GARY: Next on Start Up, we head to Armada, Michigan, to meet up with Barb Kent and Joanna Serra, the founders of Birdy Boutique, a Michigan-based textile manufacturing company.
All of this and more is next on Start Up.
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ANGUS: Being able to come to work every day and be passionate about what I'm doing and take what I learn in the garden and bring it to the marketplace is really enjoyable to me.
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♪ GARY: My name is Gary Bredow.
I'm a documentary filmmaker and an entrepreneur.
As the country continues to recover from extraordinary challenges, small business owners are showing us why they are the backbone of the American economy.
We've set out for our 11th consecutive season talking with a wide range of diverse business owners to better understand how they've learned to adapt, innovate and even completely reinvent themselves.
♪ This is Start Up.
♪ The independent textile manufacturing market consists of small and medium-sized businesses that can range from small- scale artisanal operations to large factories that employ hundreds of workers.
Independent textile manufacturers typically specialize in a specific type of textile, such as cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers, and produce a range of products that include clothing, upholstery, and home textiles.
They often work with designers, retailers, and other businesses in the fashion and home goods industries to produce custom design, textiles, and products.
Today I'm heading to our Armada, Michigan to meet up with sisters, Barb Kent and Joanna Serra, the founders of Birdy Boutique.
From what I know, Barb and Joanna immigrated to the US from Poland as children, and learned early on that hard work and determination equals success.
I'm incredibly excited to learn more about Birdy Boutique and their mission.
♪ Tell me about your childhood.
Where are you from and a little bit about the dynamics within your family.
BARB: We were in a little town called Kolno, Northeast- GARY: In Poland?
BARB: Yes, Northeast Poland.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: We left in 1988, so that's still in the era where there was basically Russian influence and my mom had just gotten a divorce from our dad.
GARY: Wow.
BARB: So being in a communist, Catholic country at that time and being divorced was tough.
My mom brought us over by herself, three little girls.
We ended up in Detroit, it was very tough.
GARY: What does it mean to you now as a parent yourself, looking back at the incredible sacrifices that your mom made for you?
What does that feel like?
BARB: I cannot even put into words what my mom sacrificed to get us to be here, because she basically gave her life.
She worked so hard, she didn't have fun.
She didn't go get her nails done, she worked.
She cleaned homes for... Day in and day out, cleaned homes all day long.
At night, she would go work and clean office buildings.
We barely saw her, and my sisters and I kind of raised ourselves because she had to work to put food on the table, and I think that's...
I owe everything to my mom.
And I think that's where also we get our work ethic from and our determination, because we know that she gave that to us so that we can have a better life.
And I just...
I cannot put into words the kind of sacrifice that she made and what I owe her, I cannot put it into words.
GARY: Your mom sounds like a hero.
Like the most incredibly strong person ever.
BARB: I don't know how she did it.
While mom was working, we went to school and we just, we knew we had to work hard, there was no other option.
College obviously was going to happen.
So we both went to college.
I was accepted to West Point and I spent 15 years in the military.
GARY: Wow.
BARB: And my sister became a teacher.
GARY: Are you still in the military right now?
BARB: No, no, I'm not.
I was medically retired.
When I left the military, I was having a pretty tough time because I had planned to be in the military for the rest of my life.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: And that didn't work out.
So a neighbor of mine had asked me, "Hey, come over and sew."
And I said, "You're crazy, I don't sew."
But I fell in love with it.
It was just this automatic connection and it also helped me deal with some of the anxiety and the frustration that I had, having to leave the military.
So it was kind of like my coping mechanism.
GARY: Gotcha.
BARB: And I fell in love with it, I started learning more and more, and then this need arose where my sister wanted to have this poncho for her kids.
And it's basically straight lines, anybody can sew a straight line GARY: Mm-hmm.
BARB: And that's how I got into sewing.
GARY: Tell me about the inception of this business.
JOANNA: As a new mom, you do tons of research.
And I was researching and realized that bulky coats are not safe in cars for babies.
And as a first time mom, that was really concerning to me.
So my sister, who also had some extra time on her hands, I called her and I said, "Hey, you gotta help me with this.
What can I do?"
And she said, "Why don't we try some sort of a blanket?"
She kind of created a few mockups and mailed me some things, and I was able to put these ponchos on my baby.
