Stories and names used in this post are fiction, though they are based on real life experiences. Every so often, I see someone really excited about the thought of opening their own cloth diaper store, or other small business. I get it. It’s “The American Dream.” I’ve also heard complaints about product prices, talk of buying well…anywhere but from small businesses, and references to brands as “big” when I know for a fact that they are not. Ex: “They’re a big business, they can afford to cover return shipping.” or “They’re a big brand, they can afford to honor this price mistake for everyone.” Starting a business isn’t that easy, and the successful stores and brands have worked incredibly hard, and taken risks to get where they are today.
In the past 7 1/2 or so years, I’ve seen a lot of businesses come and go, I’ve seen a lot of struggles, and I’ve vowed to shop small even more than I already did. So what exactly is “small?”
Maria wants to live in a world where cloth diapers are the norm and moms can make parenting choices without judgement. When she’s not chasing her 18, 14 and 11-year old kids around, you might find her checking out the latest gadgets, organizing something (again) or exercising in the fresh air. 
