Name: The Gifted Grasshopper

Type of business: Internet selling of gift bag of children’s books

Address: Basking Ridge

Telephone: 1-888-310-5745

Website: http://www.giftedgrasshopper.com

E-mail: info@giftedgrasshopper.com

Number of employees: 2

Founded: March 2006

Top officers: Jen Nowack and Laura Greenstein, co-CEOs

How would you describe your business?

“We sell gift bags for children from birth to third grade,” said Laura Greenstein, co-owner and co-CEO of Gifted Grasshopper. “We have bags according to ages and according to themes. We have New Baby Bag (for baby showers and baby gifts), a Learning Fun bag, a Poetry Bag.

“We promise that the books that come in this bag are books the mom will not receive from anyone else. We have a group of books that we like to use that are lesser known, including some Caldecot and Newberry prize-winning books that aren’t well known and are appropriate for different age groups for different reasons. We choose books that are interesting to babies under 1 year old. They have black and white pictures or pictures of real babies and repetitive rhyming texts. We have a baby Toddler Learning Fun Bag and a pre-school children’s book bag.

“As part of the package, the bag includes a grasshopper puppet — a reading buddy placed there so children can read to the grasshopper, or point out things that they like in the book to show the grasshopper. Because sometime there isn’t an adult for the child to read with, they can show the grasshopper puppet what their favorite picture is. There is also a pair of grasshopper reading glasses in the bag. These are special glasses we have made up to make reading more fun and they help the child find words she knows.

“Jen and I are both teachers and developed this device to make reading more fun when we were teaching. The glasses are a laminated cardboard with no lens.

“There is also a bookmark that has reading tips for parents on it. The range in price is for $16.99 up to $74.99 depending on how many books in the bag. We also offer a small version of the bag. It’s our party tote so it can be a party favor. We will find a great book that will match the theme of the party with less than two weeks notice. The price of the party totes ordered for a birthday party range from $7.99 or $15.99.

“Our bags cover most occasions, they could be for a baby shower, a birthday party, first day of school, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or any other occasion. We are a great option for grandparents. We ship anywhere in the United States.”

What makes your business special?

“We’re special because it’s run by two teachers. I have a Master’s degree in Special Education and Jen has a Master’s degree in elementary education. We worked together in a school and also for a non-profit organization, The Children’s Literary Initiative, in Philadelphia that gives professional development to teachers on how to teach literacy skills to teachers in the classroom.

“I think it’s special because we are teachers and we’re also moms. In these bags are books that we used in the classroom and with our own children. Everything has been child tested. We’re knowledgeable about what is a good book for kids and why it’s good for them. We’re confident that when we send out a bag the children will love and use over and over again.”

What goals do you have for the business?

“We would love to see the Gifted Grasshopper take off in gift shops across the country and have our business featured in magazines. We would like to be as busy as we possibly could be. We want to take it as far as we can.”

How has your business changed?

“It hasn’t changed that much. Jen and I, not having any business experience, have learned a lot about how to run a business. It has grown since we started. We’ve seen growth in the amount of orders we are filling and the amount of people who know us. We went to a street festival and someone stopped by and told us, ‘A friend sent us a Gifted Grasshopper bag when the baby was born.’ We’ve also had those who have received a Gifted Grasshopper bag, purchase one from us for a friend because the liked it so much. We’re seeing a lot of customers like that.”

What was your most important deal?

“Just starting the business was our most important deal. Parents would come up to us and ask for suggestions for books for their children. Jen said to me we should be thinking how we could do this as a business. My husband agreed with her. Then Jen and I began to brainstorm on how we could channel our passion in having children reading exciting wonderful books.”

What changes do you expect in the next 10 years?

“We expect to get busier and busier and hire employees to help us. We predict that our product will be in stores. Any store featuring children’s clothing, toys, and accessories.”

What is the most important thing you’ve learned in your business?

“That we don’t know everything and we still have a lot to learn. This is so different than what we had done before. Every week we learn something new. We are really learning how to market our product and get some PR and how to make the business evolve into what we hope will continue to grow and be successful. We have learned to listen to people who know more than we do and determine if their advice is suitable for us.”

 What advice would you give to someone considering your line of work?

 “Just love what you do. Jen and I are passionate about giving good books to kids because we know what it does for them. We truly believe every child loves to hear a good story. You need to be sure that it is a good story.

“We’re so excited, not only that this is a business, but that we are actually giving books to kids who are getting exposed to all these wonderful books when they might not. So it doesn’t matter what you are doing. If you love what you are doing, it doesn’t seem like work. We have found that it is helpful to have a partner — one with whom you are comfortable to help achieve balance for each other. In our partnership Jen is very detail oriented and I make decisions faster. We balance each other.”

 Is there anything else you would rather be doing?

 “No. We decided to do this business when I was pregnant with my second child. Ten days after she was born, Jen and I went to a vendors show. We are excited about this and want to get our name out there.”