Today we’d like to introduce you to Ellen Sitt.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story starts in June 2017 when I went off of birth control and months later discovered that I had Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I struggled to find the right doctor, heal myself naturally, attempt to ovulate unnaturally and so on. In August 2018, I discovered that I was pregnant with my son and I was instantly happier. All the appointments and hormonal chaos were beyond worth it.
During the process, I vowed that I would do my best to help others struggling with fertility and feeling alone. It felt like I was in my own world, like I was the only one who had ever experienced hormone and fertility struggles. I admired anyone who would speak openly about it and followed their story with so much empathy and admiration.
Fast forward to postpartum. My whole world had changed. From the minute I held my son, I felt a love I’ve never felt before along with an overwhelming fear and uncontrollable anxiety.
When I was pregnant, I worked full time. So the decision to stop working when I had my son was a huge shift for me.
When my son was about six months old, I realized that my plan wasn’t working for me. I was and still am extremely attached to my son. I didn’t like to leave him much, but I was becoming very bored by not being able to feed my need to creatively challenge myself. I felt very stuck.
When I came up with the idea for Dearest Joe, my husband told me to go for it. I was nervous and always like to plan out every detail. But with his advice, I spent every nap time working on each small step to get where I needed to be. I became much happier with this small change. Instead of finding some free time and walking down the block to realize that I had nothing to do and nowhere to go, I was spending nap time productively working on something exciting. When March came around and I was in the middle of sample making, my factory shut down to make masks and gowns. This was a huge setback and not something I wanted to accept. I called my father and asked for his help. I planned out every inch of the company and couldn’t let this set me back. He helped me develop the samples I needed and guided me on what to do next. I’m so grateful for this because the company never would have been able to launch in September 2020!
Since the launch, I’ve been working on selling products, building our brand, developing more products, working on fun collaborations and more. It’s been fun and tiring. Taking care of a toddler is definitely harder than taking care of a six months old, so I’m learning how to balance that while working now.
Has it been a smooth road?
There was the Corona setback which we were able to conquer.
Once we launched the brand, I have been feeling confident from so much great feedback, but also doubting a lot of decisions that I’ve made. I came up with a lot of ideas pre-launch, but once I launched the brand, I’ve been noticing some things aren’t working and I need to respond quickly. I am also reaching out to other founders to get some advice in how to grow our business more and get our brand out there.
There is also the personal struggle of being able to work and grow a business while taking care of a toddler (which is exhausting). But I also love that others can relate to that and how enjoyable and tiring it is. I am so grateful to be able to do both.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Dearest Joe is an organic baby clothing company that launched in September 2020. Our company is thoughtfully designed by a parent for a parent. Our clothes are meant to be easy basics for the parents to get on their child, comfortable for the child to crawl, walk, climb and more while also looking really cute.
We launched with our No Fuss Coverall which was thought of during a personal experience. My son was about six months old and was becoming very difficult to dress. Every time I would try to get clothes on him, he would scream and cry until it was over. I had one zip up outfit that didn’t really look like day time clothing. I realized how easy and quick it was to get it on him and so I put the same outfit on him almost every day. So, I came up with the No Fuss Coverall. Meant to look like you put a lot of effort into your baby’s outfit because it looks cute, but it only took seconds to get on. It’s the ultimate staple baby piece. We are continuing to develop easy, cute, comfortable organic basics for parents and their babies.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Yes. I think LA is a great place to start a business. There are so many resources and many successful startups from LA.
Pricing:
- No Fuss Coverall $58
Contact Info:
- Website: Dearestjoe.com
- Email: hello@dearestjoe.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dearestjoe.kids/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/dearestjoe.kids/
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