Cindy Ball and Alix Cameron were both disenchanted with going back to corporate world after having children. They wanted to build on their marketing skills and launch a business that gave them the flexibility they needed with five children between them.

One day Alix was at the park with a friend. Her friend bent over to pick up her son and out popped her thong from the back of her jeans. “Don’t you hate it when you lean over and all you see is the back of your thong?” the other mom commented. That gave Alix a flash of inspiration, and was the start of Smart Ass.

Speakers’ Key Points
Eight Tips on How to be a Smart Ass

1. Build a brand that stands out from the crowd. We wanted to create a brand that was going to differentiate our product from other underwear on the market. The name Smart Ass and our pink donkey logo is memorable. People may not remember our names, but they always remember the company name. Having “ass” in the name has been one of our biggest blessings and it is also one of our biggest curses. It has garnered us a tremendous amount of media attention but there are some places, mostly in the United States, that have a problem with our name. If you pick something that is too edgy, you are going to have both positives and negatives associated with it.

2. Be brave and take the leap of faith. Early on we wanted to meet sales reps to help us distribute Smart Ass. One of our biggest issues was, and is, distribution. We went to meet with a rep with a fantastic reputation. Before the meeting we created some home made business cards and we created our first Smart Ass thong with an iron on transfer. Of course, the rep picked it up and stretched it and the writing cracked! She must have thought we were crazy and we left wondering if she was right. A year later she signed on as rep for Western Canada. The moral of the story is you can’t wait for things to be perfect to get started. 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. It can be scary, but take the leap!

3. Shake your money maker. Do whatever you need to do to get your business going, even if you don’t feel like doing it. We were at a trade show in New York when we realized it was National Underwear Day. So at 4:00am, we got up and went over to the Today Show line up – we were the first ones there that day. We had boas, bags of samples to give out, and some banners we had made up. The cameras panned over and saw us. Meredith Vieira came over and signed one of our thongs. Later that day when we were back at the trade show, we told everyone who would listen that “we were just on the Today Show” and we had the signed thong to prove it! So make sure to look for opportunities to promote your company and also always carry your product in your bag and give it to whomever you can. We once saw Olivia Newton John in the airport and didn’t have a sample on us!

4. Don’t just learn from your mistakes, have a good belly laugh!! On those days when things go wrong, we try and have a good laugh. We had a saying that came out that was “it girl” and they just did not sell. We nicknamed that one Sh*t girl and still laugh about it. The first year we ordered a Valentine’s shipment and when it arrived, every donkey logo was crouching! We joked about “Crouching Donkey, Hidden Problem” and after a lot of laughter, we found a solution. Sometimes when you have a good belly laugh solutions will come.

5. Be the Wizard of Oz online. Remember in the Wizard of Oz, how it was that little man pulling levers, but he managed to make himself look really big and impressive? People are immediately going to go to your web site, so spend the money to make it look good. Take advantage of the great technology available. We use web-enabled software that allows us to update our website from anywhere that we have access to the Internet. We love web orders. They come in and the money goes directly into our bank. Last year Alix was sitting on the beach in Hawaii and her Blackberry was going “ding - ding - ding” as the orders came in – those are the types of e-mails you want to get. Web sales also remove the middle person and let you have the customer’s contact information. You can then talk to your customers directly.

6. Be half full and drink the koolaid. Be willing to be your own biggest fan and stay positive. There is usually an opportunity when something goes wrong. We were at a trade show in New York in February. This show was scheduled during the Super Bowl and the New York Giants won. It was the most dismal trade show attendance-wise that we have ever attended. But all was not lost. We met a new manufacturer. Don’t be afraid to continue to promote yourselves. When we were scheduled to be on the Donny Deutsch show The Big Idea, we emailed everyone in our database. Then we emailed everyone again when they re-scheduled the show. Then we had to email them a third time when it was rescheduled again. We were feeling embarrassed, but Rebecca Eckler who writes for Maclean’s emailed us and said “Okay, okay, after your three recent emails I guess I will have to relent and interview you guys”. A great article followed bringing in excellent publicity. Early on, you will probably feel a little uncomfortable promoting yourself but trust us, you will get more comfortable with it over time.

