This is the latest entry in a series called Who Owns That? We ask readers on our LinkedIn group to identify their favourite small businesses from across Canada, and we track down the owners so they can tell us their stories.
Introducing Betsy Thomas, the president of Bummis, a cloth diaper manufacturer based in Quebec.
1. Let's start with the basics. Can you briefly describe your business, including when it was founded, what it does, and where you operate?
Bummis is a small manufacturing company that has been in business for 26 years, and we specialize in reusable diapers. We sell our products mostly in Canada and the USA, but we have a presence in seven other countries too. We recently sent our first shipment to Taiwan, which is exciting. We are (and have always been) committed to manufacturing here in Canada using fabrics made here and in the USA. We have our own factory south of Montreal in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, and an office and boutique downtown on the Plateau in Montreal. A few years ago we opened a warehouse in the USA as well, in order to better serve our American clients. It's located in upstate NY state right across the St. Lawrence River from Brockville, Ont.
2. What inspired you to be an entrepreneur and to branch out on your own with this idea?
Like all entrepreneurs, I'm driven by passion for what I believe in – and in this case I'm endlessly passionate about getting babies into cloth diapers. First of all, most parents are completely taken by surprise at how easy it is to use cloth diapers these days. Forget pins, plastic pants and soggy babies, and think hi-tech fabrics, Velcro closures and flushable liners to deal with the poop. Secondly, when you tell someone how much money ($2,000 per baby in Canada) they can save, using cloth diapers seems like the no-brainer that it really, truly is. In addition, for each baby in cloth diapers, we eliminate from the household waste stream at least one ton of garbage. That's at least one ton of garbage per baby not going into landfills. I have to say that this is the moment when I am proud that we are doing business in Quebec, because this province has been very forward thinking and proactive in trying to reduce waste. In Quebec, over 100 municipalities offer subsidies to parents who purchase cloth diapers. This is a one-time payment to parents of up to $200 to enable them to purchase cloth diapers. No other province or municipality in Canada has implemented this strategy for reducing waste (and the cost of waste disposal), which I find shocking.
I'm also passionate about working with independent retailers. As well as operating our own boutique in Montreal, we work with over 300 stores. I love working with them as much as I love working with consumers. I find them to be not only as passionate as me, but also tirelessly committed to their communities. I strongly believe that small business really does drive Canada. Of course I've had to learn to negotiate the practical side of business as well. That's an ongoing and sometimes quite painful process, to say the least. I learn more about running a business every single day. The fact is that it's an exciting time to be in business – it's all changing and rearranging, and we at Bummis feel that we are on the edge of that change.
3. Who are your typical customers, and how do they find you?
Our typical customers are babies and their parents. Grandparents too – they are a super important customer base for us. Consumers find us through their retailers, and retailers find us through demand for our products by consumers – so we market to both. Word of mouth and social media drive consumer demand for our products. Our market and our industry are made up of tech savvy and social media-oriented moms, so we are active in these spaces. We also exhibit at trade shows to meet retailers, and from time to time we do consumer shows.
4. What are the roles of you and your co-founder in the business? Do you have any employees?
I have been working with my business partner Shirley for close to 20 years. She and I complement each other well; she is detail oriented and I am big picture, she's a scientist and I am not. She's in charge of operations and I'm in charge of the administrative side of the business. We share sales and marketing – each using our own strengths to do so. We have just taken on a third partner who is doing research and development, production and sales as well. Susanne is amazing – she has skills and experience in textiles and manufacturing that neither Shirley nor I do. Her presence in the business rounds out our competencies, and so now we are unstoppable! In addition we have about 30 employees. They are a focused and committed team and I love working with them!
5. You've been identified by one of our readers as a standout business. What do you consider the key element of your success?
That is such an honour. I think that the key element of our success and what makes us a standout business is our passion for detail. That drives the beauty and functionality of our products and makes us tremendously good at customer service and product support. We are always striving for perfection in everything we do, and won't give up until we achieve it.
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