Filled Up Cup
Welcome to the Filled Up Cup podcast. We are a different kind of self-care resource to the mom market-- one that has nothing to do with bubble baths and face masks, and everything to do with rediscovering yourself after becoming a mother. Join us as we talk unique experiences, unconventional methods and off the wall products. I hope you'll enjoy following alone as I bring you real reviews, honest experiences and unfiltered opinions that make you laugh, make you cry and most importantly- leave you with a filled up cup.
Filled Up Cup
Ep. 91 Samantha Thiessen
On this episode, I am joined by Samantha Thiessen. She is the owner of Bluebird Pads which is a Canadian small business who makes period and incontinence products as well as lounge wear. We talk about the myths around period products and why switching to a re-useable product might be a good fit for you. We talk about the benefits and challenges of being a business owner while trying to also balance being a mom and wife.
Contact Bluebird Pads by Email, Phone or Online Form
Bluebird Pads (@bluebirdpads) • Instagram photos and videos
Bluebird Pads (bluebirdpads) - Profile | Pinterest
We also give a shout out to Sierra at Birch Hill Studio for having an enjoyable Instagram game while also being a small Canadian business owner: Birch Hill Studio Inc (@birchhillstudio) • Instagram photos and videos
Filled Up Cup - Unconventional Self Care for Modern Women
Ashley ~ Filled Up Cup podcast (@filledupcup_) • Instagram photos and videos
Welcome to the filled up cup podcast. We are a different kind of self care resource. One that has nothing to do with bubble baths and face masks and everything to do with rediscovering yourself. We bring you real reviews, honest experiences, and unfiltered opinions that will make you laugh, cry, and most importantly, leave you with a filled up cup.
Ashley:I am so excited. Today I have Samantha Thiessen joining me. Samantha and I are going to talk about her company, which is Blue Bird Pads. Thank you so much for joining me. Hi, Ashley. Thanks for having me. I know that you recently started carrying period underwear. Is there going to be sort of a rebrand to just calling it Blue Bird? Or are you going to stick with Blue Bird Pads?
Samantha:I believe I will just stay with bluebird pads. They're still padded underwear. So I think it just keeps it simple. Originally when I bought the company, it was called Blushing Bluebird. Essentials, but I dropped the blushing and just went with the bluebird. I thought it was easier to remember
Ashley:For sure I know what it was blushing bluebirds. You were part of that company as a sewer How has the transition been from kind of being a part of the company to running the company?
Samantha:Oh, that's hard. I love sewing, so it's easy for me and it just comes naturally to run a business. It's a whole lot more work, right, behind it, especially having kids. I have three little girls of my own. It's a lot of work on top of running that.
Ashley:Yeah, the idea that we can have it all and have it all at the same time or like having complete life balance, I feel like as a mom is kind of a myth because there is only so many hours in a day that it's like, it kind of does feel at times where it's like you're pulled into the work side of your brain and then it's like the mom's side of the brain and it can kind of be a battle going back and forth.
Samantha:Yes, I agree with you there. You know, especially summertime comes and your kids are all at home and they're wanting to go do stuff and you're like, okay, I gotta hunker down and get some work done. So you have to designate time to get that done.
Ashley:Absolutely. And still make time for yourself.
Samantha:Yes, yes, yeah, always. Just going to the beach is nice. I love going to the beach or to the lake or we have a pool in our backyard so we could just go outside and just chill out for a bit. Which is nice. Yeah, for sure. Cause all this hot weather that's been coming.
Ashley:I basically this is my first summer where it's like a mix of perimenopause and the heat. So it's the first summer where I'm like, Oh, it's a little bit much. But yeah, I definitely love this weather while we have it. You're located in BC as well, is that correct? Yes, on Vancouver Island in Courtney. Yeah, so it's like, I will just enjoy the sun while we have it before the rainy season, sort of sunset. Yeah,
Samantha:or the smoky season.
Ashley:Although thankfully, so far, at least where I'm located, it's been not bad this year compared to some other years. Oh, good. Now, for anybody who's not familiar with Bluebird pads, can you explain what products you carry?