7. Dare to dream and let your kids dream too. Early on, when we first started Smart Ass it was more of an idea than a reality. We would tell people and they would look at us like “that’s nice girls”! They didn’t believe we would succeed. But if you are persistent, your idea will grow. If it doesn’t grow, tweak it. Your path will not be a straight line, it will be a zigzag. We struggle with the kids sometimes as we spend a lot of time with Smart Ass. You might feel guilty about not being with your kids, but you are also showing them that it is possible to create something from nothing. Our two youngest have set up an office in the play room, and they want to take over Smart Ass one day. Sometimes we joke they are more productive than we are! Do what is right for you and don’t feel guilty.

8. Believe in Karma. Pay it forward! We are very blessed in our lives and we could have not gone this far if we had not had very supportive partners and other people in our lives. As a new company, it is hard to give back financially. As a mom, you are already likely doing a lot of volunteer time with your children and their school. At Smart Ass, we give back by supporting colon cancer screening. We have it on all our packaging. It doesn’t cost us to add this but it does help spread the word about the need for colon cancer screening. When we started, so many people shared their wisdom with us and helped us out. Whenever we have the chance, we do what we can to give back.

Questions

Q. How do you protect your intellectual property? How do you prevent people copying your idea and putting their own sayings on the back of thongs?

A. This was one of our first questions too. We have our logo and our name trademarked. It has been one of our biggest expenses. But as for protecting the idea, you basically have to be first to market and to do a better job. With a name like Smart Ass, people remember us.

Q. How do your online sales compare with retail sales, and how do you bring traffic to your web site.

A. Right now our online sales are about 10%. Wholesale orders are larger orders whereas online you keep the whole amount, but it is smaller orders. If you sell to a wholesaler for $9, they sell the product for $20. Online we keep the whole $20 and we build the relationship directly with the customer. We have built traffic to our website via organic search primarily. Now if you type Smart Ass into a search engine, we are the first entry that comes up. The best way to get traffic to your site is to get people blogging about you and get inbound links. On line press really helps your rankings. With the word ass in our name, we do get some traffic that we don’t want! You really want to make sure you are picking your key words properly. Look at your product and see where you can differentiate yourself and compete in that way.

Q. Do you do all of your own web work? And do you have advertising on your car?

A. Our web site is done by Idea Lever and it a content management system. We can update everything ourselves anytime. We pay them a licensing fee, a hosting fee and to develop the site. We have someone we work with who does our graphic design. We do not have advertising on our car. The challenge is that my kids (Alix) go to Catholic school! Our cars are used for family, and with a business name like ours, it is a fine line!

Q. As a new mom, I am looking at childcare options, and I am puzzled with the draw to entrepreneurship. How do you make it work?

A. We have done all different types of childcare, from part-time babysitters through to a live-in nanny. Travel is really hard and at times we use our Moms, friends, and everyone we know to help with the juggle. Entrepreneurship is not easier than working full time, but it is more flexible. We will get up early, do a first clear of emails, get the kids breakfast and get them off to school, then we go to the office, do a day’s work, pick up the kids, and then after bed time we do more work! Blackberries have been key for us. Many people worry about being tied to work with a Blackberry. But having a Blackberry means you don’t have to be tied to the office. The real challenge in making it all work is finding personal time. There are no easy answers. It helps to be less of a perfectionist. We have recently let things go a lot more. Ironically, we are probably more profitable now that we have let some of the crap go.

Q. Do you feel balanced?

A. Right now, yes, but there have been periods that it would have been a big no! Trade shows are pretty crazy. As our kids are getting older, we have scaled back a bit. Alix has carved out 3 runs a week and Cindy plays tennis and works out. We want to be healthy. We went three years without much self care and recently we have re-prioritized.

Q. What can you share with us about building successful partnerships?

A. You need to learn to share really well. We worked together first so we knew each other’s work style as well as being friends. I can’t imagine doing this with anyone else. We have fun and do try to keep it light. We are both good at the same things – getting stuff done and marketing. Maybe it would have been easier if we had different skill sets? We are incorporated and we have a formal, legal partnership agreement. Pick your work spouse wisely. You will spend more time with this person that you will with your husband! Look for someone who is complementary to you. I don’t know if I would have made it alone. It’s a long haul between the euphoria of the new idea and bringing that idea to fruition. As for profit sharing, there is no money honey! We are not taking a salary. All the money is gong back into the business. It has been four years and we are still not taking a salary. We could not be doing this if we did not have husbands earning a good salary. But we love it, and would not trade this path for anything.

Sara Borck took great shots at the event - here they are as a scrapbook page.