To design and properly test your own pattern can cost hundreds of dollars in supplies and take months or even years of time. Our well-loved patterns have spent years in the making, have been tested by scores of testers, and we have hundreds of happy customers who test our design on a daily basis. Purchasing a license to sew and sell Darling Diapers or Potty Dance Pants is a great way to start your own business or add to your current product line without the expense and time investment of formulating your own unique pattern.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions about Darling Diapers Licensing

Q. How much does a license cost per year?

A. Actually, we don't charge a yearly fee. The cost of a license is a one-time fee of $700. We only sell lifetime licenses.

 

Q. Do you offer limited licensing for people who aren't sure they are ready for a lifetime license purchase?

A. Not at this time. While limited licensing seems to offer more flexibility for those who aren't ready for a full-time work-at-home commitment, it also provides a less than ideal situation for those who have invested in a lifetime license. Since my first priority is to those who have purchased a lifetime license, limited licensing is probably not something we'll ever choose to offer.

 

Q. What is the process of becoming licensed?
A. It's as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. First, take a look at the sample contract. Keep in mind that many terms are negotiable. If something isn't clear or doesn’t fit your vision, it’s perfectly acceptable to email me to see if we can make changes we’ll both be happy with. Remember, this is our contract, not my contract. When you are comfortable with the terms we’ve agreed upon, send me a confirmation email including your name, address, telephone number, email address, website address, and the payment terms you’ve chosen. I will promptly create a custom license and email it to you.

2. Print and sign TWO copies. Mail both signed copies, your first payment (or full payment), along with a sample diaper for review. Please don’t send a cover as a sample unless you intend to only make covers. The sample should represent what you plan to make the most of such as a turned AIO, or a serged fitted. Be prepared for some constructive feedback. This part can be a little unnerving.
   Please don't be afraid of me. I want you to do well and would rather give you honest feedback now than have you suffer the possibility of negative feedback from a paying customer.

3. Once I give the final approval of your work, I will sign the contracts. I then mail your diaper and a signed contract back to you. You will then be the proud new owner of a Lifetime Sewing License for a Darling Diapers pattern!

 

It’s a fairly simple and quick process. But please do not feel rushed. A license is an investment that I want all licensees to be fully prepared to make. I would rather someone walk away than invest in something they are not comfortable with or fully invested in. Take your time. Ask questions. And, most of all, don’t let your excitement get in the way of making logical business decisions.

 

Q. Do I have to buy a separate license for Darling Diapers Unlimited and Potty Dance Pants?
A. Yes. But, once you are the full owner of one pattern license, any other license may be purchased for $400 ($300 discount). Payment plans are not available for the discounted price.  This offer is subject to change.

 

Q. Are payment plans available?
A. We do have some payment plans available. Please consider carefully before agreeing to a payment plan since specific terms apply. Payment plans put me in a precarious position that I honestly would rather not be in. It is very difficult for me to make sound business decisions when faced with other people's personal issues. I am compassionate and empathetic and this creates a conflict of interest for me. To that end, I have created a single allowance for a late payment for whatever reason you deem it necessary. I am laying these terms out as clearly as possible so we both know where we stand if you choose to make payments. I will not vary from these terms. I welcome those who are committed to making a payment plan work but please be absolutely certain you can live with the following:

1. Only once during the payment process can a single payment be deferred/delayed by up to 14 days and you MUST contact me to let me know. After a deferred payment, you may either make your next payment as per the original schedule or payments can resume at monthly intervals from the deferred payment date to give you a month to get back on track.


2. If any other payments are not made on time at any time during the payment plan, the license purchase process is terminated and the contract is null and void. I will not seek out payments.  All previous payments are forfeited. Previous payments cannot and will not be refunded.


3. You have a full 7 days within each month to make payments.


4. Each month that a payment is made entitles the license applicant to sew and sell up to 30 items.


5. Early payoff by way of larger payments or extra payments will entitle you to a $10 discount for each 30 days of early payoff. This amount cannot be prorated for early payoff of less than 30 day increments.


6. Should something major happen that prevents you from making payments, please contact me and we will be able to put the license purchase on hold by two months. By major, I do not mean a broken bone, or a big round of the flu. While I know those things can throw your life upside down and really are a strain, those are reasons you might use the one-time payment deferral. By major, I mean something like, God forbid, hospitalization of someone in your immediate family, a major house fire etc. After two months we would discuss if you would like to continue or cease payments. It is my sincerest wish that no licensee is ever put into this situation.

