Making money from tiny toys.

Navigation: Main page

Author: Greco, Patricia

Your Own Business

HEIDI JACQUIN
Sebastopol, California

Tiny stuffed animals that clip onto backpacks and belts. They're sold in matching pairs, so a kid can keep one and give the other to a friend.

In 2003, after her second child was born, Jacquin read an article about eight-year-olds forsaking traditional toys for cell phones, makeup, and clothes. The trend disturbed her: Would her sweet newborn and her 18-month-old daughter really grow up that fast? "Kids don't need to act like adults," she says. So she came up with a product that would encourage kids to be kids. She called it (and her company) tWibbles, a made-up word that reminds her of a song she sings to her children.

Jacquin borrowed $300,000 to launch. "It was terrifying to ask for that much money," the 35-year-old mom admits. In March 2004, she designed 24 characters--from Roary the lion to Stretch the giraffe--and hired a manufacturer to create prototypes. That same year, specialty stores bought 100,000 units.

Last fall, her distributor sold 200,000 tWibbles to Target, making the giant retailer Jacquin's biggest customer.

Her company made $300,000 in profits last year. Jacquin plowed about $250,000 back into tWibbles and paid the rest to herself.

Getting the word out. "I'm competing with companies that spend millions on advertising," she says. "But that just makes me work harder."

The tWibbles toys help people stay close. One grown-up example: Last year, Jacquin had a special batch of military bears shipped to 10,000 soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. The servicemen and servicewomen could keep one and send the other to a friend or a family member for the holidays. "I wanted to do something in honor of their sacrifice," Jacquin says.

"Be optimistic and never give up," she says, adding that "when things go wrong, remember: There's always another day."

Want to learn more about the business, like how much Jacquin spends on advertising? Visit www.goodhousekeeping.com

PHOTO (COLOR)

~~~~~~~~

By Patricia Greco