Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Barber.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m Kimberly Barber. I am a Navy Vet. Who is married to a retired Navy vet. My husband, Jevaras and I will be married for 20 years Nov. Two years into our marriage is when I began fertility workups because I had not gotten pregnant on my own. It was during this time we discovered I was infertile. His command was stationed in MS and they did not have a fertility facility available to move forward with having a child. We waited till we were home-ported back in San Diego to continue treatments. This took 8 years and we finally had our first child in 2013 and our second child in 2015. I knew that I wanted to homeschool my children even before they were born. I had the wonderful opportunity to be a SAHM and would do different arts and crafts projects. I also went to school for Event Management as well as Photography. Both I enjoy doing in my spare time and discovered I didn’t enjoy doing them as my everyday job but rather for a hobby instead.
During the pandemic, I thought this would be a great time to learn how to sew. I was teaching myself and made a few face mask. I posted them on Facebook and started to get orders upon orders. At first, I enjoyed making them but as I was getting flooded with orders, learning to sew was no longer fun or enjoyable for me. Needless to say, my sewing machine is sitting on the shelf. It was fun while it lasted! I took that money and invested in a heat press and vinyl. I then learned how to do custom shirts. JaMarie Customz was birthed at that moment. Here’s a breakdown of how I came up with my business name. Ja represents the first letters of my husband and girls’ names. Marie is my middle name. I had a someone ask me about sublimation. I’m like sublimation, what is that? Once I was informed, I began to do my research on this process and how it works. I was sold and beginning practicing and through trial and error, I was able to add sublimation shirts to my servicing list. I joined crafting groups that opened my eyes to so much more. I began subbing on various substrates. I seen several crafters utilizing bling on various substrates as well. I was intrigued and wanted to try my hand at that as well. I ordered rhinestones but was intimidated by the process and those stones sat in the corner on my crafting table for months. I finally decided to bling my first item, a pair of slides for my daughter. I found it to be very relaxing and therapeutic. But that was as far as I went with the blinging with rhinestones. I also ordered tumblers and mugs around this time to sublimate them. But that didn’t go that far either because the times I tried to sub on the tumblers and mugs proved to be challenging although I had done plenty of research. I am not a quitter and wasn’t going to give up. So, one day my husband and I decided to purchase a portable convection oven and try our hand at sublimation again. It was then that we finally got the process correct and found a method that works. I decided to combine sublimation and bling together with my Her…She…Me series of tumblers and mugs. This has been going great for my business.
Not only did I launch my business but my oldest daughter Jazmine who is nine years old decided she wanted to do gymnastics with her sister. Jessie has been doing gymnastics since she was 2. Jazmine worked her way up to team-level gymnastics in a matter of months. She had her first meet this year as a bronze and was moved up to level 3 right after. She broke her toe during in beginning of July. This is a crucial time for new level gymnast because they get to work on conditioning and honing in on their skills and routines. She happened to have an Orthopedic doctor who was a former gymnast and she encouraged her to continue practicing and conditioning while being in a cast for 4+ weeks. Gymnastics is a commitment and requires numerous hours of practice each week. Jazmine had her first meet at level 3 and ranked 1st in overall score in her age group. No cast could stop her. It is with determination, drive, and heart that she was able to finish on top.
Also, during this past year, I helped my 7-year-old daughter launch her Lemonade business. She doesn’t have your typical lemonade stand but she does specialty lemonades. Bug’s Best Lemonade made its debut in the business industry in March of 2022. She uses fresh fruit and vegetables. She squeezes her lemons and juice her fruit/veggies. Jessie has been making lemonade and juice drinks for a while and it was during this time that I noticed her consistency and passion which birth the idea of Bug’s Best Lemonade. Her dad and I believe in nurturing our girls’ passions. It took months of testing recipes before her business went live. She enjoys doing vendor events because she get to met and interact with people.
I am a Motivated Mompreneur who homeschools her girls, operates 2 businesses and a household. Not only am I focused on myself excelling I am also like many other moms out there making sure my girls are thriving in and out of school. I have the best husband ever because he was in agreement with me being SAHM. He has supported all my crafting endeavors. He makes sure I have what’s needed to do the things I enjoy. My girls are another source of motivation for me. They motivate me to keep going every day and think outside the box to build businesses that will last and become household names in the future. To show them that they can do anything they desire. Just because you don’t succeed at one thing that doesn’t mean quit but rather try something new. Quitting is not an option. We don’t strive to be perfect but we strive to make progress daily. We should smell the roses and seize the day! We turn lemons into lemonade literally.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road hasn’t been smooth at all. I am a giver. Setting a price and not cheating myself out of a profit was challenging for me. I almost wanted to give the product away at market value. I had to learn that my time is valuable and don’t be afraid to charge for it. It takes time to create designs. It takes time to get the product and everything I utilize to create the final product. I have come to accept that people are willing to pay for quality and I know without a shadow of a doubt that my products are good quality. I am no longer hesitant to charge my worth.
With anything you get better with time. So, I have learned a lot of what to do and what not to do in the process of making my shirts, tumblers, etc. For example, all vinyls are not alike. You have cold, hot, or warm peel after using the heat press to adhere the design. So doing this prematurely or not soon enough can totally ruin you design.
I use a particular brand of glue to adhere my stones to the substrate. I was at the store recently and they had several glue from same manufacturer. I decided to get one that serves the same purpose as the glue I purchased previously. Well, I found out real quick that all glues are not alike even if it is the same brand. Needless to say, my hours of work were for not because I have to remove all the stones and redo a tumbler that I spent hours working on. Lesson learned from this is that if I have something that works don’t change it! Tried and true beats experimenting with something new, especially when you don’t have time to waste in that capacity.
Marketing is still somewhat of a challenge to this day. People like to see what you are doing via social media. You want to keep them engaged and coming back. So, creating content and posting has to be a constant. I am getting the hang of creating content and posting. This is somewhat of a challenge at times when I still have my other day-to-day task to focus on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
JaMarie Customz was built out of my passion for art and creativity. My daughters help inspire me and give me the push to pursue my passion while teaching them how to do the same.
I specialize in custom shirts, mugs, tumblers, etc… While helping my daughter produce a good quality lemonade with quality ingredients.
Most know me for my shirts and bling tumblers while stepping into territory of being the mother who is helping her daughter grow and thrive with Bug’s Best Lemonade.
I am proud that I found something I like that I can share with the world and also bring finances into the house. And I do not have to work the typically 9 to 5 and that gives me the opportunity to work on my girls’ businesses as well.
My passion for what I do sets me apart. If it’s not quality then I am not going to do it or present it just to make a quick buck. I am willing to take risk and learn from them.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Yes. Don’t stop pursuing your passions even when the road looks a little bleak. One person no is not the end all continue knocking until you get that yes! Step out of your comfort zone. I found that networking is very important and vital to any business. You each have something wonderful to bring to the table that will allow you all to shine. There are numerous fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, coffee houses, etc… that should be encouragement enough for you to push your business and know there is enough room for all of us to eat from the entrepreneur table.
Pricing:
- shirts range from $25 and up for adults and $20 and up for children
- Sub tumblers are $25 and bling tumblers start at $30
- Sub mugs are $20 and blings mugs start at $25
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @jamarie_customz
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/JaMarieCustomz
Image Credits
Kimberly Barber
