One of my latest efficiency projects is to make the summarized results of some of my new product reviews available to my customers. You can find this information in the Customer Service Department under “Why Don’t We Carry…?” Scratching your head over what this could possibly mean in terms of efficiency? Read on…

I noticed that I was receiving regular inquiries/suggestions from customers about the same products–products that I do not sell. Since I also love details, I have always replied happily to such customers, eager to tell them all the fascinating details I learned from my new product review process that led to my decision not to carry that product.

I thought other customers may be interested in this information as well, and saw several benefits to making it public on my site. With Earth Day later this month, the hot topic lately has been eco-friendly art & craft supplies, so I have chosen to focus on products in this category first.

Now when customers ask me why I don’t have product x, y or z on my site, I can simply refer them to this resource for the answers they seek. And, because the information is publicly available on my site, customers will not need to take the time to write me as often about this topic. Two points for efficiency!

Perhaps the biggest goal I have for this project, however, is change. Keep in mind that, in order for a product to be reviewed at all, it must already be better than its conventional counterpart in some significant respect (i.e. environment, labor, vegan, safety). These companies are already doing something, or several somethings, right with these products.

Please take the time to applaud them for their accomplishments and encourage them toward continued improvements. If we act as conscious consumers, if we use our dollars to “vote” for the kind of world in which we want to live, we can make a difference. This is the way to truly make Earth Day every day.

We have been through the everyday challenges of parenting young children while running a business from home (yes, sometimes I ship orders in boxes that may have been a puppet theater or spaceship and sometimes when you call you will hear my children fighting, I mean playing, in the background), and the struggle of balancing work/family/personal needs (that last one is so tough!). We have also been through some not-so-ordinary challenges, including a devastating hurricane that destroyed half our home/office and left us without electricity for weeks (luckily our neighbors had battery- and solar-powered computers–thank you again, Al and Sandy!), a major relocation from FL to NC, serious illnesses, and the loss of someone very special.

As I look back over the last 5 years and reflect upon how I can improve KidBean.com, my focus settles on addressing some of the regular questions I am asked by customers, vendors, and journalists. As a business owner, I expect to be asked about my business and my products, but the questions I am asked most frequently are much more personal. By answering such questions and sharing parts of my own life, I hope to educate, inspire and challenge you toward a more conscious, peaceful lifestyle; not to mention satisfy your curiosity.

Some of the personal questions that I am frequently asked, and which I will address in forthcoming posts to this blog, include:

• What advice do I have on vegan parenting? 
• What books do we read?
• What kinds of clothes do we wear?  Are they all organic cotton made in the USA or does some polyester (gasp!) occasionally find its way into our home?
• What kind of beds do we sleep in?
• Where do my children go to school?
• What do we eat? Specifically, how in the world do we get enough protein and calcium? And, how do I get my kids to eat so many vegetables?
• What kind of toys do my children have? Is everything really organic/natural and labor-friendly, or has even my home been invaded by the likes of Barbie and LEGO?

Since I have always freely answered such questions, and am in fact rather transparent about such aspects of my life, I created this blog to address some of these questions to a wider audience. I also plan to use this blog as a place to announce new products, discuss existing products, and comment on news of interest to me and my customers.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why I chose to call my business “KidBean”, please see my updated About Us section. In the next post I’ll start answering some of those pressing personal questions listed above. For now I’ll close with some pictures of me and my family so you can see the faces behind KidBean.com.

Peace.