Ami Sol is an online retailer of organic and natural sun protective clothing for children, toddlers and babies.  It was born from the passion of mompreneur Connie Ozdil, who wanted a better way to protect her children from the harmful UV rays of the sun than toxic chemical sunscreens. Through her ecommerce web site and blog, Connie is able to sell her clothing line to consumers, plus offer useful advice to moms.

As a first-time online retailer, Connie faced a number of significant challenges. First was the need to locate a fabric that met the demanding specifications for sun protection without containing harmful chemicals. That this fabric was not readily available on the market did not stop Connie from tracking it down. The next challenge was the need for a supplier who accepted low quantity orders at a reasonable cost and would manufacture clothing that met Connie’s high standards. Most manufacturers want large orders, but persistence paid off, and Connie was finally able to locate a suitable supplier who met her requirements.

With the fabrics and manufacturer in place, the next challenge was marketing. Business Advisor Cynthia Riggs worked with Connie to ensure she was selling a product with unique designs under Ami Sol’s private label.  Cynthia and Connie agreed that developing an online store was the best business strategy to sell the children’s clothing line. Business advisor Janet Wentworth was added to the team with her expertise in branding, marketing and website development to ensure a robust ecommerce presence. Connie was new to web development, so she took many classes, read books on web development, branding, blogging and social media to educate herself. Once again, her unflagging persistence paid off with a handsome site full of attractive sun protective children’s clothing.

It all began 3 years ago when Connie took the SBDC Pre-Venture training class. She came to the class with a vague business idea plus a dream of what she wanted to do. Connie continued to take many more classes to broad her knowledge and to find the best way to start her business. “I can say that I started from ground zero, when I came to the SBDC, and that was probably the best business decision I’ve made so far.”  Meeting with SBDC Business Advisor Steve Schneider and taking his class from the Sawyer Center enabled Connie to see the opportunities for product development and to understand how other people have been successful in developing their products. Steve’s experience with manufacturing overseas gave her a real insight on how products are manufactured in other countries. Seeing the need for a solid business plan, Connie enrolled in the 12-week NxLeveL course with Paul Bozzo.  Connie was a diligent student, worked hard on all class assignment and won the class award for best business plan!  The class also gave Connie a fantastic network of entrepreneurs/alumni to help and support each other.

Connie launched the Ami Sol website and children’s clothing line in June of 2010. The custom designed inventory arrived just right on time to launch the website.  Says Connie, “As an eco-friendly company, avoiding print-based marketing is my goal; an attractive, effective web site is critical. Thanks to the assistance of the SBDC that is what I have! The SDBC helped me tremendously to lower my startup costs, work through the many issues of importing apparel, and create an online ecommerce presence.  I know I was able to avoid many costly mistakes during this start-up process through their wonderful mentoring. www.ami-sol.com is now live and I continue to work with SBDC advisors to improve my marketing and profitability.”

“Starting my business in the middle of a recession was not easy, but here I am launching my online store!  I will forever be grateful to the SBDC and its advisors. Their professionalism, expertise, welcoming, knowledge and LOTS of patience with me was extraordinary. I strongly recommend anyone, who is starting their new business venture to take advantage of these wonderful resources that are available at low cost or no-cost at all. Your dreams can become a reality some day, just like mine did -- with a big helping hand from the SBDC. Thank you.”

Company Name: Ami Sol
Owner(s): Connie Ozdil
Phone:  (707) 477-4328
Phone: contactus@ami-sol.com
Website: www.ami-sol.com