Welcome to the GMB (Good Morning Baby) blog! We are so stoked to have you here as we maneuver on this exciting small business journey together. Today, we want to take a moment to share our story, the essence of who we are, and how our love for babies, fashion, and entrepreneurship brought us to where we are today. We'll dive into the origins of our brand and the heartfelt inspiration behind it all.

Chapter 1: A Dream Begins to Blossom

Every great venture starts with a dream, and our story is no different. We welcomed our first born daughter, Brooklyn, in April of 2021. I was still on maternity leave from my corporate job (as I am writing this blog post I'm on mat leave for baby #2 now!), when I started getting the itch to start my own business. Something I had wanted to do for years and years after graduating from college and entering the corporate world, I just didn't know what it would be. I found myself spending late nights and early mornings browsing the internet for cute baby clothes that my child would grow out of in .2 seconds lol.... I was having the hardest time finding affordable and trendy pieces that I'd honestly want to wear myself if they had a matching adult version (until eventually we just started making our own!) Then it clicked.... why don't I just create our own brand? I had experience working at some of the biggest retailers in the game (Amazon, Nordstrom, Costco) and learned so much from my years in buying, site merchandising, and other retail related jobs. I think I could do this?! But what do we name it....where do we even start.... it seems so daunting maybe it was just a tired 2 am thought that I should just ignore.

Chapter 2: Where Passion Meets Purpose

We spent countless hours researching, brainstorming, figuring out a plan to just START. No excuses, let's just start. Our goal was to create clothing that would not only be comfortable and practical but also reflect the unique personalities of these precious little beings. We came up with the name (Good Morning Baby, more on that in a different post or you can check our insta highlights for how we came up with that!) We used LegalZoom to get our business set up as an LLC, bought a website domain, created a business email, and off we went! Also, for another blog post....all the steps we took to get this brand off the ground - I couldn't possibly fit it all in one intro blog.

Chapter 3: From a Dream to Reality

Turning our dream into reality required immense dedication, unwavering belief, and a leap of faith. We spent weeks and months figuring out which wholesalers and manufacturers we could trust and rely on, what taxes we would owe on shipments, how much shipping would be, how much would shipping cost once a customer orders on our shop, what the process would look like after they checked out, from packaging to shipping labels, to test runs to the post office, we needed to make sure this whole logistics thing was figured out. And everything else in between. Little by little, day by day we were getting closer to finally flipping our site LIVE. With our first inventory shipment in the guest room of our very first house, I laid them out on the most unattractive blanket, snapped a few pics on my iphone, created product pages and launched our site with 12 whole styles. It was going to be an uphill battle right out of the gate! We knew we didn't want to take out a loan on this quite yet so we started with literally $5k and have reinvested into the business basically every since as we continue to grow, grow, grow!

Chapter 4: Spreading Love, One Outfit at a Time

With our hearts filled with anticipation and excitement, we launched GMB in August of 2021. Our mission was clear: to dress babies & moms in clothing that would make them look and feel adorable while also reflecting their individuality. We wanted pieces that were unique to us and embodied our brand. We were quickly humbled by the support and loyalty of our day one customers. Starting with a couple hundred followers on Instagram and a mediocre website (honestly, the website still needs improvement lol) it would have been easy to overlook us as scam. But you guys trusted us, you showed up for our launches, you purchased our cute products and spread the word about our brand. We truly would be nothing today if it wasn't for our customers. Which is why we are always evolving two years later. We listen to you guys, we hear what you want to see more of even if that means it isn't always baby clothes. *Que the anxious mom club collection*

Chapter 5: Building a Community of Joy

As our business grew, so did our community of wonderful parents, grandparents, and caregivers who shared our passion for trendy & cool baby clothing. We were motivated to continue expanding our collection and providing exceptional service. If there is one thing I learned from my years at Nordstrom's headquarters, it was that the customer is ALWAYS right.

As we reflect on our journey so far, we are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support and love we have received. GMB has become more than just a brand; it's a celebration of the precious moments we share with our little ones. We are thrilled to have you on board, and we look forward to sharing more stories, tips, and inspiration with you as we embark on this exciting adventure together. More to come on all aspects of GMB, personal life, finances, small business stuff, influencers, really whatever you guys want to hear more of!

Thank you for joining us on this roller coaster journey!

With love, Julia and the GMB Team