It began with “Molly” and soon grew to include “Austin,” “Zachary” and every name in between. 

“I had Molly and I was so proud of her and the name we had chosen that I wanted her name to be on everything,” said Colleen Mook, a Horsham mom of four kids, including her oldest, 10-year-old Molly.

Soon after Molly’s birth, Mook’s Web-based business, Baby Be Hip, was born. Initially when it was launched in 2002, Mook’s goal was to help babies “spit up in style” via personalized burp cloths. But, since then, the baby-centric gift business has grown to include blankets, diaper bags, towels, ceramics, clothing and more. The common thread for all of Mook’s items, of course, is the embroidered names, or initials, on all of the various goods.

“I’ve gotten a lot of baby gifts,” Mook said, moments after tucking her youngest, 15-month-old Delaney, into her pack ‘n’ play for a nap at the 2,000-square-foot Baby Be Hip headquarters in Horsham. “I like things that you can use because you only have so much space.”

Speaking of space, Mook’s current warehouse/manufacturing center, now 2-years-old, is a huge expansion from the 400-square-foot room - which consisted of a sewing machine and a desk - which she rented previously.

“We have the space to scale the business,” Mook said.

And, Mook, who until recently had been relying almost exclusively on social media and word-of-mouth advertising to boost her national and international customer base, has gotten a bit of help in that realm as well. Last month, the CEO was one of 44 women selected nationally to claim a $1,000 prize in the Make Mine a Million pitch competition.

Following her success in that contest, which graded women business owners on the best elevator speeches, Mook is vying for a place in the “Make Mine a Million $ Business” program, which provides winners with a business development package that includes additional cycles of coaching, national publicity and financing assistance to help their businesses grow into million-dollar enterprises.

"I like the opportunity to be a part of this community of women," Mook said. They want their winners to make $1 million. There's no reason we can't."

She plans to use her winnings to buy a new computer for Baby Be Hip. But, it’s the business coaching that Mook said she is most excited about.

“As women, we aim low,” Mook said. “We should have equality.”

According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, 3 percent of the 10.1 million women-owned businesses attain revenues of $1 million or more as compared to 6 percent of men-owned businesses.

For several years, Mook said she had talked about building her business “when the time was right.” But, with four kids, that right time never seemed to occur.

“I think it just grew without a whole lot of work,” Mook said of Baby Be Hip. “My focus in on my children.”

Part of her concentration is showing her kids what’s it like to run a business. Delaney spends three days a week playing and toddling about Baby Be Hip. Delaney's older siblings, on days off from school, also come to work with mom.

“You can have a successful business and have children,” Mook said. “I don’t want the business to rule my life.”

But, at the same time, finding a balance and growing the business – both in terms of customers and staff - is important to Mook. She employs five part-time workers, including Shukran Samsudeen, a seamstress and Sri Lanka native, who’s been with Mook from the beginning. 

“I love sewing and I love stuff she does for the babies,” Samsudeen said, adding that she’s noticed a marked growth in the number and variety of items available. “When I first started, it was burps and bibs. Now it’s blankets and more.”

Mook's husband, Brad, the company's CFO, provides financial insight.

"He tells me to stop spending," she said with a laugh. "I couldn't do it without my husband."

The business-minded mom also realizes she couldn't do it without her customers, who she said return to Baby Be Hip for gift-buying as each of their family and friends have kids. The hope is that people will liken Baby Be Hip to Pottery Barn and Red Envelope when it comes time for baby gift-giving, Mook said.

“It’s a renewable market. People are always having babies,” Mook said, reflecting both as a mom and a business owner. “People always remember a thoughtful gift.”