Samantha:So, we sell organic cotton reusable cloth pads for periods, but they also work for incontinence as well. I also sell three different types of period underwear that I make. We have four different sizes of wet bags. I also sell a variety of other things like wipes, nature wipes, nighties, regular underwear, and interlabial pads. Are the products made in BC? Yes, they're all made here, actually, in Courtney, and mostly by me. I do have one other sewist right now that helps me sew just the pads and the bags, but all the underwear are cut, designed, and sewed by me.
Ashley:It's amazing knowing that not only are you supporting a smaller company, but it really is that the money goes towards the person that's putting so much of their heart and passion behind their products.
Samantha:Yeah, I really enjoy sewing and I love doing this for other people which is great it does take a lot of time, but I will make special underwear even for people that request it a lot of the times, more for like heavy cases or a certain height. I work with a lot of elderly people or people that have issues, like epilepsy and stuff too. So I'm helping, so I love it.
Ashley:Well, and it's nice to know that if somebody was looking for something specific too, that you do custom orders.
Samantha:I agree, yeah. I try to work with it as much as I can. I can only go so far, you know, without broadening. Some people are like, why don't you do this? Why don't you do that? And I'm like, well, I got to just limit it right now at this time. But I think about things that maybe later down if I could get some more sewers to come and help me then I could broaden my variety.
Ashley:Do you think that there's a specific myth around, reusable period pads or period underwear that people maybe have when they think about those products? Versus like a traditional period product.
Samantha:For sure. A lot of people think there are too much work. You know, it's messy. Or they just don't want to touch, you know, blood or you know, it could be anything. They say they cost too much. They aren't. sanitary enough, like won't clean well enough. Or what's another good thing? They won't absorb enough if they're heavy, heavy flows. But these are all myths because really in the long run, I don't find them as much work because you have what you need. You don't have to go out and get it. It's easier. So I just wash them and re wear them.
Ashley:You just wash them in your regular laundry with your other clothes, or is there any special, washing things that people should be aware of?
Samantha:What I do is I rinse after use and store in a wet bag. I use non floral, I actually have a cleaning stick that I use and I just rub them down. Rinse them out quite well, squeeze them out, just store, wet bag, and you know, it could last a couple days. And you could just throw them in with your regular wash. I do like colors, right? I'm not going to throw them in with my white load. It's just easy. And then you just throw them in with the dryer and then put them back on your shelf till next month. Or if it's more for incontinence, you'll be using them more often, right?
Ashley:And I do think it, when you do get in the habit of, you know, storing them in your bathroom and it becomes like a normal part of your laundry, it really doesn't become that much work. Your products are actually the first, like, non traditional period products that we introduced into our house. And it really, it isn't extra work. I also think when you break down how much waste. Traditional period product is compared to a reusable product. It is such a difference that, we can look at the cost of each product side by side, but then we can also look at the cost of like, if you have to pay for garbage, how much extra waste are you throwing in there and saving it in that like, there's so many different costs. And then even just the, like, per pad, per wear, I'm sure, would end up in the long run being more cost effective than a traditional product that you throw out.
Samantha:For sure. Because they last. Some have lasted up to ten years. Like, it just depends on how many times you use them, how many times you wash them. I agree with you there. It is more cost effective, for sure. You might have to drop a lot at first, but then in the long run, it's going to save you.
Ashley:Can you give us an idea of like a traditional first time purchase? How many pads? or if they come in like a kit together, what is the cost initially upfront?
Samantha:I do a couple of starter kits on my website. There's different sizes I have a regular starter kit, a super starter kit, and a plus starter kit. And each one, I do a 10 percent discount on the starter kits. Average, it would be about 115 for, let's say, the super kit. that includes five pads. and a wet bag. And I do recommend the wet bag. If you have wet bags at home that you can use, then you don't really need the wet bag. But that's a good start for you. And it could last you, like, your period if you started and used it two days. Or three days, and then you can wash them and then use them for the last couple of days, and then kind of introduce a couple more pads here and there, just to lengthen the life of your pads, because if you're washing them every other day, it will wear down them, not by much, but they'll still last you at least five years.
