We were lucky to catch up with Mikki Eveloff Ashley Ludwig recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mikki Eveloff and Ashley Ludwig, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Our journey to discover our purpose was something we never could have predicted. The trajectory of our lives was moving smoothly as planned until…2014. I (Mikki) was living my best life with my husband of nearly 40 years in Scottsdale, Arizona. Ashley and her husband had settled into newlywed life in San Diego. August 2014 our family traveled to Maui, Hawaii for a long awaited vacation. Family time was so precious. We cherished those moments. August 30th. Hanging on the beach, sun shining, waves crashing, the boys headed out to snorkel. Little did we know it would be our last kiss, our last hug, our last goodbye. My husband and Ashley’s dad, Greg, suffered a cardiac arrhythmia in the water. The boys pushed him to shore with all of their might. Hundreds hovered, fought to save him, but his heart was gone. Healthy and fit with no underlying causes, Greg took his last breath on the beach that day. No sign. No symptoms. In a flash, our lives were upended.
My identity changed, my world was turned upside down. I sold our family business. Our home. I uprooted my life. Moved to San Diego. New beginnings. Life wasn’t easy. Ashley was managing a fitness center and balancing life with a toddler and new baby on the way. I cherished my new role as Mimi. Time with my grandkids was a blessing. But there had to be more.
March 2020 we were thrown our next curve ball, along with the rest of the world. Pandemic. The world shut down. And so did we. Life stopped. Everything around us was in turmoil. Jobs. School. Travel. Life became one of challenges, change and uncertainty. Ashley’s managerial role at the fitness facility was on hold due to the pandemic. She had no idea when the gyms would reopen. How would we get through each day? We could shut down with the rest of the world. Quit. Limit our abilities to achieve. Or figure it out. Turn lemons into lifelines. The first few weeks were fun, exciting. We hung out, played with the kids, and enjoyed the quiet moments. But weeks turned into months. Bored with countless jigsaw puzzles and mindless games, tired of our daily PJ attire, we began designing. We needed some sparkle in our lives! Sweatshirts, patches and rhinestones was all it took to get us hooked! Before long we were designing anything we could get our hands on – jackets, hats, baby wear, backpacks, shoes and more! We were overjoyed with our exclusive designs, the kids were our perfect models, and we thought, if not now, when? Juggling the roles of Mama, Mimi, designers, creators and producers, Bling it On by M&M was born. With the help of our amazing son-in-law/husband, our Etsy shop launched October 2020. Sales were silent until November 1st when we heard that spectacular “cha-ching,” the sound of our first sale! We opened shop with 15 products mostly focused on babies, toddlers and kids. Today we have an assortment of products for anyone, ranging from babies, toddlers, kids and teens to adult men and women. We are constantly updating with new creations including jackets, sweatshirts, shoes, accessories and more. While we love the design process, we love our interaction with clients that much more! “We don’t design clothes, we design dreams.” We continue to discover our purpose as we provide our customers with high quality products that bring joy and excitement for any occasion.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Bling It On By M&M, owned and operated by Mama (Ashley) and Mimi (Mikki) focuses on personal branding through customized fashion products. Over the past two years we have made a mark in the fashion industry with our unique designs, most prominently our denim jackets for babies, toddlers, kids, teens, and adults. These jackets are one-of-a-kind making a statement wherever they are worn. Our personalized jackets offer our clients the opportunity to express their individuality in a creative way, showcasing favorite things hobbies, profession, or a personal statement (i.e. BLM, LGBTQ, Human Rights, etc.). We offer our clients the option to engage in the creative process, encouraging communication along the way, via Etsy email or text. This enhances our relationship with our clients and ensures the most positive outcome.
