Mer-Sea is 4 1/2 now. Is that still considered a toddler? Or would you call her a preschooler now?
We have gotten through the sleepless nights (mostly, Melanie gets a good night sleep, on average, 3 out of 7 nights).
We have gotten through the terrible twos. Oh my, Mer-Sea could throw quite the tantrum - wanting to do everything a big company could do and not used to being told NO.
Now she is learning how to do things all by herself. Like tying her own shoes and getting her own snack...her moms don't have to do EVERYTHING for her. Let's not kid ourselves, a 4 1/2 year-old isn't exactly self-sufficient. But, at least we aren't changing diapers anymore.
Mer-Sea was born out of love and she is being raised with love. Yes, by Melanie and me, but there is a big extended family that is helping raise this company.
Let's start from the beginning...
Before we launched Mer-Sea, Melanie and I were stay-at-home moms. We did everything for our families. Luckily for us, our husbands were 100% supportive of our desire to start a business. And, when the business started growing fast and sometimes requiring 60-80 hours work weeks, they seamlessly picked up the slack.
Our husbands have been our biggest cheerleaders, our IT support, our banking advisor, our insurance guy, and lunch-delivery-service on a Sunday afternoon. We married two of the best guys out there. Their support has allowed us to do what we love.
Then, there are our children. I have to admit, not all of mine jumped onboard the Mer-Sea train right away. They are, admittedly, orphaned children in many ways, lol. My daughter (the youngest of four and only girl) was initially VERY DISPLEASED about the situation. She would lay on the guilt like a pro, saying things like "Well, when I am a mom, I am going to choose to stay home with my kids!" Aww, that's nice dear...
They quickly had to learn how to be self-sufficient. They also had to learn how to label product, make boxes, pick and pack orders, enter invoices, clean the warehouse and teach us social media. When we need help, they are our go-to labor pool, and sometimes have to give up a Saturday afternoon for Mer-Sea.
Of course, Mer-Sea is also being raised by the most amazing group of employees, that are more like second mothers (and father - sorry, Brett).
Rachael, Maria and Dora make our products with great love and attention to detail.
If you forget to plug in your coupon code and call us, you might get to talk to Maggie or Jan. Alias, Felix and Shannon are carefully packing your orders.
Brett is running the warehouse. Sarah is the glue holding it all together, the ultimately CFO who will pack an order when needed too.
Our talented graphic artists, Sawn and Liz, make us look beautiful and Lindsay makes sure we look perfect at all of our trade shows. And there are new employees that have jumped in and have already made a big difference.
Many of these people have been with us from the beginning and helped us through those late night feedings and blow-out diaper changes.
So, the next time you purchase a Mer-Sea gift, know that it was truly made with love. Obviously, plenty of love from Melanie and I. But we wanted to make sure that you knew that there are husbands, kids, friends, and incredible employees behind it.
It takes a village :)
xoxo, Lina