Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Ross.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Erin. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I have worked with children consistently for 17 years. I started out babysitting, teaching swim lessons, and coaching cheerleading. I continued this throughout college. After graduating with my Bachelor’s degree I decided to become a full-time nanny for 7 years. Over the years I have developed my portfolio of specialized trainings and certifications. Working with children has always been my passion and I wanted to find a way to help as many families as possible.
Little Meatball Baby started after I graduated with a Masters in business. I wanted to continue fostering relationships between parents and their children while having the opportunity to help more than one family at a time. I was getting requests from multiple clients to help with a variety of things such as registry planning, car seat questions, product recommendations, and ideas to help encourage development. I had the idea to start a business allowing me to do consulting on specific needs for each client.
Little Meatball Baby provides a unique experience that is customized for each individual family. We discuss what their priorities and goals are and work to achieve them in a manner best fit for their family.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every day presents new challenges but also new opportunities. No two children or two families are alike. They all have different needs and different goals. It keeps it ever changing for me, but that is one of the things I love the most about my job.
Being a small business owner has its ups and downs. I would say the biggest struggle for me has been getting my name out there. Some might say because I spend so much time making it a personal experience for each family that I don’t have as much time to devote to things like marketing. Fortunately, I have relied heavily on word of mouth.
My character and my business’s reputation are extremely important to me. I have many satisfied clients who refer me to other families and thus my business has grown organically from there. To know that these families trust during the key developmental years of their children’s lives means everything to me. It’s not always easy running your own business but in the end, it is always worth it when I see my clients and their children thriving.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Little Meatball Baby story. Tell us more about the business.
Little Meatball Baby is essentially a concierge service. Clients hire us to help them with a variety of tasks that occur from pregnancy to 5 years old. I offer a personalized experience helping parents navigate the early years of childhood.
Our current services are baby registry planning, car seat selection and installation, product recommendations, CPR/AED certification, fine and gross motor/speech development, child care placement, baby proofing, and nursery design. Our most popular services are baby registry planning, car seats, and product recommendations. Baby registry planning includes a private in-home consultation to go over baby registry items, comparing brands and options. Followed by accompanying the client to the store of their choice to register for all the items.
As a nationally certified car seat technician I will come to their house and install their seats properly, then remove them and teach them how to do it themselves. This is to help them feel confident in the safety of their child in the car. I also help clients pick appropriate car seats based on their child and vehicle needs. I consult clients on what products meet their current and future needs for items not limited to car seats, strollers, nursery furniture, travel gear and developmental toys. I take pride in working with local companies to help meet our client’s needs such as occupational and physical therapists.
Of all the services I offer I am most proud of the personalized baby registry experience. You can walk into any big box store and they will hand you a suggested list of items to register for. But that experience shouldn’t be one size fits all. Some clients want durability, some clients want products only made in America, some clients live in small spaces and only want the bare minimum to get them through the first year. It is a very exciting time in a new parents life and it should be treated as such.
I am also proud of all the work that goes into making sure a child is properly restrained in their properly installed car seat. It is so important to keep our little ones safe while traveling. I am fortunate to have great partnerships with many baby product brands and am continually developing working relationships with them while exploring new products for my clients.
As time goes on I realize that our client’s needs and wants are ever changing. I will continue to add new services and tailor them to best meet the needs of our clients. This unique personalized experience is what sets us apart from others.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Although starting your own business can seem overwhelming I have been very fortunate to have some good luck on my side. That came in the form of my family, some dear friends, and a few former clients who were nothing but completely supportive from the moment I told them my idea to start Little Meatball Baby. No one had ever heard of a baby concierge before, and they certainly didn’t know how it would all fall into place.
To be honest, I don’t think I knew it all either, I still don’t. The only thing I knew is that I had the most important people in my life in my corner supporting whatever direction I took this crazy idea. That was all the good luck I needed. My parents were very successful in their own careers and overcoming their own challenges. That pushed me through life to never give up on the seemingly impossible and to follow my passions. Starting Little Meatball Baby was no different. I owe the success of this business to my parents and friends who have always been there to encourage me no matter how big or wild the idea.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1600 E. Sunrise Blvd Unit 3609 Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
- Website: www.littlemeatballbaby.com
- Phone: 6306779248
- Email: littlemeatballbaby@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlemeatballbaby/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlemeatballbaby/
Image Credit:
Samantha Salato Photography
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