Payment terms offered:

1 payment - $700
3 payments - $240/month
5 payments - $150/month
7 payments - $110/month
10 payments - $80/month

 

Q. Will you put a limit on the number of licensees?

A. Yes. I can't give a number right now because it will depend on the health of the market. What I can tell you is that the success of licensee's is very important to me. I never want supply to outweigh demand. Too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing.

 

Q. Do you offer any guarantees that purchasing this license will bring me success?

A. No way. I want to be clear that sewing Darling Diapers will not create success. It's a very small piece of a very large pie. Your work ethic, website design, customer service, the fabrics you choose, how you display and market and run your business, and how well you read the market to provide what customers are looking for all play just as big a roll as the pattern you use.

 

What this pattern does for you is allow you to get your foot in the door with a well-recognized name attached to your business. And, to start sewing and selling without spending months of time and hundreds of dollars on formulating your own design. The Darling Diapers name is reassuring to customers because it's familiar, for sure. But, you'll still need to build your business reputation one diaper at a time like everyone else. This pattern won't bring you instant success, but it will speed up the process if you have all your other ducks in a row.

 

Q. How will customers know I'm an official licensee?

A. I have a special section on this site for licensee banner ads, and a web badge graphic you can add to your site. And, on occasion, I will have a slot in my store for a licensee to stock something special. You can also add Darling Diaper labels (this is addressed in another question) to your products. And lastly, each licensee has the option of adding any of the following to their site/store:

 

Q. Are there pre-set prices at which licensees should price their wares?

A. Short answer: It's illegal for me to set prices. I can absolutely give you recommendations if you ask or do my best to help you determine where your price ranges should be to cover your hourly wages, your business expenses (washing, drying, printer, paper, ink, website expenses, packaging, electricity, internet etc.. ) and materials cost. I expect prices should be the upper end of market average overall. If you were considering pricing on the lower end, please keep reading.

 

Loooooooong Answer:

Since customers cannot touch and feel and stretch a diaper online, price is a major indicator of quality/value. If prices are set too low, it devalues everything in your store forcing you to keep lowering your prices in order to get sales. Keeping prices high tells a customer that your work is worth paying for and is one of the very first and very biggest clues to a diaper's quality.

 

If you watch the market, there are a lot of diapers in that middle price range that seem like perfectly wonderful diapers. Since they don't sell, your first thought is that you'll need to make comparable diapers but sell them for less if you want to gain sales. It seems like it would make sense to offer the best diaper for the best price. But, here's the rub: Customers don't always or even usually want the lowest price, they simply want the best diaper! (within reason, or course). It's a competitive marketplace. You can attract customers by offering the best price, or you can attract customers by offering the best diaper. How do they know it's the best diaper? Without having feedback to rely on, customers primarily use price, fabrics, and presentation to assess a product. A low price is a red flag to many shoppers. Besides that, some of the best advice I ever received is that "Bargain shoppers are not return shoppers". I find that statement to be fairly accurate.

 

This isn't to say that you need to over-charge for your products. Your work should reflect the $$ value you place on it. Just simply don't under-charge in order to gain sales. Pay yourself what you are worth hourly, enough to replace your materials, and enough to pay for your business expenses (washing, drying, machine repairs, printer, paper, ink, packaging, website costs etc.. ). I hope that those considering a Darling Diapers license have a plan to attract customers who want the best diaper, not simply the best price. Can I beat you over the head or revoke your license if you don't? nope. Will it hurt your business if you don't? In my opinion, it'll hurt yours, mine, and ours (all DD licensees).

 

If you are considering pursuing a license in order to gain business by offering the best/lowest price, I respect that but sincerely encourage you to seek out a different pattern to license for all the reasons stated above.

 

I don't like saying all this. It makes me seem like a snob. But truthfully, it's simply because I sincerely want licensees to actually make a profit with their business and still have time for their families for which they became a WAHM in the first place.

 

Q. There are a lot of options in the patterns. Any advice on what options are best? Do some items sell better than others?

A. There are a ton of options. So many, in fact, you'll drive yourself bonkers and scare away a lot of potential business if you try to offer them all to customers. I don't really know what will sell best. My advice is to watch the market for what is hot right now and try to pair that up with what you enjoy sewing.

