Talk about having it together, Clever Parent Jennifer McMullen fulfilled a dream by founding a business that taps into her creativity, gives her more time with her boys, and allows her to channel her business success toward a cause she feels deeply about. Impressed? We are.
The story starts with Jennifer, deciding she needed to do something more creative than her engineering career offered, plus she wanted to spend more time with her son. “I always had the daydream of leaving my engineering career and starting something new that allowed me to be more creative, so I decided to use this time to try something different and spend more time with my son. My mom taught me to sew when I was young so I revisited my sewing machine and began creating funky clothing for girls.”
The funky clothes turned into a full-fledged business, Dishy Duds, which offers fun, handmade clothes and accessories for kids and moms. Says Jennifer, “When I first began, almost everything I created was one-of-a-kind and made from vintage materials. I love designing products that would almost be considered costumes, but also perfectly acceptable to wear out and about.”
The selection at Dishy Duds is always changing with new items being added regularly. Currently there are handmade totes and handbags for moms and clothes for boys and girls all with a great vintage feel. “Nearly all of the items we create are crafted from superb vintage materials. Rare trims and fabrics from the 60s are common, and most patterns are inspired from fashion of that era. Everything we create is done locally and we believe in supporting and promoting local businesses as much as possible,” says Jennifer.
And, of course, there are the ever-popular Monster t-shirts. The crazy Monster faced shirts “were inspired by my own two little monster boys and are so much fun for both kids and adults.” Monster t-shirts are available in sizes 3 months through Adult XL. There are also monster hats and blankets for little ones newborn to twelve months. And a very fun option on the site allows you to create your shirt by dragging and dropping template shapes to make your very own customized Monster face.
Not content to rest on her success, Jennifer decided to link her business success with a cause she feels deeply about, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur. After learning about the situation in Darfur, Jennifer decided to donate 10% of Dishy Duds’ sales to the Mercy Corps Darfur project.
Adding the charitable component has had the happy effect of raising the bar for Jennifer, “the thing about developing this program is that the rewards far outweigh the cost. I’m finding that this program is such a huge motivator for me to expand my business and challenge myself more into developing a wider customer base.” As business expands, everyone wins, “the more successful my business becomes, the more I’m able to help the people of Darfur. I’m giddy each month if I’m able to donate a greater amount and watching that growth is super exciting for me.”
Check out Dishy Duds for the latest from Jennifer for boys, girls, and moms.
By David on 07/31/06 in Parentrepreneur, Charity, Featured, Stylish Children, 2006 Business Spotlights
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