Moms, friends, business owners, former corporate coworkers, guacamole lovers, and former Smarty moms Mai-Lis Bahr and Meghan Hampton catch us up on what’s the what and what’s new. The two mompreneurs say they feel like they are always playing catch up, but that just keeps them on their toes. Between the two of them, they are moms to five children ages 4 to 12. They both agree that the privilege of being mom always comes first. But that is not to say they don’t have fun combining it all. You can often catch them at their warehouse with their kids (who happen to think the place is pretty cool).
Last time we talked, you were designing and manufacturing the Addie & Ella line. Catch us up!
The inspiration to start the Addie & Ella line stemmed from our children. Back in 2009, we both had young kids and felt inspired to design for them. The Addie & Ella line designs came to life easily, as we thought about the functionality, quality, colors, and designs that moms and kids wanted. We have always kept the idea in mind that girls typically look up to their moms for wardrobe inspiration. We have carried that idea into the Be3 Athletics line. Be3 launched in May with the idea that girls want to wear workout clothing like their moms do. More importantly, we wanted to continue designing a line that was inspired by our own girls. To do so, we had to say goodbye to Addie & Ella, which was not easy because we had built a fan base that we loved and appreciated. If we could continue designing both, we would.
Tell us more about Be3 Athletics. Does the Be3 stand for anything?
We are delighted you asked! After we decided to shift gears, the design and sampling process had already started before we had decided on a name. We wanted the name to capture the essence of the athletic brand and to be meaningful. Be3 stands for three very important qualities that aim to inspire girls of all ages to stand taller with confidence: Be Strong, Be Healthy, Be You.
Be Strong: How amazing would it be if girls felt not only strong on the outside, but strong on the inside as well. Confidence in today’s world of photoshop perfectionism can be difficult to hold onto. Girls should be proud to “run like a girl”. It is our mission to deliver strong, empowering messaging to girls through our brand.
Be Healthy: Healthy messaging is here to stay and we hope to help root healthy messaging into girls at a young age. The habits and choices we ourselves as parents make everyday shape our girls futures. It’s really “do as I do”, not “do as I say”. For instance, if we as parents constantly talk about how unhappy we are with our bodies, our girls will more than likely start thinking the same. We stand behind being healthy role models who make healthy choices. And it’s not always about food and exercise, it’s about mental health as well.
Be You: This might be the most important of the Be3! Too often, girls find themselves wishing they were like other girls. As moms, we understand how important it is to raise girls who love and embrace themselves from the inside out. If we were all the same, life would be quite boring. If a girl can grow up never doubting herself and staying true to who she is, she can achieve great heights.
We would consider our brand’s goal successful if each time a girl saw or wore a Be3 design, they were reminded to be strong, healthy and true to themselves. It can’t be emphasized enough.
You mentioned girls of all ages. What sizes is the Be3 available in?
Our line was designed for ages 4 to 16 years of age. However, considering the feedback, we may design into young adult for the next line. We are really excited about how the line was received, especially by older girls who are typically more opinionated about what they wear. Girls love how the line feels on, while the mix and match styles make wearing the line easy. We have tennis skirts, yoga capris, sports tops, long sleeved shirts, zippy jackets, headbands, tanks and more. The colors and prints are right on trend and offer a uniqueness that can’t be found in other athletic lines. 
Be3 Athletics sounds like a great line! Where can we shop for the line?
When we first launched, we wanted to get feedback before we offered it to a broader customer base. So, we sold the line primarily through home-shows. After hearing the positive feedback, we partnered with Zulily. We have always loved working with Zulily and look forward to our continued relationship with them. Being a new brand, it is hard to reach a broader customer base without a huge marketing budget. Zulily has a broad and happy customer base who will love Be3. The demand for girls athletic wear is very much real.
So when can we see Be3 on their site?
August 6th! Mark your calendars and favorite us on www.Zulily.com to be notified of all upcoming sales.
Thank you Mai-Lis and Meghan for updating us on your latest entrepreneurial endeavors! We think our Smarties will love the line!