 

If there is anything I didn't learn while I was a sewing WAHM, but did learn by simply being a customer, it's that fewer options usually means more sales. The rule of KISS ,Keep It Simple Sweetheart, applies well here. I love to shop and fill up my shopping cart. But, when the decisions become too overwhelming, I often end up frustrated, confused, and stressed over which I should choose. I can't tell you how many times I've left a store with items sitting in the shopping cart because I couldn't decide on what combination of options would be best for us. I think most customers want shopping to be fast, easy, and fun. Customers usually like fun choices like which print and what closure. When it comes to round wings or square wings or topstitching or without etc.. you might be asking them to answer a question they don't know the answer to. Keeping things simple is great for your sanity and good for your business.

 

Q. Can I combine this license with a license from another company into one store?

A. Sure! If they are similar products such as you'll be making fitteds from both, that could get very messy and confusing for a customer very quickly. (see above question). The other issue is that you are one person. Try not to overload yourself. Your plate is likely already very full if you have children at home. I recommend you start with a single pattern and then if you find you still have time and it will bring you joy, add something else to your product line. I feel like too many WAHMs try to take on too much at a time and it can be their downfall. I think a business could do very well sewing ONE thing.. only covers or only nb fitteds or only one kind of AIO. That way, customers are very clear on what you offer and they know exactly where to go to get it. The problem with that is that it gets very boring very quickly. But from a business perspective, it's ideal. Look at the really big names out there. More often than not, they sew ONE major item and do it well. Name and product recognition are spread more easily and quickly that way. Food for thought.

 

Q. I need to bring in an income from home \ I want to *try* diaper-making as a business. Is this a good fit?

A. I receive may emails moms who want to make some quick cash or they just want to "try it out" to see if it's for them, etc. I'd rather never sell another license than to mislead anyone into thinking that investing in a license will make everything else fall into place.

 

Running a WAHM business is not a way to make quick cash. Even though a license will allow you to hop, skip, and jump past the long and expensive part of creating your own pattern and establishing it's reputation, and is worth the price for that reason alone, there are certain things it just can't do for you. It can't create a website that has a professional finish. It can't instantly drum up business for someone nobody has ever heard of. And, it can't provide an immediate and stead income. If you are in need of immediate income or you aren't sure this is something you really want to commit to, I can honestly encourage you to not purchase a license at this time.

 

Q. Why does your license cost so darn much?!

A. Okay, so nobody has actually ever asked me this question directly. It's sort of the big white elephant in the room though when the subject of license costs come up in diaper-sewing forums. So, I thought I'd share my thoughts on this. Whether you agree or disagree isn't the point so please don't flame me or email me if you do happen to disagree. It is my opinion. But, since this company is such a huge piece of my life with many years of my life and tens of thousands of my dollars invested, this happens to be one of the few times that my opinion reigns supreme. Yippee! So, I address this subject not for debate but because I simply feel like this is a question that a lot of people have. And, if you are considering purchasing a license, it may be of some value to you to understand where the $700 license price tag comes from.

 

I spent a lot of time thinking and praying and praying and thinking over the issue of how much to charge or if I should charge at all. I get the impression that some people think it's just plain 'ol greed. Let me lay that to rest. If I offered licenses for less, I'd probably end up making more money in the long run because there would be far more people wanting to license. The pattern would hold more appeal to those who might want to try out being a WAHM and I might not lose business to those patterns that do offer free or less expensive licensing options. Consider that after taxes, the $700 turns into less than $500 in my hand ONE time. It's not a yearly thing. It's ONCE. Also consider the fact that I will limit the number of licenses sold so the market doesn't get over saturated with Darling Diapers. So, five years from now, I will no longer have any income from license fees. I'm not sipping champaign and getting manis and pedis twice a week on licensee fees. :)

 

So why not sell the license for cheaper and charge a yearly fee instead to keep a stead income from license fees?. Because I know that doesn't create the most potential for success of licensees and any license program should focus on fostering the best environment for licensee success.

 

I guess the best way to put it is this.. I'm choosing quality over quantity.

 

So, what I had to figure out was: "How does one go about encouraging license sales to only those WAHMs who are ready to be fully invested in a real business with all the trimmings?" You don't know someone's heart. Most people who inquire about a license are total strangers to me. Since
I can't know someone's intentions, the only control I have is to set the license price high enough that it's not so ridiculously high that no WAHM would be able to turn a profit for three years. Yet, at the same time, high enough that it prohibits fly-by-night, trying-out-WAHMhood and attracts those who really are looking for a business investment. Right now, that price is $700. I want licensees to value the investment they make in a license. I want them to have pride in it and, in turn, that will foster a great environment for all licensees.