And when I kind of was all around town, people were complimenting me and stopping me and saying, "What is that?
Where can I get one?"
I convinced my sister to make some so that we can sell them.
First we started with friends and family and then we started selling to strangers.
And then there was this moment where I said, "Hey, why don't we put these online somewhere?"
BARB: It was so crazy because we had this one intent in mind but then eventually people started figuring out, this one mom, I remember this to this day, wrote us an email and said, "Your product just changed my child's life.
GARY: Wow.
BARB: "My child is in a "wheelchair and this is the one thing "that I can throw over him "and not have to worry about zipping up, "pulling in sleeves, buttoning up, "and him being uncomfortable.
"I just put it over the top of him and he's happy as a clam."
GARY: At what point did it- did it turn into a business, so to speak?
BARB: We had gotten so many amazing reviews from moms and from grandmas, and from uncles and aunts.
And the reviews grew, and as the reviews grew organically, your sales will grow.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: And that is how we were able to grow it.
Then we expanded into social media and using influencers and that sort of thing.
I worked in my basement a lot of hours.
I sewed on my machine for hours and hours and hours.
When I was able to keep up with my online orders, I was like, "Sure, we can do this."
But at a certain point it got too difficult.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: It was just...
It was overwhelming.
So we decided to outsource and mass produce.
We design here, we do all of our prototyping here, and we manufacture overseas.
♪ ♪ GARY: I know very little to absolutely nothing about sewing.
So, take me step by step through this process.
BARB: And I've simplified the process because I knew nothing about sewing when I started.
So I used some parchment paper.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: To make my design, to make my patterns, because it's cheap, and it's easy, and it's available.
But you have your pattern... GARY: Mm-hmm.
BARB: And then what you do is you just put it on- you just put it on your fabric.
GARY: Yeah, like a template.
BARB: Like a template, exactly.
So now I've got my hood.
So what I would do now is just pin this together... GARY: Okay.
BARB: Along my sewing line.
GARY: Now is that an average head size or would you go slightly larger for larger headed people?
BARB: I think for kids, this is pretty good.
GARY: For kids, okay.
BARB: This is pretty good.
Now, if I were making one for you, I would double it.
(Gary laughs) Just... GARY: Huge melon, nothing in it.
BARB: Huge, huge smart melon.
So, then what I would do is I'd go to my machine.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: I would sew this up right along this edge.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: And then I would just have a little hood.
So I would just cut 100 hoods.
GARY: Okay.
BARB: And 100 big layers.
And then just, I would pin them all together and then I would sew them one by one, and then I would flip them one by one.
So it was just like this massive assembly line.
GARY: So here's the final.
So that work that you just did ends up being this.
BARB: Mm-hmm.
Yep and then, if you can just see it's just rectangle.
GARY: Yeah, it's simple, but I love ponchos.
Okay.
Can I try it on?
BARB: Do it.
GARY: All right.
BARB: Oh, I don't know about the head size... GARY: Oh gosh... BARB: Yay!
(Barb laughs) It looks good on you, it's your color.
GARY: Thank you so much.
BARB: It's your color.
I love it, I love it, it's beautiful.
♪ GARY: What did it take to really get this off the ground?
JOANNA: Well, initially we maybe put $3,000 into the business of our own money.
GARY: Spent on what?
JOANNA: Fabric.
GARY: Fabric, okay so the raw materials.
JOANNA: Absolutely, fabric, more supplies for the sewing machine.
GARY: Got it.
JOANNA: Everything that we made, we were 100% just putting right back into the company.
So because we were... GARY: Good.
JOANNA: Consistently doing that and not paying ourselves, we didn't have to take on any loans or anything initially.
GARY: You're selling on an e-commerce platform, things are going well, what was the next progression in the business?
JOANNA: During Covid, my son was in that gap of Covid of kindergarten where kindergarten just got cut off for him because Covid started.
And that is such a foundational time for education when you are learning... GARY: It is.
JOANNA: To read.
I said, I have to figure out how to make him read.
And my son was having a very difficult time, he's not patient.
So I said to my sister, I said, "Hey, we're doing all these things with textiles, "what if we throw some "educational things on blankets "so that learning can become "great in a natural setting and it doesn't even feel like learning."
That's what we did.
Our very first Learning Blanket was born.
I decided to print sight words on a blanket and just a little bit at a time.
