BuddyBoo is in the News

I am pleased as punch to share with my little corner of the world a story our local cable channel did on BuddyBoo Stationery. Cable Channel 12 came to our house last Friday and wowed the kids with their camera and lights and caught a glimpse of how glamorous my work conditions are.

The link will work for a month and I don't want to lose the incredible story written by reporter Shannon Slatton so I'm copying the text to this blog.

For now, please click here to access the story. This is why BuddyBoo exists.


Maple Grove business pays it forward
For Jean Tate, the path to a second career all started with Christmas cards.

"I've made them for friends and family. It got up to about 90, but then I had to cut back," said Tate.

As the feedback kept coming in, the ideas kept churning."Everybody would write in cards -- this was really cool. You should do this for a living," said Tate.

So what convinced Tate to start up a part-time job?

"Having the strong support of all of my friends and family combined with the strong desire to have more time with my kids."

In April, Tate decided to use her marketing skills to tailor-make stationery for customers. She started up a website and a business out of her Maple Grove home. Tate decided to name her new stationery company BuddyBoo Stationery after her two children, Jordan, 7, whose nickname is 'Buddy,' and Ellie, 3, who she calls 'Boo.'

"I thought I would see how it goes and keep my day job and grow BuddyBoo and someday I'll be able to have BuddyBoo be it and I'll have more flexibility with my kids," said Tate. Tate's goal is to have that happen by the time 3-year-old Ellie is in Kindergarten.

But what makes this home business different from others is she started with one big commitment.

"Even if I make $5 and that's it, then I'm going to donate part of it to autism awareness," said Tate. Three years ago, doctors diagnosed her son Jordan with autism.

"That basically rocks your world, when you go through that whole process and you have somebody say I think there's something wrong with your child," said Tate. "It took me a long time to pull myself off the floor and say this isn't about me, it's about him."

Jordan's autism is high-functioning, which means most people probably wouldn't notice it. Tate says he's a very bright boy with a good vocabulary, but sometimes struggles with language and social skills.

"He'll have a hard time finding the right word. He'll say 'do you like milk in your bucket?"' said Tate. "The brain is in the right category but can't filter through everything. One day you are dealing with this, and the next day it's not an issue. One day you will try this tool in therapy, but the next day it won't work."

Since Jordan's diagnosis, the Tates have become very involved with the Walk Now for Autism. They were one of the top fundraisers for 2008. Tate says more people need to be aware of high functioning autism cases like Jordan's.

"I want people to know there is another side to autism besides kids who can't speak or adults who can't speak," said Tate. "Every kid is different."

So while she hopes her personalized cards will pull on a few heart strings, she knows part of the profits will go to a cause that's close to her own heart.


Shannon Slatton, reporting
sslatton@twelve.tv
Tuesday, January 20, 2009