Ashley:Yeah, I think we started with a starter kit. I can't remember whether we bought one or two initially, but they do really last a long time. I can't remember from my initial purchase to my restock purchase, how long it was, but it was definitely years in between. Yeah. And the wet bag is also so convenient. So if you're, you know, in school or at work, it's so handy that you can take it with you without it having to be like, what am I going to do? Like, so it doesn't create that extra step or additional work. It's like, instead of throwing whatever in the garbage, it's like, you can just throw it, like you said, in the wet bag and go back. Do whatever you're going to do
Samantha:for sure. I agree with you. They're just makes it so convenient and easy to be on the go and bring it with you. I love zippers on them. So you can just zip it up and kind of leave it if you have to and come back to it and clean it up or it can be put on the shelf in your bathroom. And then when it's laundry day, then you clean it with the regular clothes.
Ashley:It's also like a very nondescript, bag, it almost reminds me of they're like a miniature lunch container or almost like a pencil case, like a fabric pencil case. So even if you were like, I wouldn't want anybody to see me with it, or if you were very, self conscious, or if you were a younger person in school, you wouldn't go, oh, that's a period product, if you just happen to see somebody having it in their hand.
Samantha:Exactly true. And also, when you go to the bathroom, you don't have that like, you know, the ripping up the plastic. It's just like a little zip that put down, put the pad, change, put the dirty one in there, and then it's done. It's easy. I make these little small poly pockets. And that's just a day that you can take one pad and put it into the wet bag. It's just a teeny wet bag.
Ashley:Which is nice to have different options, too. I was unaware. I thought it only came in the bigger style.
Samantha:We actually have four different sizes of bags. We have the teeny poly size, then a medium size I came out with a couple years ago. That one's nice to keep a couple of pads in your purse, or if you just have liners, which is nice to keep in there. And then I have the larger Luella bag, which that's a great bag. It's just easy and it's the most common. To keep quite a few pads in there. Then I come out with an extra large size. Her name's called Verna. And it can hook actually on to hooks like it has snaps and so you can hook it up and it's more of a full size for people with more night sized pads or heavy pads.
Ashley:Compared to a traditional pad, how long or how much blood on average, like comparable for them? Like how long do you think one pad you could wear throughout the day time wise?
Samantha:If you were using disposable pads, you would generally have one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and then one more at night. And it's the same with my pads. Depending on how heavy your flow is I would, recommend a super size for the, Morning, a supersize for the afternoon, and maybe a night size for the night. And that's kind of the first day of the period, whereas when you get to the second day depending on how heavy you are, you could do the same, or you could even do one supersize all day, and then a different one at night, but because they don't have the chemicals that disposables have on them, you can wear them up to 12 hours and it's fine.
Ashley:Yeah, which is really, it's huge to think about. Periods can be such a pain, especially it's like if you're not expecting it and then you're out and about and then you have it. We don't really want to think, oh my gosh, I have to, you know, change my tampon in three hours or I have to worry about this. You really can kind of throw it on and not really worry about it and go about your day. Okay.
Samantha:Yes, they've saved me a couple times where I was like, Whoa, I don't know if I'm gonna make it. And then I go to the bathroom. I'm like, I'm fine. They saved me. But it is a mind over matter though, when you first use a reusable over disposable because the feeling feels like you're wearing like clothes. So, you have to be like, trust the pad, you have to think about it because or else then you're like, well, I'm not wearing anything kind of. idea.
Ashley:Does that make sense? Yeah, because the disposable ones definitely have a different texture, a different feel to them. Yeah. That it's like, it is, it's almost like you're free bleeding when you're not.
Samantha:Yeah. And you have to just be like, whoa, okay, I can do this. And then it becomes so regular that I don't think I could ever go back ever to using a disposable pad.
Ashley:No, I don't think so either. I just felt like the plastic y texture after a while, like something that was uncomfortable. And it just didn't feel good, if that makes sort of sense.
