Writing
An archive of 25 posts written between 2019 and 2022 — from the Shark Tank run to lessons on selling, hiring and keeping the plates spinning.
It has arrived! This ParentPreneurs Book Launch is getting REAL!
My copy of our book ParentPreneurs arrived in the mail this weekend. We made the announcement a couple weeks ago and, as usual, most people have looked at Brian and me like we have 3 heads and asked how in the world we had time to do this. Once I…
Unique & Creative Out-Of-The-Box Sales Tactics
There are some clients you are just DYING to work with but the usual tactics of phone and standard email are just not working and you are feeling frustrated. Here are some creative and out-of-the-box concepts to get your juices flowing on how to…
My 2021 Favorite Moments – Personal & Professional
As we head into the New Year, I wanted to take a moment to reflect back on 2021. I recognize how challenging 2021 has been for so many of us. We entered the year feeling like things just had to get better from 2020. In many ways it did, but we…
Top 10 Reasons I Have Fallen in Love with the Macaroni Kid Community (and maybe you will too!)
During the first few weeks of CertifiKID’s acquisition of Macaroni Kid, I was completely overwhelmed by all the challenging issues I wrote about in this blog post, while being laser focused on where I felt improvements were needed. I made my…
Pandemic Pivot – Making an Acquisition in the Middle of a Pandemic – Crazy Like a Fox or Just Crazy?
This past month, I have learned that buying a business is a lot like buying an old house. You walk in and instantly fall in love. You see a few things that could use a touch up here and there, but can’t believe you found it and that it is going…
Pandemic Puppy Therapy: 8 Ways a New Puppy Has Changed My Family, My Business and My Life
I am the last person you would ever think would get a dog. My parents still tell the story about how, as a child, I let the neighbor’s dog out while we were watching it and it ran away. I am not sure what it is, but dogs just never clicked with…
A Long Weekend Girl’s Trip to Panama City, Panama – Advice & Tips Included!
A Long Weekend Girl’s Trip to Panama City, Panama – Advice & Tips Included!
If Chipotle Just Added Broccoli to Their Menu
I have always been a super healthy eater. I love fresh food, and especially love my vegetables. My kids love going to Chipotle because we can walk there from our house, it’s super quick, and they love the simple and basic menu. It is also a great…
Reflections of the Past Decade
As CertifiKID heads into our tenth year, I’ve been reflecting on the significance of all that has happened over the past decade, both personally and professionally. I started 2010 as a new, confused and tired mom who felt very blessed with so…
5 Ways to Stay Focused at Work
As I sit here writing this blog post, I fight the urge to check my email, Facebook, Instagram, text messages, and then go check the cupboards to see what snacks I can munch on. It can be very challenging. However, if I can stay focused for just…
Should I Be a Stay At Home Mom or Work? A Decision Threaded By Mom Guilt!
There is a topic I have been thinking about lately and felt the need to explore it as time has gone by since I made this decision 12 years ago. It occurred to me as I was running one morning listening to Lauren Conrad’s new podcast. She had a…
A CEO Mom’s Daily Routine
Whenever I meet people, they always seem curious how I function with running a company and being a mom. I think I just keep the trains moving by constantly working and keeping life simple. Here is a true look into a weekday in my life….. 7am….. I…
4 Years of My Kids’ School Talent Show Comedy Routines
When my kids came home 4 years ago saying they wanted to be in the school talent show, I racked my brain for ideas for them. Most of the kids at our elementary school tend to play instruments or do a song or dance. My kids were not interested in…
My Recommended Audiobooks for Summer
I have always been a runner but once I started listening to audiobooks, it truly changed my life and made me look so much more forward to my daily run. I have always been an avid reader and love all sorts of books. Running gives me the ability to…
Mr. Wonderful’s Shark Tank Summit
There have been many moments in the past few weeks where I have pinched myself to make sure this is all real, and my experience at Mr. Wonderful’s Second Annual *Shark Tank* Summit was certainly one of them! Every year, Kevin O’Leary brings…
Taking a Vacation Can Be Tough for a CEO…But So Important!
I just returned from Spring Break. This year, we took the kids to an all-inclusive Club Med resort in Cancun with another family and had a fantastic time. As much as everyone loves going on a vacation, as a business owner, I am always initially…
Next Stop….’The View’!
Could it get any more crazy and exciting? Four days after our ‘Shark Tank’ episode airing, we headed to NYC to be on a special episode of ‘The View’ with our new partner Kevin O’Leary and the rest of the Sharks. Unfortunately, Mark Cuban couldn’t…
Morning After Getting a Deal on Shark Tank
What a WONDERFUL night! It is the morning after our airing and I am so overwhelmed I don’t even know what to do. Between the airing, the party and the business side of it all, I feel like last night had to be a dream. I can’t even begin to thank…
Shark Tank Fever – Two Weeks Until Our April 7 Airing – A Behind The Scenes Look
BRIAN RATNER AND JAMIE RATNER (CERTIFIKID) © 2018 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. It has been one week since I found out we would be on Shark Tank. I have never experienced anything like this week. My phone is buzzing…
This is Really Happening – We Are Going to Be on Shark Tank!
For the past 10 months, I have been carrying around an enormous secret (no, I am not pregnant!). My husband, Brian, and I auditioned for Shark Tank last May and went out to LA to tape in September. We were not allowed to tell anyone about any…
10 HOTTEST Trends in the Kid & Family Space in 2019
As the CEO of a company in the kid and family space, it’s my job to keep my finger on the pulse of current trends. I obsessively monitor our sales to see what’s hot and what’s not so we stay on trend with what our customers want. My two kids are…
10 Tips for Getting It All Done – Words of Wisdom from this CEO MOM
People always ask me how I do it all. How have I run my company and been an active mom over these past 9+ years? I am sure I will look back – once I have time to take a breath – and wonder the same thing. I am terrible when it comes to allowing […]
Working With Your Spouse – Good or Bad?
My husband Brian is an attorney by day, night and weekend, and also the President of CertifiKID in the other couple of minutes he can spare. Okay, I can see his eyes rolling about this as he spends a huge amount of time on the business, though…
“My Future Job” – 6th Grade Assignment…30 Years Later!
I was cleaning out some old stuff in my basement recently when I stumbled upon this report I did in elementary school. The assignment was called “My Future Job.” Here it is above! Besides the fact that I am blown away by how nice my handwriting…
Where Did the Time Go?
In my 20s, before I started CertifiKID, I had a blog called “Little Miss Fun Finds.” Here is the logo that I spent hours and hours working on. The blog was geared to local DC area parents, and particularly moms, who were looking for a good deal…