The Citizen News
Down to Earth Toys, lands state business award
Local named, 'Home based business champion of the year for the State of Michigan' by Susan Bromley
March 11, 2009 - Brandon Twp.- Carrin Weirauch is a ray of hope for wannabe entrepreneurs in a dark economy.
The owner of Down to Earth Toys has been named "Home-based business champion of the year for the State of Michigan" by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is finding tremendous success a little more than a year after opening her business specializing in American-made, eco-friendly toys.
"Even being nominated was a shock," said Weirauch. "I'm such a new company. I feel like it was too easy. Everything has fallen together and come really naturally. I feel really good because I know this is one more thing to give me credibility with customers."
Weirauch began her business, found online at www.downtoearthtoys.com, in November 2007. She was motivated by a desire to stay home with her son, now 3, and by the need for safe toys, as well as ones that keep jobs in the United States.
Down to Earth Toys focuses on wooden, natural, and educational toys. The majority of products sold by Down to Earth Toys, 90 percent, are American-made. The rest are from Europe or fair-trade sources. Most toys are handmade and none are mass-produced or from sweatshops. Weirauch carefully shops for these toys, most of which come from other small home-based toy manufacturers and then retails them on her website. She began the business as a way to have a career that would allow her to stay home with her 1-year-old son and was inspired by a need for safe toys, as well as ones that keep jobs in the United States.
Weirauch keeps an inventory of about 250 different toys, none electronic or battery-operated, requiring children to use their imagination more. In the past year, she has doubled her sales and believes part of her success is more people moving toward non-Chinese toys.
"I think people are craving a more old-fashioned mindset," she adds. "They're tired of throwing broken plastic toys in the garbage."
Weirauch's goal is to make enough money at her business to send her son to private school and to support the family enough to allow them to move to the Upper Peninsula.
"I have a very understanding husband," continued Weirauch. "Time management and bookkeeping are my biggest challenges. At the end of the day, if my husband and son are happy and my customers are happy, I did a good job."
For those thinking of starting their own home-based business, Weirauch advises doing the homework on it, and getting a government funded Small Business Administration counselor to help with a business plan.
"Research demographics and the market and try to do as much as you can yourself to save money," said Weirauch. "Realize you won't make a profit right away, but you have to persevere and be forward thinking. This is a good time to start your own business, because a lot of people have been laid off and can use the time to start."
As for Weirauch, with the success she is currently experiencing, she wonders how much better it would be if the economy was good. She expects business to double again by next Christmas.
"Don't be discouraged by the economy, it's going to get better," she said.
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