Trademarks and Teething — The Triumphant Tale of a Mompreneur

Stories teach, inspire and entertain us — but most of all, they define who we are. At Witmart, our story begins with our clients and lives on through their successes. Today, we’re featuring Julie Steward, founder and owner of the adorable MITTEEZ, the mom who does it all.

Whether you’re a first-time parent or you have multiple children, there are a few stages of babyhood that really haunt you: the late nights, the dirty diapers, toilet training — and teething. For Julie Steward, teething was an absolute nightmare. All her babies had difficulty with teething, all four of them.

This struggle inspired Julie to find a creative solution to save the lives of moms everywhere. 

“I decided to create an organic teething mitten toy. I wanted to make something cute, developmental, safe, and eco-friendly. Something a baby could wear on their hand to keep it from falling all the time. Something which would protect their hands and aid them in teething. I also wanted to contribute to a healthier future for babies as well as our earth.”

Thus began a seven-year journey. Years of research to discover what materials were not only good for teething, but were hypo-allergenic, hygienic, non-toxic, organic, and eco-friendly. Eventually settling on bamboo and organic cotton, it took years to design, manufacture, and bring these baby-friendly bite-ables to market. But what to call it? 

“I was designing a mitt for teething, so I thought: ‘MITT-TEEZ,’ and that is how MITTEEZ was born!” 

MITTEEZ hit the shelves. Soon there were happy babies with happier mommies. But Julie ran into an unexpected and unpleasant problem. Due to the materials used in the mittens, Julie started manufacturing her mittens in China. Her very first factory decided to copy MITTEEZ and produce a similar concept for their own profit. This blatant infringement forced Julie into an expensive legal battle for the rights to her teething products.

Thousands of dollars later, things were looking bleak for the stay-at-home mom. “I was forced to start looking for other options. I wanted to find a trademark company that was not so expensive.”

Fortunately, Julie found Witmart. “Witmart has been outstanding,” she says. “Personable, professional, effective, and at a very reasonable cost. And they really care about my brand.” 

Julie’s experience made her an ardent promoter of the importance of trademarking your intellectual property before you launch. She now has a trademark in each country she does business, and Witmart is her “go-to” for all her trademark needs. “I truly feel that they are a part of my team and that is very important to me.” 

Witmart bridged the gap between Vancouver and China and secured Julie’s China trademark. Knowing that a knock-off company could not use the name MITTEEZ gave her great peace of mind.

Now Julie can enjoy her work to the fullest. She takes pride in making a positive difference for babies as well as our future by designing completely safe, medically endorsed, organic and natural teething products.

Since her early days finding inspiration from motherhood, Julie’s teething babies have now grown into young adults, eager to get in on the action. The family spends many evenings and weekends together, bonding over packing boxes full of orders. Julie’s daughter Calyssa also joins her to help out at trade shows.

Julie enjoys the way MITTEEZ has become a part of the family. “I love that this is becoming a family business and I hope my kids can take over one day. Because I work in the ‘baby’ industry, I feel like I’m a mom to everyone and I really love that.”

As a mother who runs her own business, Julie understands better than anyone how challenging it can be trying to juggle everything at once. She advises other business moms to start by making a proper business plan and updating it yearly. 

She also stresses the importance of finding a business network group or organization such as Mompreneurs—where Julie is an Ambassador—to join. “This group has been a godsend for me. The power in being able to associate with other successful individuals who are full of excellent information and experience is an asset.”

Finally, Julie left us with this empowering thought: “Knowledge is power! This journey is not for you to do alone but to align yourself with like-minded, positive individuals who have successfully achieved their goals and are willing to share how they did it. And most importantly, never, never, never give up!”

Julie is committed to helping other moms achieve their professional goals. You can follow her to learn more information here: 

Twitter: @mitteezmittens 

Facebook: @mitteez 

Instagram: @mitteez

Website: https://mitteez.com/