About
The “First Trimester”
Conception In 2002, while the would-be president of Whoa Mamma!™, Rebekah Stivers, worked in sales for a large intimates brand, she began listening to her "expecting" customers looking for maternity lingerie - or any sleepwear - that would help them feel sexy at a time when they needed that most. This is the very time in our lives, they'd say, that they could use a "lift," so why wasn't [the large intimates store] catering to them? After secret-shopping several upscale department stores and boutiques in a nearby large metropolitan area, Rebekah decided this was a viable yet underserved market segment. The seed had been planted.
Backbone Development Five years later, Rebekah was still watching the market, as it showed an uptick in trendy maternity boutiques. She decided to parlay her extensive retail sales and supply chain risk consulting experience into the development of the Whoa Mamma!™ business plan.
Heartbeat Development While straddling her corporate job, Rebekah sought assistance from several mentors at SCORE (the Service Corps of Retired Executives) in generating her business model. She then hired a team of talented designers, seamstresses and business consultants. This team formed the heartbeat of Whoa Mamma!™ — a team with more than 40 years of combined retail sales and business experience.
The “Second Trimester”
Muscle and Taste Development Whoa Mamma!™ collaborated with more local designers to continue to grow the product line including the development of the company’s line cards and look books.
Hearing and Recognition Development More market research ensued. In this stage Whoa Mamma!™ sponsored a fashion show to test the waters and affirm the needs of the market. This also drew media and buyer attention and launched the momentum of the business.
The “Third Trimester”
Fetus Sleeps 95% of the Time Not this team — maybe they caught that other 5 percent! During this time, Rebekah used her business connections to forge several strong manufacturing, quality control and logistics infrastructure partnerships. These partners today produce the high-quality garments that attract Whoa Mamma!™’s clientele.
Breathing Development Today, Whoa Mamma!™’s partnerships allow customers to breathe easier with low-quantity orders offered in a broad variety of color and size options, including plus sizes. This makes it one of a very small number of companies nimble enough to truly cater to the needs of today’s upscale boutique buyer and, in turn, the end customer.
The “Birth”
Gestation Period Comes to an End While our gestation period certainly lasted longer than nine months, we finally “gave birth” to a line of beautiful, high-quality clothing meant for every expectant mother’s enjoyment. And we genuinely hope that you do enjoy our line just as much as we loved putting it together just for you.
