Day 22 – Britax Advocate CS

In March 2004, I was a little busy. We’d signed the lease on the store, started the build-out, and I was working on establishing accounts with all our key vendors. The store was due to open in July, and I was right on schedule. Which was good, because I was also nine months pregnant. During the business plan phase, I’d already contacted all these companies to confirm that they were looking for new retailers in the Boston area, and everyone had responded with great enthusiasm. The paperwork seemed like a technicality, so I wasn’t concerned.

I had Mira at the end of the month. The day I came home from the hospital, there was a letter waiting for me from Britax, rejecting my account application. I’ll never forget that moment, sinking down onto my couch with my 2-day old daughter in my arms and reading that letter. I was a huge Britax fan, and loved using their seats. How could I think of selling anything else? I was devastated, which may sound dramatic, but 48 hours post-partum, it was absolutely true.

Once my head cleared, I put an impassioned letter in the mail to the CEO of Britax with renderings of the store. A few weeks later, a man named Gary Kester called me up and welcomed me to the Britax family. It was the beginning of a beautiful business relationship. Today, Gary was in our office to show us the newest products in the Britax line, and he and I shared a laugh about it (5 years later I can laugh, even though Britax letterhead still makes me twitchy).

Today’s giveaway is the brand new Britax Advocate CS convertible car seat, a remarkable product from a company I admire very much. You can read all about it in a previous post. Or just go ahead and Enter to win.

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