Samantha:I agree. And the rashes, the irritations, the yeah, it didn't feel good. And it's funny, but when we were younger, that was kind of what was expected of us, is we were supposed to use these disposable, that's all we were taught, to use disposable pads.
Ashley:Yeah, there wasn't. Conversations around periods or period products or period options. So I really do appreciate that these conversations are happening more now. I was even mind blown when I had heard that traditional period products were I don't think it was like until this year or until last year, and I could be quoting this wrong, but they had never actually tested it with blood that they had tested it with other liquids. So it's like this product that was sold to us for decades as being this one product. it wasn't even tested for women's bodies or our blood or whatever that It is just kind of insane that Those were the only options we had, and that there was very little testing on them. And then even the studies coming out about the chemicals that are really in our body and really thinking about the long term effects that those cause, it is always nice to have an alternative option if that's something that you want.
Samantha:For sure. I feel, myself, is that, It's just natural to more be using cloth than it would be to using plastic against me or even just papery, cotton paper, right, as some of them have, but cloth, you know, forever and always, they've always used cloth pads. Back in the old days, they used the rag, right? They used, for generations and generations and generations, they would just use wads of material. And then all of a sudden they decided, nope, it's not sanitary and brought in these disposable pads and that's what was expected of everyone.
Ashley:For sure, the capitalism at its finest. When they realized that women, you know, had money to burn or that there was products that could be sold to us, it was like we did start moving away from traditional products. Same with even, like body hair. Although I am a fan of body hair. of shaving still, but it is sort of that, that they convinced us that we needed pretty pink razors to be able to change things. So it is really going down to the root of, do we think that it's unclean or unsanitary? Or that we have these belief systems and where those actually come from versus what's actually true. It must be nice for your children to be able to have normalized conversations about period and period care. Did you find when you were growing up that there was a lot of conversations like this happening in your household or that you felt comfortable having?
Samantha:We didn't really talk about it when we were younger. It wasn't frowned upon, but it wasn't really discussed either. Not like today, where I feel more people want to talk about it.
Ashley:Yeah, my daughter is 17 now when she was back in like sixth grade, seventh grade, there wasn't like, I don't know if they went and grabbed like a product out of their bag to go to the bathroom. It wasn't like, Oh my gosh, I have to hide this. It was like, they just grabbed it and went, but I like the fact that, you know, people do understand that people bleed. It's a normal thing that happens every month and that it isn't like this. Ew, gross. Thing that people have to hide in the same way. I don't necessarily think that we have to announce it to the room like, hey guys, I'm bleeding this month. I'll be right back. But I, I feel like there needs to be like a normalcy around it.
Samantha:Yeah. Yeah. Just it's there. That's what happened. I agree. And I have three girls, like I said, it's pretty natural in this house. My husband is okay talking about it. He's, like, game, you know? He talks about it all the time. So he's a very open guy and understanding.
Ashley:Which I think makes a huge difference, having it normalized, because I think, unfortunately, The people that maybe haven't had those conversations, it can be a really scary or shameful thing unnecessarily. Like I know I had a friend growing up and her parents never talked to her about it, but she literally had thought she was dying when she first got her period. She was so scared. Or I knew other people that their parents didn't supply period products at all. And they essentially had to like borrow from their friends that it should be normalized. It shouldn't be all of these other internalized, shameful things.
Samantha:Yes, for sure. It's a hard time. There is a lot of period poverty as people call it, especially around the world and even in North America
Ashley:yeah, I definitely agree with you and especially in this economy, where the grocery stores like to add extra on top of everything that for somebody was able to budget. I don't know. I'm trying to think of what. A traditional like say, maybe like a 10 box maybe could now go up to 13 or 14 and when families are really struggling to be able to afford the bills, it can be a hard decision to choose between a period product or, you know, groceries or same with the unhoused people when it's like not having the option necessarily to wash pads or wash cups or things like that of having access.
