<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" What she sells: Tiny stuffed animals that clip onto backpacks and belts. They&amp;#039;re sold in matching pairs, so a kid can keep one and give the other to a friend.  Her inspiration: In 2003, after her second child was born, Jacquin read an article about eight-year-olds forsaking traditional toys for cell phones, makeup and clothes. The trend disturbed her: Would her sweet newborn and her 18-month-old daughter really grow up that fast? &amp;quot;Kids don&amp;#039;t need to act like adults,&amp;quot; she says. So she came up with a product that would encourage kids to be kids. She called it (and her company) tWibbles, a made-up word that reminds her of a song she sings to her children. Her start-up story: Jacquin borrowed $300,000 to launch. &amp;quot;It was terrifying to ask for that much money,&amp;quot; the 35-year-old mom admits. In March 2004, she designed 24 characters -- from Roary the lion to Stretch the giraffe -- and hired a manufacturer to create prototypes. That same year, specialty stores bought 100,000 units. Her big break: Last fall, her distributor sold 200,000 tWibbles to Target, making the giant retailer Jacquin&amp;#039;s biggest customer. The bottom line: Her company made $300,000 in profits last year. Jacquin plowed about $250,000 back into tWibbles and paid the rest to herself. The biggest challenge: Getting the word out. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m competing with companies that spend millions on advertising,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;But that just makes me work harder.&amp;quot; Why it&amp;#039;s all worthwhile: The tWibbles toys help people stay close. One grown-up example: Last year, Jacquin had a special batch of military bears shipped to 10,000 soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. The servicemen and servicewomen could keep one and send the other to a friend or a family member for the holidays. &amp;quot;I wanted to do something in honor of their sacrifice,&amp;quot; Jacquin says. Her best advice: &amp;quot;Be optimistic and never give up,&amp;quot; she says, adding that &amp;quot;when things go wrong, remember: There&amp;#039;s always another day.&amp;quot;  What did you do before starting your company, tWibbles? I was a marketing manager for a foreign electronics company for a couple of years. Then I invented a product called the Sofspin, a machine that removes nail polish. It sold well on QVC in 1997, but I discovered that it needed some improvements. I put that on hold to get married and start a family and didn&amp;#039;t go back to it because by the time I could, my heart was set on tWibbles. I may go back to Sofspin now that tWibbles is doing so well. One of the first things any entrepreneur has to do is write a business plan. How did you know how to do that?  I bought computer software called Business Plan Builder. It&amp;#039;s awesome! It offered sample business plans and walked me through how to write each section. How did you find a manufacturer to make your tWibbles? I let all my contacts know I was looking for a trustworthy manufacturer. Sure enough, a friend of mine had a connection. He introduced us, and I was set. What&amp;#039;s your advice to people who can&amp;#039;t find a manufacturer through friends? Avoid companies that advertise online \u2011- they&amp;#039;re usually the worst. Instead, visit a local mom (and pop) company and ask the owners which manufacturer they use. And ask if they can set you up with a good contact. Even if they can&amp;#039;t help you find a manufacturer, they may hook you up with someone else who can help. In the Good Housekeeping article, you say it&amp;#039;s tough for a small business like yours to compete with major brands. How do you do it? I spend as much as I can on advertising. During the 2005 holiday season, I spent about $160,000 on ads, including on Nickelodeon and on a syndicated national radio program. You have to do whatever you can to get exposure. It&amp;#039;s not enough just to be in Target stores; you have to let people know that you&amp;#039;re there. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/inspirational-stories/a16843/entrepreneur-jacquin-0406/>