From left to right: Josee, Holly, Kiegan, Malcolm Curtis, April and Jennifer.

Getting to know JamTots, one can learn a lot about running a successful business. Some of their success can be attributed to their strong, positive attitude. Another reason is they began their business with a product relatively new to the country. But, the strongest reason has been that Holly and Jennifer have built their business in the same way they built their friendship by being collaborative, supportive, understanding (including when someone needs to vent), and family-oriented. Seeing how their business is growing, it is definitely a formula for success!

How did you become friends?

HOLLY: Jen and I met when I moved here from Ontario in August of 1991. She was already working at McDonald's and we met when I started working...there too. We worked together a lot and McDonald's is actually a really good place to make friends when you are a teenager--we starting hanging out together and became really close friends quite fast.

How many children do you have and what are their ages? Please tell us something about each child.

HOLLY: I have 3 children. Malcolm will be 6 in December and is really enjoying grade 1 French Immersion. He loves playing soccer, building with lego and is a really talented artist. Josee just turned 4 and she is a bundle of energy!...She has absolutely no fear and is very outgoing and funny. Kiegan is 21 months old and is [a] real sweetheart....He has a contagious smile and a great personality!

JENNIFER: I have 2 kids – Curtis 8 and April 3. Curtis is in Grade 3 and is profoundly deaf. He received a Cochlear Implant 3 years ago and it now talking up a storm! April has just started preschool and loves her teacher and her new friends. She loves to play outside and climbs anything that she can!

What is a funny or rewarding experience you've had as a mama?

HOLLY: ...I guess one of the most rewarding experiences I've had is breastfeeding my 3 children. I had to fight REALLY hard to breastfeed my first born as he was born 5 weeks early and I was REALLY sick with HELLP syndrome so my milk didn't come in... Jen told me that I could get medication to get my milk to come in and so I started that and had to keep pumping and trying to get Malcolm to nurse properly and it took 5 weeks of persevering to get him to nurse properly but it was SOOO worth it!...

JENNIFER: The most rewarding thing of being a mom is when my kids curl up on my lap and say “mom, I love you”.

Are you married? What is your husband's name? How did you meet him? Was it love at first sight?

HOLLY: I have been married for just over 8 years. My husband's name is Herve and he is from Quebec. We actually met at a night club and it was definitely love at first sight! We have hardly been apart since we met almost 9 years ago!

JENNIFER: My husband, Todd, and I met at work. When we initially met, both of us were in relationships, but about 1 ˝ years later we began working a lot of the same shifts and have been inseparable ever since!

What did you think you'd be when you grew up?

HOLLY: A mom was always one of the main things I wanted to be....

JENNIFER: I had always thought that I would be a teacher when I grew up.

Who were you before JamTots, any interesting jobs or schooling?

HOLLY: I worked at McDonald's for many years while in high school and University.... I then travelled for a year with the non-profit group called Up with People which was an amazing experience. When I returned I went to school to become a Pharmacy Technician and then went back to school to become a Network Administrator....

JENNIFER: My first job was at McDonalds, where I met Holly. I also worked as a bookkeeper at a dive shop. I got to take the scuba lessons free, however I didn’t complete the course because was too afraid when we did our first ocean dive.

How did you get started cloth diapering and sewing your own diapers?

HOLLY: When I was pregnant with my first son in 2000, I wanted to cloth diaper. I ended up looking online as I could hardly find anything locally and found this underground world of cloth diapering and I was just amazed at what was available! I cloth diapered all of my children right from the start and after all the research and trying different diapers to see what would work for my super soaking son and all of the dreams about cloth diapers, I kept thinking that I would like to have my own online store selling diapers one day.

JENNIFER: I didn’t start cloth diapering until we started this business! Holly had always talked about it, and when I used Wonderoos for the first time, I was hooked!

What inspired you to create your business? Did you run into any obstacles in starting it?

HOLLY: I was always very interested in diapers and wanted to sell them and especially be able to be home with my children and have a job that I love. I had been testing a lot of diapers for different people that were trying to come up with new diapers. I came across a diaper that I thought would be a big hit and contacted them to see if they would be willing to let us sell them to Canada. We thought that if we had a starting point then we could expand from there and that's exactly what we did. Of course there were obstacles and problems along the way as I'm sure happen with any business but we kept fighting and being strong and thinking positively and we have been really lucky to have the three of us as we could bounce ideas off of each [other], vent when needed and brainstorm together and that has been really helpful! It has been especially nice to be able to cover for each other when one (or more!) of us needs some time off!