Samantha:Yes, I agree for sure. It's hard. I would love to donate. I do do usually a donation a year, but it would be nice to be able to donate more. It's hard because I'm such a small business to be able to do huge donations, but I do get asked quite often. Once a year, I'd like to do a big donation. And partner with those people to help people that can't afford products. It's so nice, and to have them be able to use something that they don't have to go and get every single Month.
Ashley:Yeah, absolutely. And I do appreciate the fact that you can do it while you can, because I think the ownership really should be on bigger corporations or government versus smaller businesses that don't necessarily have the budget to be able to donate things all the time. I know in B. C. That they passed a regulation that schools and bigger businesses do have to provide their workers and their students. Period products. So we definitely are moving in the right direction
Samantha:Even knowing prices are going up of fabrics and everything, I have kind of took it upon myself to not raise my prices because I want to provide for the people. I want to be able to be not super expensive, right? And go up to that next bracket. So, I like to keep my prices. The way they are, you know, and even do specials and for other people that can't always get them, like can't afford them at that moment. But I definitely will keep on trying to be the same price as long as I can.
Ashley:Which I'm sure everybody appreciates to at least know that there's consistency and practice. Even if you had to raise your prices, it's because it's like legitimate because of other costs. Not like, Hey, everybody will pay 7 more, so I'm just going to charge this different rate for people purchasing your products. Can they just purchase online or are you available in like brick and mortar stores as well?
Samantha:I do have the website. And I do do a special where I do like a 5 shipping charge that we could do it letter mail depending up to a certain amount of size, which is great. I think it's a great option because you know, shipping has gone up huge amounts for people that are, way across the country, or even just to, like, Nanaimo from here, it can get up to about 16 to 17 for shipping. But I do have other retailers that sell my product. I have about a dozen retailers. All up and down Vancouver Island. We have here in Courtney, I have the local refillery and all the way down to Victoria and other zero waste shops. I actually have a place on Salt Spring that I have the country grocer over on Salt Spring, but then I have some over on the mainland too, and all the way to Alberta. I have one in Calgary and even up in the Yukon. Oh, nice. Yeah, so I try to get out more. I would like to go more across the country. Country to Ontario or, you know, Quebec or even the maritimes, but it's hard. I know that there are pad producers over there. And so often they like to use more locally made pads.
Ashley:But I guess it's also one of those things like you were talking about having sort of a future list of things that you want to add or change about your company, that it's nice to have the option to have, and I would like this province or this State even, to be able to have it and be able to kind of have that thing to aspire to.
Samantha:Yes, and I would like to get across Canada. That's a big goal for me. Because most of my online sales are for Ontario, right?
Ashley:That's kind of interesting.
Samantha:Mm hmm. And vancouver's a big one, too. I did have one in Vancouver, but I don't believe they're going to be selling anymore. It just wasn't busy enough at the shop, and it wasn't a zero waste shop. It was more of a general store. So we'll see. I might be able to get into a new one in Vancouver. Do you just ship via Canada right now, or do you ship internationally as well? I was shipping a little bit to the U. S., but I don't know if I will be doing much for shipping. If we expand a little bit more, I might be doing more international, but there's a lot of different guidelines in each country that you have to pass.
Ashley:I wasn't even thinking about that with the different regulations for And then thinking about shipping, I feel like Amazon has ruins. a lot of people's perspective of how fast things can get to one place and not even factoring in the different costs of whether you're using like FedEx or whether you're using traditional Canada post and things like that. But I think people don't really realize that the costs are astronomical right now and that it's normal for something to take seven to 10 business days to get to you, not necessarily like one to two.
Samantha:I agree but I do think regular Canada post just like letter mail is a great option if you have the right amount of postage on it is quite affordable, whereas a lot of people go with all these other companies. And if you didn't know, shipping to the US. If it's not stuff like liquids and. Other wider stuff, but if it can be flattened, that it would cost us just as much to post to Canada as it would be to post to the U. S. in letter mail. Oh. Yeah, it can weigh up to 200 grams. It's interesting, but a lot of people don't know this, and everyone goes through like USPS is their affiliate to our Canada Post. And so if you put it in our regular mail. To post to Canada, with the same amount of postage, it will arrive in the U. S. within a week. Oh, that's not bad at all. I know, and not many people do it. But it has to be a certain width and a certain weight as well. Yeah.