As Mama and Mimi we do it all! Creation, production, wrapping, mailing, inventory, social media and more! Whatever it takes, we get it done! When we first launched Bling It On we believed greater variety in our inventory would lead to higher sales, so we focused on creating new products, especially during holiday seasons. These short-term products took money, time and effort with minimal return so we switched gears and focused on our key items leading to higher sales. Knowing where to put our energy and focus in the past year has definitely improved our overall production. Our top products are our denim jackets (multiple styles available from personalized patch, rhinestone fringe, chenille flower, chenille star, and more); denim vests and overalls; pearl and rhinestone shoes (available in low and hightop variety); sweatshirts (multiple styles); sunglasses; and backpacks. All of these items can be customized and personalized, “blinged” (Swarovski rhinestones on all the patches), and are available for babies to adults. No request is too extreme. We welcome the creative challenge. Our mission is to bring happiness and joy to all of our clients through our creations!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that have impacted our journey are providing excellent customer service, accepting positive and negative feedback, and improving our expertise in design. Customer service is our top priority. It is the key component in attracting and retaining customers. We approach every situation with a “customer-first” attitude, and while some situations require an extra dose of professionalism and patience, the payoff is worth it. Understanding the customer and approaching every sale from their perspective makes for greater success. Superior customer service results in customer loyalty, recommendations, positive reviews, and, ultimately, increased profits. We continue to make customer service and communication a key component of our business model.
Learning to take positive and negative feedback from our customers has positively impacted our growth in numerous ways. One example of this was during the first six to nine months we were solely focused on orders, designs, production and creation of new products. We never considered the packaging as it seemed inconsequential in the overall scheme of things. We wrapped our products in tissue paper, taped on the outside with regular tape and packaged in designed poly wrap bags. We thought it was a nice presentation, but the tissue wrapping was haphazard in others’ eyes. A less than perfect review opened our eyes. At first we were defensive and dismayed by the client’s remarks, but, after hearing her suggestions we realized we were a bit hasty in our wrapping. We listened, refined, and made it better! Today, we use much higher quality paper, matching paper and bags, double sided tape (that doesn’t show on the tissue), etc. With other feedback we have simplified the ordering and improved communication with customers throughout the creative process. All of these things enhance the buy/sell experience.
Improving our expertise in design and the quality of our product has definitely impacted our brand. When we look back at our original designs we often say, “What were we thinking?” Our jackets were personalized with names across the top back (often going down the sleeve if there wasn’t room on the back) with three to four design patches on the back and two on the front. Not only have we improved the quality of our product by creating our original Bling It On jacket, but we have expanded the distinctiveness of our designs. Over the past two years we have developed these designs to include up to fifteen to twenty five design patches (depending on the style of jacket). We have set ourselves apart from other customized jacket sellers with more detailed designs, the largest assortment of design patches, and overall versatility. We work on each project from beginning to end and trust in the absolute quality of our finished creation.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
One of the greatest challenges we faced throughout the process of building our business was finding reliable product sources. When Bling It On was established we relied on major retailers for our products. Not only were we paying top dollar and cutting profits (due to a fluctuating retail market), but the inconsistency in sizing was extremely challenging. A size 12-18 month jacket in one shipment would fit a 0-6 month baby and the next shipment would be too large for a two year old. It became more and more difficult to determine sizing for our clients. We shuffled sizes and played guessing games to make the right size selection. We didn’t always get it right and had to remake jackets at our expense. November 2022 we decided it was time for change. We reached out to several vendors and began the design of the original Bling It On jacket. This process was long and arduous, with back and forth designs, redesigns, samples, and more, BUT it was well worth the effort! We changed measurements, distressing, color, and buttons until the jacket was exactly as we dreamed it would be. We are truly proud of the original Bling It On jacket, designed with a soft denim, slightly distressed fabric and button snap brand buttons down the front. It is a comfortable fit at every size and a total game changer! Neither of us had any design experience, so this was a win-win for Bling It On on all fronts! While this has resolved major product issues, we still deal with inventory issues. Knowing what sizes, how many, and when to reorder is key. We are still trying to master the inventory game but learning that having too many is definitely better than not enough!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlingItOnByMandM
- Instagram: blingitonbymandm
- Facebook: Bling It On by M&M
Image Credits
True Photography