What did your family say when you told them you were going to be an entrepreneur?

HOLLY: Well luckily I wasn't going into it alone although perhaps that scared them more? We did start JamTots when Jen and I were on maternity leave so it wasn't quite as bad not making any income from JamTots for the first while!

JENNIFER: My mom was part of the business too, so everyone was quite happy for us.

How did you come up with the name JamTots?

HOLLY: Jen's mom Hilary always wanted a company called JamTarts. Some of the letters corresponded with the first letters of her children. When we went to look up the domain online, we saw that jamtarts.com was taken so we knew we needed to choose something else. We were brainstorming and then came up with JamTots since we were going to be selling products for 'tots' or babies! Some of the letters also applied to our children that were still in diapers at that time (Josee, April and Malcolm) so it suited us well!

What is your favorite tv show?

HOLLY: It's definitely a tie between Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy.

JENNIFER: Desperate House Wives and Dr. Phil.

What is one of your guilty pleasures?

HOLLY: Having a bubble bath by myself--that rarely ever happens-usually I have all 3 kiddos wanted to climb in there with me!

JENNIFER: Chocolate.

What place would you love to travel to?

HOLLY: I would love to go to Australia one day--we wanted to go there for our honeymoon but couldn't afford it at the time and now we DEFINITELY can't afford it!! :) I'd also love to go to Japan just to see what it is like.

JENNIFER: Wales, I would love to see where my mom was born and to see the places that my grandparents always talk about.

What one thing have you always wanted to try/do/learn, but have not had the time or resources to do?

HOLLY: I would love to learn to dance--perhaps I'll have the time and money to do it sometime soon!

JENNIFER: I would love to scrapbook and stamp. I recently attended a stamping party and really enjoyed myself.

What's your favorite product from another WAHM?

HOLLY: I LOVE the products from Sugar Peas which is why we decided to buy it when Carrie of Sugar Peas decided to sell. I also love Tif's (of Dara & Scott) Diaper bags--so well made and very trendy--I get compliments on mine wherever I go!

JENNIFER: Valor-Kids diapers. I love the quality of her diapers and the care she takes in creating those gorgeous diapers. I also love the prints!!

If you could have a day to yourself (hubby and kids could be cared for if you wanted, and you were all caught up with sewing), how would you spend it?

HOLLY AND JENNIFER: ...at the spa...

What's something that no one would ever guess about you?

HOLLY: People never believe that I'm 32 years old (people always think I'm about 10 years younger than I am--I guess that's starting to be a good thing now!) and also that I have 3 kids.

JENNIFER: That I suck at sewing! My mom is an awesome seamstress, I however did not receive that ability from her.

What was your most embarrasing moment? Or perhaps an unusual story from your life?

HOLLY: ...Something that happened that was a little embarassing was when I was staying with a host family in France when I was in Up with People and I went for a run and got lost and had NO idea how to get back to the house that I was staying at. I also could not remember my host family's name or their address or phone number so I had to wander around for a LONG time until I found it!!

JENNIFER: At the beginning of grade 11 in a new school, I happened to fall asleep in class. While I was sleeping, the teacher had everyone leave the room. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed when I woke up and realized what had happened!

What's one thing you admire about the other person?

HOLLY: I admire that she has been able to work with her mom for the past 3 years (and her mom with her!) and they still really like each other! I also admire how well she can balance her business and family time...

JENNIFER: I admire her honesty and integrity and that she doesn't compromise her principles in everything that she does. She genuinely cares about cloth diapering and about making it a positive experience for parents.

http://www.jamtots.com
Products include:BerryPlush AIOs and Covers, Zippered Wet Bags, JamTots Hemp Inserts, JamTots Hemp Stuffers, JamTots Hemp Doublers, JamTots Fleece Liners, JamTots Cloth Wipes, JamTots Blancoats, Baby Spats legwarmers, Eezi-fold one-size hemp fitted diapers, Sugar Peas Wool Covers, Sugar Peas Fleece Covers, Sugar Peas 2-Size Fitteds, Sugar Peas Snap-Ins, Minkee Blankets. Custom embroidered BerryPlush AIOs/Covers, and pocket diapers, and Baby Kangas One-Size Pouch Diapers (coming soon).