Ashley:And maybe people just assume that they need a bigger size or that they need something alternative. And then overpurchase because I feel like unless you're in person when you're trying to do it online bots are horrible for trying to explain like what you want or I personally hate them when they pop up at the bottom and are like, let me help you. That if you are trying to book your shipping label online, you could essentially just assume that you need something bigger or that the more expensive option is the better
Samantha:option. Exactly. And I also find with the USPS that it doesn't go through customs like the UPS and other companies like the FedEx and stuff, and sometimes then it will hit the customs and then you'll get an additional charge and it may wait there a week, right? It doesn't come right away. That's what slows it down.
Ashley:Well, people would get frustrated too and assume that the extra charge is almost like hidden charges from you. I've had that before where you don't really know that you're going to get that, like, dang it customs. And then all of a sudden your thing is an extra 25 plus dollars where it can kind of be very frustrating, even though that's completely out of your control.
Samantha:Exactly. Yeah.
Ashley:Going back at your products a little bit. I know that your period underwear doesn't have elastic waistbands. What made you decide to go elastic free?
Samantha:Well I actually have three different types of underwear. When I decided to make the underwear in the first place, like my whole vision, was that I didn't want to do elastic on them. Because I don't like elastic. I find it's restricting and unfortunately, A lot of people do like elastic. I started with the bikini style and I started to make them and they just weren't working where I couldn't make them without the elastic. So I ended up putting elastics on the bikini styles. It's like a fold over elastic. It was what kind of worked. Then I started exploring different ways of making it. So I don't have to use the elastic, right? So somebody really wanted high rise and I'm like, wow, that sounds phenomenal. I like high rise. So then I came out with a raw edge period underwear where it's just, you know, really raw. There was no elastic. We'll use the material as the stretchable and it's really free with your body and flexes with your body. Some people didn't really like that too much because of the rolling. There was a little bit of a roll on the top I found, but it didn't bother me. But maybe more heavier women that have a little bit of a tummy, it would roll down over the tummy. So then I came up with the Third wave, which is the high rise 2. 0 and I changed it So it's a little higher a little lower more bum cupping and I? Was exploring? Wooly nylon thread so this is a stretchable thread it makes it so when you use sergers or cover stitch machines that you can make it so that the material stretches just as much as it did, but you could fold over and use the cover stitch to top and bottom. So this is the HiRise 2. 0 that I was like, okay, I'm going to do this. I'm going to use the wooly nylon and I love it. And I love the design of it. I still do occasionally the raw edge if people request because there were the lovers like me. I love the raw edge. That liked it, and so I will make it specially for them, but the High Rise 2. 0, I really enjoy those underwear, and I wear them all the time, whether it's period time or not, and so I ended up actually making regular underwear out of that style, but we'll get into that in a minute, because what happened in the video. I ended up going with the thong was the original idea when I came out with this whole plan of doing this period panty, I wanted to make these thong style and I was going to do it where no elastic, but it's actually double material and so you make it inside out and you pull it out and It's hard to describe, but it does not have elastic in it either. I use the woolly nylon thread, which is nice and stretchable. And it's a high rise, bikini style padded underwear. It's actually quite popular. I sell out of it all the time.
Ashley:It's awesome that you have so many options, but it's also when you realize, okay, Hey, this isn't working. This is feedback that I'm giving that you were able to pivot and say, Oh, I'm going to do this and, Oh, I'm still willing to do custom for this and really keep yourself flexible and not, I guess, hold on to one design and like double down.
Samantha:So I still do the bikini because the bikini is quite popular, a lot of people buy it, it has the elastic still on it, I'm on the edge, should I just get rid of the elastic altogether, but when do you make that when it's already selling? At what point should I pivot that to being no elastic too? Because finally this non elastic idea is working for me and I like it, but I don't know. I'm on the fence of that one.