 

I do regret that this does put a license out of reach for some who have the potential to be real treasures in the WAHM world. That in itself is the reason for the payment plans. I don't like payment plans as a whole because they can open a can of works I don't like dealing with. But, I want a license to be within reach of those who are willing to work to make it happen.

 

Q. Do I need to buy special DD labels?

A. I do have a design available if you want to use it but that's totally up to you. There are several popular label makers for woven labels. If you need help finding your options, drop me a line.

 

 

Q. If I become a licensee, how much should I expect to need to advertise?

A. This is one of those strange questions that I'm not really sure how to answer because there's no right and no wrong answer. My gut says "as much as needed and as much as you can afford".

 

But really, that's no help is it? So, I'll share with you the absolute best secret that anyone ever shared with me about hyena cart (if you don't know more about hyena cart, it's probably my #1 recommendation for a storefront for those just starting out). The competition there is steep, but it's inexpensive and will expose your products to literally thousands of people each day. On hyenacart there's a daily calendar which highlights items/stores that stock that day. You can be on the calendar once per week. The best thing you can do for your business is to be on this calendar EVERY week! This is how customers find you.

 

Here's the key. Customers don't always know who to shop with. So, do they pick a store at random? Not usually. They choose stores with names they recognize. So, stock five diapers the first week. None of them sold? No problem. The very next week, take the original five OUT of your store and stock five new diapers. Still none sold? That's okay. Do it all over again. If you continue to do this, sales will come. Customers will recognize your store's name. They won't know that your stuff hasn't sold to anyone. It always looks fresh and new and as far as they are concerned, you sold out last week. That's got to be a winning combination right? They recognize your store name so it must be popular and you always have new stock which must mean that your stuff is selling out fast. As time goes on, start slipping in one or two of the unsold stock here and there when you restock your store and it'll look like fresh new stock.

 

The point of advertising isn't necessarily to get people into your store. It's so that people are aware of your store, they see the name, hear the name, and know the name so that when they are ready to shop, the name rings a bell and they assume you are popular.

 

After a little time, you really will be popular and advertising will simply be a means of reminding people where you are and what's going on with your business. But, until then, the free "advertising" you get by simply being on the stocking calendar every single week at hyena cart is, in my opinion, the most powerful tool in your advertising arsenal.

 

Q. Are there any specific restrictions or requirements I should know about?

A. The contract goes over everything so please take time to read it carefully. Overall, most decisions such as fabrics and elastics and such are up to the licensee. The one requirement I do have is that a licensee should have a serger. Quick dry soakers, for example should be serged. Serging just adds a professional touch and strength to garments that shouldn't be skipped.

 

When purchasing fabrics, I can't stress heavily enough how important it is to use the best, most sought-after fabrics. While it's a slightly bigger investment up front, it's one that is well worth it to get off on the right foot. In order to attract customers who are shopping for quality, you must use the best fabrics possible.

 

I highly recommend a snap press and purchasing PUL with a DWR coating. DWR coated PUL will probably need to be ordered directly from fabrite unless you can find a co-op that offers it. DWR reduces complaints of wicking down to almost none and is well worth the extra small investment.

 

While the pattern should be followed closely so customers find consistency when ordering from different licensees, it's entirely acceptable to make slight changes in construction. As long as it doesn't make the diaper markedly different than those made by other licensees, no permission or notification is needed. For example, if you extend the wing 1/4 inch to give yourself more serging room or if you choose to serge a diaper from one wing to the other but leave the back edge open, apply snaps, and then serge the back edge (as opposed to serging all the way around in one long line of stitches), that's totally fine. If, however, you want to make distinct changes to the pattern such as narrowing the diaper significantly or creating a pocket opening not covered in the pattern, those changes will need to be noted in the diaper's description so customers are aware how it varies from other Darling Diapers.

 

Q. I plan to make pocket diapers but hear there is a patent on pocket diapers. Can I still make them?

A. Certain designs do fall under the pocket-diaper pattern owned by Tereson Dupuy-Thomas. According to pocket-diaper.com any pocket that has a waterproof outer, stay-dry inner and a leading edge opening falls under her patent. If you make more than 5 waterproof pockets with a stay-dry inner from our pattern, the diapers will fall under this particular patent. Understand that that you must follow patent laws or you will be in breach of our contract AND be breaking patent law.

There are other ways to create a pocket opening that are not currently under patent. You are welcome to explore these ideas and apply them to the Darling Diapers you create. Just be sure to let the customer know how the pocket is created.