Mompreneur: Pam So-Suarez and Michelle Wu-Quiec for the Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper

Just like many of our other featured mompreneurs here on Smart Parenting, first-time moms and college friends Pam So-Suarez and Michelle Wu-Quiec came up with their business (which is temporarily under the name Perfect Pieces, a business originally set up by Pam and her husband, selling custom-made art mirrors and furniture) because they “had always wanted to become mompreneurs and have a business relating to babies and children.”

 

For love of co-sleeping

Pam, who is mom to seven-month-old Aidan Pryce, and Michelle, mom to Kaizen Grady, 3, and is five months on the way with a baby girl, brought in the Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper to the Philippines via Perfect Pieces in October 2011. In her own words (via an e-mail interview with this writer), Pam shares how it happened:

Soon after I gave birth to my son Aidan in 2011, Michelle (who is based in the US) and I were talking about baby products and we found out that we both had an Arm's Reach co-sleeper. (I had ordered mine from the US and had my mom ship it over via a balikbayan box.) 

Michelle was telling me about how she and everyone she knows who has used an Arm's Reach absolutely loved it, while I shared the very same sentiments even in those early days when I had just started using mine. We realized that this brand wasn't available in Manila yet, so we got in touch with Arm's Reach on how to go about exclusively distributing their brand in the Philippines. The rest just fell into place.

 

Business = Helping moms enjoy motherhood

When asked why they think their business idea is unique, Pam says that, as hands-on moms themselves, she and Michelle really want to help bring in “heaven-sent” must-haves for other new moms to use, i.e. “products that allow moms to enjoy and relish in the priceless experience of motherhood and bonding with one's little bundle of joy.”

That’s why these two enterprising mommas really wanted to bring in the Arm’s Reach co-sleeper — because “it is a unique, revolutionary product, it is the only one of its kind and it is taking the world by storm. It is the best-selling and only patented co-sleeper worldwide, allowing parents to sleep safely with their little one right next to their bed.”

When it comes to the financial rewards distributing the Arm’s Reach co-sleeper, Pam shares that, for both she and Michelle, “the profit is secondary,” as their primary goal is “to be able to market this great product to other moms in the country so they can breastfeed, co-sleep, and bond with their baby in the best possible way, especially at the earliest possible stage of their baby's life.“

Admittedly, Pam adds that since their business is still in its infancy, most of their investments are still tied to their stocks.

 

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On work-life balance

 Though Pam and Michelle are both working moms, they say they never fail to put their family life first, above all else. “Balancing our many roles in life — work and family — really boils down to personal choice and commitment,” Pam says.

At present, Pam manages the Philippine side of the business from their home, which is a 10-minute drive away from her office, where she works part-time. Because of this, she gets to spend as much time as she can with Aidan. 

Michelle, on the other hand, works from home in New Jersey where she and her husband are based. Like Pam, she is very hands-on with her son Kai. 

Pam says she and Michelle consciously planned for such working arrangements to make sure that they could best fulfill the most important roles in their lives — as wives to their respective husbands and mothers to their respective kids.

 

Tips for aspiring mompreneurs

 Pam and Michelle, like most mompreneurs who truly stand by their products and services, advise other moms who want to venture into business to “love your product.” They speak from experience, as they themselves truly believe in the benefits of their product, and are confident that all moms across the country will share the exact same sentiments.

“We are incredibly confident that our Arm's Reach co-sleeper will be a staple presence in every nursery, and a safe sleeping haven for every newborn baby,” Pam ends.

Truly, when you totally believes in something, virtually nothing will stop you from sharing the “good news” about it. That’s what Pam and Michelle are doing with the Arm’s Reach co-sleeper — sharing their knowledge on breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and other aspects of hands-on parenting — so that other moms, babies and families will be more blessed by the benefits of doing such! 

 

To get in touch with Pam, you may send an e-mail to perfect_pieces@yahoo.com or call/text 0917-8445942 or 02-5024833. You can also get regular updates via their Facebook page: http://facebook.com/perfectpieces.