Ashley:I think if it's not hurting your business wise or like your bottom dollar end of things, I think if you keep the different options, it doesn't hurt, especially if both styles are selling, but if you are finding that one is more of your passion project, then it's like one of those things where we can't be everything to everybody, that it's like, even if you were to niche down, then when people are looking for that, they know to come to you.
Samantha:Yeah, for sure.
Ashley:You had talked about having things that you would love to do one day or different products to carry. Yeah. Do you want to give us a spoiler of what some of those might be, potentially?
Samantha:So, I have kind of hunkered it down a little bit because I was kind of starting to make more and more stuff because, you know, you get bored of making the same thing all the time, right? So, I did start making nighties or I call them my lounge wear, so it's more like kind of a skiff idea, but it's just a little nightdress, you could wear it as a bathing suit cover, or you can make it wear as a dress, just put a little sweater or a belt on it it's super comfy, but I make that with the Tinsel Organic Cotton Blend, which is just so nice on your body, so the moment I touched this material, I was like, I want to rub this all over my body, and I'm going to make a nightie out of it, so I did. I also started to make the underwear, just the regular underwear out of it as well. And I love them too. I wear them all the time. I wait to laundry day just so I can wear those pair of underwear.
Ashley:But I We always have our favourites, hey? Yeah. It's like the top of the week or the ones that we go through first.
Samantha:Yeah, yeah. That's your like, go to, right? And I wanted to put them all together. All like but eventually I'll come up with new colors right so I'm like well I don't want all the same color so might as well just wait and when I get the next load of colors I'll get different colors and that's that pattern as well so. I've even talked about more going to more in the lounge wear of doing more of a shorts or a little tank top. These are future things I've talked about. I get asked quite oftenly for male underwear. So it's. an idea I've thought about. Also with the female doing more the short idea. And they might come into portion if I could get some more sewers to help me with the stuff I'm already doing because I can't spread myself too thin with all the different stuff I make because really just keeping up with the underwear is a lot of work.
Ashley:Do you find that sewing has sort of become a lost art and it's harder to find people that still have that skill?
Samantha:There are a couple people that are out there and it's not a matter that they have to know how to sew, especially with making things like the pads. It's more, I describe the pad design of sewing more like quilting. Does that make sense? Yeah. The way you sew it is almost like quilting. I don't think it would be really hard to find too many more sewers to do the pads. I have one and she's great lady. I call her a sewist, right? Yeah. She's phenomenal. You know, she barely did much sewing when I got her on. I'm pretty good at training, so I can teach anyone how to do it. But it's a matter of seeing the details, right? Having that detailed mind that you kind of know what you're doing in that way. And don't always let stress get in your way. Like, oh, it's not going fast enough. A lot of people get stressed out by stuff like that. I love to be able to help out moms, right? That have to stay at home and can't get out to work. So it's something you can do at home. I make little containers for them and they bring them home, and sew them there, then bring them back once they're done.
Ashley:It's nice that you're able to provide that flexibility, because it is hard when it's like, again, trying to divide your time between Having the ability to work while also, you know, not paying necessarily for child mining or wanting to be there, pick up and drop off for your kid. That sometimes it can be hard to find something from like nine to two or nine to one during those daytime hours.
Samantha:Yeah. They definitely make those school times quite odd, but I'd like to make it so that women can do stuff at home. And that was great for me when I was sewing, right? For the company before. I took over ownership. I worked for three years sewing for them. So it was great for me. It would gave me something to do when the kids were napping during the day or in the evenings. I'm always feeling like I have to be doing something. So when I'm sitting there, maybe watching a show, I'm cutting and turning. I'm a multitasker like most moms, so it's nice to have that little extra thing that you can do on the side.
Ashley:Well, I definitely appreciate that it does give you sort of that extra activity, but it also gives you something like your own sense of accomplishment or your own Thing outside of it. I want like a hobby even when you're getting paid for it.
Samantha:When you start owning a business, it's a lot harder a lot more to deal with I love the sewing side of it. I love the creating side. I Feel like my biggest hurdle owning the company Would have to be the social media, the marketing, it's a wave that I can't, you know, hard to get into and to understand and to make it work.
