⭐️ Kelley Legler is an entrepreneur and small business owner. Fifteen years ago, when her first child, Jack, was an infant, she noticed a need for a safer tag toy because the products on the market got intertwined around his finger as he played and caused a safety hazard. This prompted her to create and sell a safer tag toy blanket by sewing the edges of the ribbons shut to avoid harm through her company, Baby Jack and Co. The company has grown with each phase of her children’s lives and led her to recently open a new venture, Field 99, to tap into a much-needed market by providing high-quality soccer training to Milwaukee area athletes.
👀 Learn more about Kelley’s Small Business journey in this Q&A ⬇️
⭐️ Tell us about accessing funding to grow your business.
As the demand for our products of baby blankets and toys grew, we moved from hand-making goods to mass producing with a quality factory overseas. It was a hardship thinking about obtaining capital to meet the minimum order requirements of the factory. The cost of goods to purchase these would allow my company to grow significantly over time, but the investment was not small. PayPal Working Capital loans were a saving grace. We have borrowed ten loans from PayPal Working Capital throughout our growing years. The repayment process was simple as it came directly from a percentage of my sales, giving me time to focus on building more accounts, making sales, and designing. We went from a catalog of twelve SKUs to now selling over one hundred products successfully and continuously with the help of trusting PayPal Working Capital for our funding.
⭐️ What challenges have you faced in managing complex business operations?
In the past fifteen years, technology has advanced, allowing me to handle when on the go. In the past, I used to send invoices via desktop when social selling or opening new wholesale accounts. With the creation of apps and the process simplified, it takes less time from my daily routine. I used to set up quick links for buy buttons for easy checkout when participating in flash sales. Easy merchant options like PayPal QR codes, payment links, and in-person Tap to Pay are available and make for quick sales conversions. Since embedding PayPal HTML buttons and checkout on my website years ago, I have seen first-hand the large number of customers who continue to check out with PayPal because they trust it.
⭐️ What is your advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Becoming an entrepreneur has been one of the best opportunities of my life, but it is not for the faint of heart. You are constantly tested, torn apart, and triumphant. If you have that fire in you to pursue something you are passionate about, become the person who is not afraid to test, fail, pivot, and persevere. You will find that there are many resources and mentors available to you that can impact your growth and guide you along the way. But first and foremost, always trust your instincts.