supplied herself with the startup capital she needed to establish Maximum Mama. “I worked full-time as a design room manager and part time at a Macy’s department store through design school until 2001. This enabled me to generate steady income and establish contacts in the field,” she says. Mattisonsierra used her personal savings, $55,000 from her IRA, and borrowed from some family members to cover expenses toward product development, fabric testing, travel expenses, and post-production.
A major challenge was finding qualified people to join her team. Consequently, she formed a business relationship with her alma mater, FIDM, to recruit design students interested in working at her firm. She implemented a three-month internship program to train students in design and production, customer service, and other disciplines.
Maximum Mama Maternity; 33 Vicente, San Francisco, CA 94127; 415-731-3200; www.maximummama.com