Ashley:I completely agree. And then once you do learn it, I swear that the algorithm changes and then you have to do it this way. It is really hard to balance it all. And it is kind of hard because I feel like it can be a make or break for a business on the marketing side of things and the social media. But it is really hard to have the time to not only, you know, do all the things that you need to do in a day, but then also essentially create this like full time social media channel to make sure that you're doing enough stories and you're doing enough posts and that you have a TikTok and a Pinterest and all of the things that I can definitely appreciate. the struggle with that.
Samantha:So like days where you're like, I'm so busy, but I have to put a post out and you spend an hour putting together a post and you're like, this is great. And then you post it and you get like, Maybe 10 likes or something, and you're like, what? Or yes for feedback, no one feeds back. It feels like you're not getting in in this algorithm. And it's really kind of more or less infuriating for those people trying so hard, right?
Ashley:And I feel like the algorithm definitely has made it so much harder in some ways compared to 10 years ago, where you just put hashtags and all of a sudden you would find like a thousand people. I do think, and I'm still bad myself for posting on it, I do think growth is a little bit easier on TikTok than Instagram and Facebook.
Samantha:I don't know, because I put stuff on TikTok and sometimes I get no feedback at all. No one even sees it,
Ashley:In some ways I feel like Instagram and Facebook are easier for finding local people and then the numbers will be there on TikTok, but yeah, it's sort of a never ending cycle of being able to have it really perform the way that we want it to.
Samantha:Yeah, I mean, like hashtags. Oh, you put them on there, but then you go look in the hashtag and how many times were your things ever actually show up on the hashtag? Never, because unless you get over a certain amount of likes, like over a hundred and something likes, your stuff won't even show up on the hashtag.
Ashley:And the problem also with it now hashtag and everything Is seo and you have to put keywords into it and it's I feel like it's a never ending cycle once we master the like not using hashtags and doing the seo Then it'll be some other different
Samantha:Yeah
Ashley:thing on it so yeah, I can definitely appreciate the challenge of it that way because you're essentially having to create Like a mini reality show of your business while you're in your business.
Samantha:I know, but you also see like other companies that are doing kind of the same thing as you and you literally post something about it like a couple days before and you know, they have over a hundred and something likes and you've got like no, like there are one. 10 likes and you're like, well, that makes no sense. Why are people seeing them and not you? Right? It's
Ashley:Some of the ones that I follow that have done really well as far as businesses Would be Birchhill Studio Now, Sierra is one of those people where you either love her or you hate her. I think with how, like, just her personality is very, matter of fact. But she's another one that she'll take it and on her business page, it's like she'll be watching TV and making fun of whatever she's watching or just tell you about what she's watching. But I think it's the fact that she's posting very frequently all the time and essentially talking to her followers as if she was talking on the phone to somebody and kind of creating this false sense of like knowing her being friends with her. I think that's what people are looking for. And I know I'm in the same boat as you but I just struggle with it and I used to be a lot better and it is hard to stay motivated when you feel like nobody's necessarily paying attention.
Samantha:Yeah, you're like going against a brick wall. It's like, I don't know, but I love that. I love the people that do like my posts and stuff. I have my regulars, right, I'm so appreciative for them.
Ashley:But I do understand what you mean. It is one of those things that even if we have those hundred people that comment all the time, we really need those hundred people to either generate sales or for them to tell a hundred other people so that there's that growth behind it too.
Samantha:Yeah.
Ashley:If people are looking for your products online or they're looking for your social media, where can they find you?
Samantha:Our website is www.bluebirdpads.com or through Facebook? It's bluebird pads.
Ashley:Thank you so much for having this conversation with me today.
Samantha:Well, thanks for having me.
Thank you so much for joining us today for this episode of the filled up cup podcast. Don't forget to hit subscribe and leave a review. If you like what you hear, you can also connect with us at FilledUpCup.Com. Thanks again for tuning in and we'll catch you in the next episode.