GARY: Yeah.
I would put the blanket on the ground, we were going to the park, in the car, anywhere we would go, we would take the blanket, and I was able to sneak in those moments of teaching and reading without him even knowing.
GARY: Did it work?
I mean, it's like subconscious learning... JOANNA: It worked.
It definitely worked and it was amazing.
And it was this moment where I said, "What if we try this with other concepts too?"
GARY: Mm-hmm.
JOANNA: And that's what we did and Learning Blankets grew, especially during that time when people were really seeking those resources... GARY: Yeah.
JOANNA: To make learning successful at home.
And then later as things progressed, then teachers started to see the value in our blankets and other educational tapestries that we make.
GARY: It's brilliant and the timing was perfect.
JOANNA: It was and we were so lucky to be able to get the name trademarked as well.
GARY: Okay.
JOANNA: So Learning Blankets is our Birdy Boutique thing, that's not something that anybody can now take away from us, so we're really, really proud of that.
GARY: After you were able to- to kind of create some noise in the e-commerce world, did you start selling anywhere else?
Or how did the company progress and grow from there?
BARB: Yes, so we started selling on a few different platforms.
Started selling to boutiques like brick and mortars, and we eventually were lucky enough to be able to sell to Meijer stores.
GARY: Wow.
BARB: To Harris Teeter, Walgreens, and a couple Dollar General stores.
GARY: So now you're at the car seat ponchos and the Learning Blankets.
Are those still part of- the main part of the company's products?
JOANNA: Yes but we've also now expanded as well.
We also do educational tapestries and then we've also moved onto something that is mission-based.
That now our company can put themselves behind and give back even more to the community called Fundraiser Blankets.
As a teacher and as a mom, I kept thinking to myself, especially in the communities where we grew up, especially in the communities where I taught, we would not be able to fundraise with $30 popcorn or expensive cookie dough.
So I said to my sister, "Hey, my school is fundraising right now.
"Can we just try something?
"Can we put some school- themed things on a blanket and see if we could use it as a fundraiser?"
And it was so successful that other schools and sports programs started reaching out saying, "Could we do this too?"
Because that wasn't our intention at the beginning.
We were just trying to kind of give back locally and we said, "Sure, why not?"
And then next thing you know, another division of our business was born.
BARB: She sold 750 blankets in two football events.
GARY: That's insane.
BARB: It was ridiculous.
They loved it, they ordered more, it was amazing so that's how it all started.
GARY: That's your proof of concept right there.
BARB: Yes.
GARY: Tell me about the blankets, are they unique to each other?
They have the school logo, right?
BARB: We provide the school with a sheet with designs.
They get the designs, they pick whatever design they want, and what we're able to do is do a wholesale deal.
There are several blanket fundraiser opportunities.
GARY: Sure.
BARB: And they will cost about $30, $40 a blanket.
And then you fundraise with that.
Well, that's very difficult to do for some schools, right?
GARY: Not a lot of margin, yeah.
BARB: Exactly, so I'll let you feel some of our blankets later, but they are amazing.
We sell them for 12.50 and the schools, we have a very open agreement, they can do whatever they want with them.
So they're able to charge whatever their demographic allows them to charge.
GARY: If they can charge 60, charge 60.
BARB: Exactly.
GARY: Yeah.
BARB: It is so crazy.
They'll come to us and order our first minimum, which is a hundred blankets and they are back for more.
They're back for more and they- GARY: That's incredible.
BARB: And they keep on telling us how, "Oh my goodness, people are loving these "and we're making money for the classrooms, "for field trips, for senior class trips."
Just been an amazing, good, good opportunity for us.
It just makes us feel so good that we can give something back.
♪ GARY: I'm sure you could do the math on it, how much money were they able to raise from that first lot of 750 blankets?
JOANNA: It was over $10,000.
GARY: That's significant.
How much popcorn or candy bars would you have to sell to get 10 grand?
JOANNA: A ton.
GARY: A lot.
JOANNA: A ton.
GARY: This, it's a game changer.
JOANNA: It really is.
Such a meaningful fundraiser.
But also you can take it to the next level because now that we've kind of developed a little more, we have schools that are sending in art done by the kids that we're digitizing.
GARY: Personalizing it even more.
JOANNA: Yes, we've had different groups and clubs at schools that are doing kindness projects and doing kindness blankets to spread messages and not just selling ones with logos on them.
