By Alicia Shaffer
When we first appeared on the Big Idea it was in June 2007. We were having a big year but also having growing pains, trying to keep up with production and wanting to get into larger chain stores. Right before appearing on the Big Idea we were approached by a large baby company wanting to buy us, however they tried to
rip us off and offer us WAY under what we were worth. We had such a fire lit after this transaction we decided we had what it took to grow on our own, without selling out our Big Idea for pennies. We knew that we could grown and be the company that we were founded to become. The timing for the show was perfect for us, we had a renewed sense of conquering all!!!
Within a week after the show we were contacted by a sales rep that worked with the buyers at Babies R Us. He took our products to them and within a few weeks we were doing business with Babies R Us online. Our end goal was to get into their stores. We were asked to fly out to a meeting with the head buyers and were nervous but knew our product would sell and make them money. The meeting was started and the first words out of the buyer’s mouth were that they were placing our product in all of their stores!!! While it took several months with consistency and dedication we eventually won their business and owe our appearance on the Big Idea to this success.
In addition we landed Target.com, ALL Nordstrom stores.
In 2006 we did $750K, in 2007 we did $2.7MM and we are projected to do $8-10MM in 2008!!!!
Peanut Shell Company Story and Background:
Just like you, Alicia Shaffer was a new mom who found herself juggling the roles of wife and new mother, a full-time Sales & Marketing career, never mind the million other things that go with everyday life. She wanted a simple, easy to use baby sling that was durable, fashionable and comfortable so she could still be active while having her son close. That’s not too much to ask, but there was nothing on the market to meet her needs. The only slings on the market were less than appealing, or quite cumbersome. So what did she do? She sat down with her husband, Demetrious, and designed a sling that would fit into their lifestyle as modern parents.
Within weeks Alicia was getting bombarded by local moms wanting a sling just like hers. She and Demetrious knew they were on to something and quickly decided to start their company, Goo-Ga Style, Inc. and develop their first product, the Peanut Shell® baby sling, appropriately named after their little son Campbell, whom they called “Peanut”.
The Peanut Shell® quickly took on a life of its own. Within 2 months Alicia was able to put her marketing skills to use full-time promoting the Peanut Shell®. With the tremendous support of her husband, Alicia, along with a phenomenal team, has been able to take the company from a tiny 100 square foot studio – to being the best selling baby sling on the market. The Peanut Shell® is sold at the finest retailers in the United States as well as across the globe.
In addition to being seen on numerous celeb mamas such as Brooke Shields, Heidi Klum, Denise Richards, Gwen Stefani, and Marcia Cross, the Peanut Shell9r) has also been featured in magazines such as Us Weekly, Pregnancy & Newborn, Fit Pregnancy, Life & Style, In Style, and Pregnancy; as well as appearances o The Tyra Banks Show, the bestselling book, Rock Star Mama, and Alicia herself has appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutch.
The Peanut Shell® brand has quickly grown from being a line of baby slings to becoming a highly coveted collection of chic, modern baby gear. All of our products are proudly designed in our home state of California for an uncompromising quality that new parents deserve. Alicia and Demetrious still are as passionate about Goo-Ga Style, Inc. as they were from day one and will continue to give new parents everywhere unmatched comfort, fashion, and reliability that you can only with with The Peanut Shell®.
About Goo-Ga Style, Inc., or as you know us, the Peanut Shell®
The Peanut Shell® is an innovative parenting essentials design company dedicated to offering parents stylish and practical infant carriers and products. We are lucky enough to be headquartered in Pleasanton, CA. We are devoted to designing fashionably functional products for a new generation of parents. We truly understand today's parents because that's who we are too. We know what a hip person you were before parenthood, and know you're even cooler now that you're a new mom or dad.
The bottom line. We always figured that giving parents exceptional, fashionable products that fit into their lives just made good common sense. So far, it’s been working out quite well for us. The relationships we have made with our team of design, textile, ma
nufacturing, production, and packaging experts delivers the highest quality products. The connections and dedication we make with our customers create a loyal following. And the support we provide to our retailers pays off every day.
Our Mission quite simply it to make parenting easier. We strive to design products that are chic, more innovative and safer for your baby; Products that appeal to both your need as a new parent and to your modern sense of style. Products that simplify parenting and make day-to-day living easier as a new mom or dad.
We, as a company, believe in our products. We still feel and overwhelming sense of joy every time a new mom tells us that our baby slings are the only way she survives the day. We are proud of the mom who can now breastfeed her baby in public and not feel self-conscious. We believe that new moms need simplification in their crazy live so we made our instructions and DVD easy just for them. We realize that your baby is the most precious thing in the world and we design all our products with them in mind. We believe in our environment and being responsible for it by only using eco-friendly products in all avenues of our business. We want you to send us your pictures using our product, and we look at every photo that new parents send to us. We believe in competition and will do all we can to build our brand and stay in the forefront of our industry. We believe that happy employees give the best customer service so we partake in simple pleasures like group pedicures on payday. We believe that our customers always come first. But most of all, we believe that every new parent and baby should benefit from the comfort and closeness that can only be found with a Peanut Shell®
- Alicia