzel always tells people that All About Baby® started out with a mistake.

Shortly after giving birth to her daughter Katherine in 1993, Wurtzel ordered a personalized newborn birthday scroll by mail order. When the item arrived, Wurtzel was very disappointed with its quality and appearance.

I was expecting a beautiful scroll, but the paper and design looked cheap," recalls Wurtzel. It certainly wasnt something that I would want to hang in my babys nursery."

Even worse was the fact that some of the personalized information was wrong. Since there was no phone number listed on any of the enclosed literature, Nancy couldnt even call to ask for a corrected copy. The only alternative was to write the company and hope for some type of response.

My first reaction was that buying this product had been a big mistake," she says. Then after giving it some more thought, I realized that the concept was actually a very good one. However, I felt that I could create a more attractive, accurate certificate -- one that could be adapted to fit the needs of almost any family. And, I certainly could provide better customer service."

Wurtzel began researching the market and found that indeed there was a niche that wasnt being filled. With her background in marketing, she started to plan a career shift from corporate consulting to small business owner.

The process took over 18 months, but finally Wurtzel launched All About Baby® out of the family room of her home, located just outside of Los Angeles Not surprisingly, the companys first product was a personalized birthday scroll, called Babyography®.

Running All About Baby has been exciting, challenging and sometimes exhausting," says Wurtzel. But it has never been boring."

I have the type of personality where I can ride out the ups and downs that come with business ownership. Many companies fail because the owner is better suited to being an employee rather than a boss."

How has Wurtzel blended her family and work obligations? Wurtzel reports that Katie, now 11 years old, sometimes helps out in the office on weekends doing tasks such as stamping letters, folding flyers or proofreading orders.

I love the fact that Katie sees me running a small business," she says. It shows her that a woman can navigate the professional world ,while still having a personal life."

Indeed, operating her own business and having a home office does allow Wurtzel the flexibility to meld career and home life. She usually works until early afternoon and then picks Katie up from school.

Since I dont have to punch a clock, I can volunteer at school, take part in class field trips and always be there to help with homework," Wurtzel says.

Late afternoons and evenings, Wurtzel can usually be found back in the office returning phone calls and checking email messages. On weekends, she spends a few hours working on expanding the business.

A few years ago, Wurtzel began adding more gift items to the All About Baby® line, and the company now features tooth fairy pillows and ceramics, piggy banks, books, wooden hangers, cookie making sets, personalized picture frames and more.

When All About Baby® was launched nine years ago, it was primarily a direct mail business. Over time, it has evolved into an ecommerce company. We now do very little traditional advertising, instead growing our business through online marketing, word-of-mouth and repeat business," says Wurtzel.

The recipe seems to be working. Last year, All About Baby® completed a home office expansion that more than doubled its work and inventory space. Wurtzel also is hoping to add more products and services.

So what started as a mistake has blossomed into a full-service business that brings me tremendous joy and satisfaction," Wurtzel says. This was one mistake that really turned out perfect."

For more information, contact:
All About Baby
800-781-7171
350 Fox Hills Drive, Thousand Oaks CA 91361.

# # #