So now it's kind of developing and evolving itself to the next level to kind of take it to the next step.
♪ GARY: How important is fundraising for a school?
ROGER: It is essential because the way we enhance our educational programs is through fundraising.
We support field trips, we support assemblies, all of those types of things we're able to do because of the efforts that we are able to accomplish through fundraising.
GARY: For other school administrators that are watching this, what would you say about this product and incorporating it into their district?
ROGER: So, I would say it's a super high quality product.
The feel of the blanket's outstanding.
I actually ended up buying one for every one of my family members for Christmas.
GARY: That's a testament.
ROGER: Yeah!
The graphics turn out really, really nice.
It's a perfect representation of whatever your district branding or logo is, which is outstanding.
GARY: Mm-hmm.
ROGER: And for me, what was most important in this particular endeavor is the price point that we got to sell it to our community was negotiable.
So I got to set that as the building principle.
GARY: Awesome.
ROGER: So I could meet the needs of the individual community that I serve.
I could think about where people were financially, the times that we're dealing with, and I could set a price point that made it affordable for them but also was a fundraising opportunity for us as a school.
♪ GARY: How many districts at this point are utilizing the fundraising blanket?
JOANNA: We've been at it for about a year, we're at probably over 200 schools- GARY: My gosh.
JOANNA: Nationwide in maybe about 10 states or so.
GARY: Wow.
JOANNA: And our goal is, of course, to keep expanding to every school.
GARY: Does it make sense from a profit margin for you guys?
Or is that just not in the forefront because 12 bucks, what's it cost you to make one?
BARB: Right, so, it depends on the qualities that we order- GARY: Sure.
BARB: But yes, in the end it makes sense because we're going for quantity.
GARY: Yeah, it's a volume business.
BARB: It's a volume business, exactly.
So profit margins are pretty thin but that's not our goal.
Our goal is to give this opportunity to the schools so they can do something amazing with it.
GARY: Being a veteran yourself, do you guys do any sort of work with veteran organizations or anything affiliated with veterans at this point?
BARB: Yes, I had no idea how active the veteran community is.
Especially with regards to business owners.
We're certified, disabled veteran business.
We are certified with NaVOBA and NVBDC, and those are two amazing veteran organizations that provide knowledge and connections for veterans everywhere.
We also do work with a lot of other veteran organizations with regards to just education and furthering our business.
The last year we actually won the NaVOBA Veteran Business of the Year, so we're very- GARY: Congratulations.
BARB: We're very proud of that, yes.
GARY: What do you see in the future for Birdy Boutique?
JOANNA: I think the future of Birdy Boutique is sustainability.
It is something that we really want to incorporate and we really want to have as a base for our products for the future.
And one of the big things happening right now are fabrics made from recycled plastics.
And so right now we're actually testing... GARY: Wow.
JOANNA: Different recycled fabrics, whether at least our blankets are partially made from recycled plastics or hopefully one day fully made from recycled plastics.
But it's something, number one, that I think could add more value to our blankets.
And I mean, kids are the consumers of our products and we want them to be able to see those tags and to learn that, wow, these are made with recycled plastics.
How is that even possible?
GARY: Right.
JOANNA: Please help me understand how this is possible.
And I think that will also help kind of grow, the children of the future and how sustainability... GARY: Sure.
JOANNA: Is grown as well.
So we think that that will also be impactful as a educational piece.
GARY: Viewers at home that wanna start a small business watching this, a lot of times the big difference is you've done it, they just haven't yet.
What would you say to somebody at home that wants this but just kind of has their feet stuck in the mud?
JOANNA: Well, I think just to start, don't overthink it.
At the beginning, I think that we are overthinking a lot and wanting to really perfect things.
GARY: Yeah.
JOANNA: And maybe our website wasn't done all the way, but we just put it out there and then kind of edit things and move forward.
But I think just to go for it, start somewhere, and just push forward and see what happens.
Because it will evolve and change and improve in so many ways... GARY: Yep.
JOANNA: That it doesn't- that I think that first hurdle just kind of start without overthinking it is the most important.
GARY: Both you and your sister have such an incredible energy and work ethic.
How much of that can you attribute to your mother?
JOANNA: So much because that's all we ever knew.
All we ever knew is you worked 24/7.
