Meet Mom Entrepreneur Kimberly Starr of Cute Compression Socks
“Do your research. Find a product that you can offer, then find your USP – or what makes your product different from anyone else in your market. If you can do that and market effectively, you’ll be successful.”
What does your business offer?
Cute Compression Socks offer all-day, every day support (20-30 mmHg compression) to professional women, women on the go, moms, and moms-to-be. Whether you’re a mom chasing kids all day, a nurse on your feet all day, or a professional behind a desk, Cute Compression Socks can help prevent swelling and pain while being fun, cute to wear, and easy on the budget.
In other words, think about how much more you could get done and how much better you would feel – if you didn’t have to worry about leg pain, varicose veins, swelling, or that leg-day after-workout burn?
Cute Compression Socks are designed to help you get through the day by giving you the comfort and support you need – all while being cute, too.
Cute Compression Socks are designed for women. If you’re a mom, a mom-to-be, an athlete, a world-traveler, a professional, or just you, these socks can help you avoid pain, swelling, and even varicose veins.
We’re spreading the word about our socks through blogging, social media (fb.com/cutecompressionsocks/), marketing initiatives with local businesses, and extensive online advertising.
What was your AHA moment?
while pregnant, I had the idea and went for it.
How has PR and Marketing helped your business?
The best thing for our sales so far has been getting our socks listed on Amazon (and being Fulfilled By Amazon). By combining that with advertising, our sales and sphere of influence has grown exponentially.
What’s your greatest success to date?
To date, our greatest success is the difference we’ve made in the lives of other women. We love getting pictures and updates from various women (EMTs, nurses, and even international models) who are loving how our socks make their legs feel better.
We’re also very proud to be giving back to our community. We regularly and gratefully donate to causes that are near and dear to our terry cloth-lined soles. Er, souls.
What’s been challenging and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge so far is running as a debt-free business entity: our selection and on-hand stock isn’t as extensive as we’d like, especially as competitors have entered the market we built. That being said, because we operate with zero debt and minimal overhead, we’re able to keep prices affordable for our friends and fellow moms.
Operating on a debt-free model is how I run both my business and my household. It takes a paradigm shift, but it is possible.
It means that we reinvest in our company and our community, because that’s what we value. It means steady, modest growth and self-improvement – which is what our friends and fellow moms do in their homes, so it keeps us better connected.
And staying connected with our friends and fellow women is ultimately what we love – that and offering a life-enhancing product that helps them to prevent pain, swelling, and problems like varicose veins.
What steps are you taking to achieve your goals?
We’re using an aggressive marketing campaign, through advertising, blogging, social media, and more, to make sure that people know that Cute Compression Socks are for everyone – so that women everywhere have the option to live without leg pain or swelling; enjoy a happier, healthier life with faster after-workout recovery times; and to know that there is something that they can do to prevent varicose veins.
What are your best tips on managing family and business?
My boys love helping me pack up orders for buyers and for shipping to Amazon’s warehouses. It’s all about trying, every day, to make sure that you balance what’s important to you. It’s hard some days, but it’s so worth it.
What are your favorite tools and resources?
Google has been an absolute lifesaver – I use it every day!
If you could wave a magic wand right now, what would you wish for?
Am I allowed to wish for a genie so I get 3 more wishes?
If not, I’d have to wave that wand and get a bag of money or a winning lottery ticket. Then I could not only increase my inventory and offerings, but I’d also be able to bless the lives of even more people through donating time, money, and socks.
Where can readers go to learn more about you and your business?
https://cutecompressionsocks.com
