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Mama’s Milk Box – Breast Feeding Style

mama's milk boxMama’s Milk Box creator Elena Petzold created the business she pitches on Shark Tank from another business. She had solid success with a company called Maternity Girl where she curated and sold fashionable maternity clothing at markets, trunk shows, and home parties. While doing so, she found an unmet demand for good-looking breast feeding clothing for new moms. Elena leveraged her first business to create a subscription based business aimed at breast feeding mothers.

Subscription based sales are becoming a ubiquitous way to buy everyday items from socks to soap to razors. Mama’s Milk Box, as far as I can tell, is the first service to aim at the breast feeding mothers niche.

To subscribe, you fill out a style profile on the Mama’s Milk Box website. Once you do that, a  “Whole Milkbox” arrives at your door with 5-7 items inside. Pick the ones you want to keep and send the rest back. Every six weeks, another box comes with more items. It’s pretty simple.

Basically, Petzold found a way to expand her Pittsburgh based business nationwide. The business is fairly new and her social following hasn’t reached critical mass yet, but it’s a continually renewing niche.

My Take on Mama’s Milk Box

With 5 kids, our family went through a lot of breast feeding. We’ve dealt with pumps, clothing items, midnight feedings – you name it. One thing I know as a husband is breast feeding is trying on mothers, particularly those 2 AM specials. New moms go through a lot physically and emotionally and they need support.

Feeling good about themselves was important to the mommas in my life. Their bodies change, moods change, and self-esteem can suffer. Getting some stylish clothes goes a long way to feeling better about themselves. As they say: “happy wife, happy life.” That’s true for moms, babies and husbands alike.

I think this is the best type of gift a husband can give to his new mom/wife. It will surely pay dividends down the road, for everyone involved. For that reason, I’m in.

Do Sharks Subscribe to this Idea?

I think all the Sharks like the clothes and the concept, but I am pretty sure there’s no deal here. For one, the business doesn’t appear to have enough proof of concept. The Sharks want sales, not big ideas that sound good. Secondly, while there is always a market for breast feeding clothing, it’s a market that constantly resets. Customer acquisition is a HUGE issue here.

Some subscription businesses do well in the Shark Tank, but many leave with no deal because they don’t have the sales. While I believe Elena has a terrific niche and will be successful, I think she does it without a Shark.

About Rob Merlino

Entrepreneur, auteur, raconteur. Rob Merlino is a blogger and writer who enjoys the Shark Tank TV show and Hot Dogs. A father of five who freelances in a variety of publications, Rob has a stable of websites including Shark Tank Blog, Hot Dog Stories, Rob Merlino.com and more.

Comments

  1. Thanks for the great write-up, Rob. I hope you tune in with us on Friday!
    xo, Elena (The BreastFeeding Stylist & Creator of Mama’s MilkBox)

  2. Michael Snyder says

    Watched Shark tank, she wouldn’t shut-up, I new she was dead 2 minutes in.

  3. My wife and I just watched the episode featuring this business and all we could say was, “Wow”. I don’t even know where to begin. Not only is the model broken, but I would run FAR and FAST from working with Elena in any capacity. She has the maturity of a college student (that’s being generous) and a tremendous ego that is unwarranted and has no underpinning in solid success. All in all, she needs to go back to the personality drawing board before doing anything else. If she ever reads this PLEASE do the following: Learn to listen, learn to be humble, and know your weaknesses.

  4. Wow is right. I DVR most of the shows I like to watch. I just watch the breastfeeding clothing lady and she was all over the place. I have to agree with Matt, she needs to learn to listen and learn how to shut up. She actually talked her way right out of any deal. The sharks never had a chance with this girl. After watching it a second time just to make sure I can not believe she did not listen to anything they said. The sharks said over and over to stop and listen to me, stop talking and listen, stop let me ask a question and finish the question. You BLEW it big time. I would definitely think that Elena would be very hard to work with because she would not listen and talk over you.

  5. Bruce Wayne says

    What a self absorbed woman. You could tell she has watched a lot of episodes of Shark Tank and was planning in her mind how she would “stand up” to Kevin and show much of an “alpha” woman she is.

    She kept talking over most of the sharks and had little to no idea how finances worked.

    It was obvious her daddy warbucks husband was funding the business.

  6. Watching the episode with Elena man what an annoying person she is. So rude and a know it all. She is extremely annoying. Like on another level. Don’t see her getting far with that mentality.

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