So that's kind of how we grew up.
Always just go, go, go.
And always knowing that you just don't stop, you just don't quit.
You have to be successful.
GARY: What is your personal definition of success?
What does success mean to you?
BARB: I think at this point in my life, success means that I can do something for others.
We have this amazing organization, it's called the Polish Girl Scouts that I- we were little Polish Girl Scouts before we went off to college.
I did not realize how impactful that organization... and it's mostly volunteers... how impactful that organization was until I was a grown adult looking back at what that organization did for me.
So one of our first projects, blanket projects, was with them, actually.
We made them, we donated a whole bunch of blankets to them and they sold them for some profit, 'cause they're renovating their camp kitchen... GARY: Yeah.
BARB: And that gave me this amazing feeling of success.
I am helping people that helped me.
GARY: So incredible, BARB: I am helping people that helped me through probably one of the hardest times in my life.
So that is what success is to me, is to being- is to be able to help others and to give back.
GARY: Is your mom still with us today?
BARB: Mom passed away four years ago.
GARY: If she were here today, how would she feel about what you and your sister are doing?
What would she say?
BARB: I think she would be so proud of us.
I think that she would say, "This is what I wanted."
GARY: All the work paid off.
BARB: Yeah, I think she would say that, "This is exactly what I was doing."
(indistinct) Yeah, that's what I think she would say.
GARY: Meeting with Barb and Joanna was such an honor and Birdy Boutique goes way beyond just selling products.
It's a heartfelt mission to help children learn and grow with a team of moms, sisters, teachers, veterans, and military spouses, all driven by a shared purpose to foster confidence and independence in young minds.
Having immigrated from Poland and being inspired by their mother's work ethic, Barb and Joanna are no strangers to the transformative power of hard work and education.
What began as a small sewing business, Birdy Boutique has expanded far beyond its initial focus.
And their success has garnered well-deserved recognition with features on CNN, MSN, The Today Show, and now right here on Start Up.
And regardless of notoriety and financial success, I believe that Barb and Joanna will stay rooted in their original mission to do well by doing good.
Through their personal dedication and unwavering commitment, Barb and Joanna clearly demonstrate how entrepreneurship has the ability to create meaningful change and inspire others to follow suit.
I'm so excited to see what the future holds for these two inspiring women and the amazing business that they've created.
For more information, visit our website and search episodes for Birdy Boutique.
Next time on Start Up, we head to Miami, Florida to meet up with Alex and Silvana, the founders of QRx Labs, the cosmetics company on a mission to revolutionize skin care.
Be sure to join us next time on Start Up.
Would you like to learn more about the show or maybe nominate a business?
Visit our website at startup-usa.com and connect with us on social media.
GARY: (gasps) What happened?
PASCAL: I put the bird strikes on.
GARY: Oh!
WOMAN: Yay.
(laughs) GARY: Thank you so much.
WOMAN 2: You're welcome.
WOMAN 3: Next on Start Up.
(laughs) WOMAN 4: Gary Bredow.
Superstar.
Okay.
GARY: With no nose.
GARY: He going to tell all his buddies like... ANNOUNCER: Spectrum Business is a proud supporter of Start Up.
Providing connectivity for small businesses with internet, phone and mobile solutions available.
Information available at Spectrum dot com slash business.
ANNOUNCER: At Florida State University, entrepreneurship and innovation are core values.
The FSU Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship offers bachelor's and master's programs taught by entrepreneurs willing to share their knowledge and connections.
FSU is a proud supporter of Start Up.
TOYIN: Food is my love language.
If you think about it food is really shared humanity.
It doesn't matter who you are we've all go to eat.
ANNOUNCER: More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store come from independent sellers like Toyin at Iya Foods.
Amazon, a proud supporter of Start Up.
ANNOUNCER: Wearing a lot of hats can bog you down.
Thryv, the all-in-one small business management software can help you manage every aspect of your business, from a single screen with one log in and one dashboard.
Thryv is a proud supporter of Start Up.
ANNOUNCER: The first time you made a sale online with GoDaddy was also the first time you heard of a town named Dinosaur, Colorado.
MAN: We just got an order from Dinosaur, Colorado.
ANNOUNCER: Build a website to help reach more customers.
WOMAN: Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, one more.
ANNOUNCER: Learn more at GoDaddy dot com.
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