Meet the Founders of Amy Michelle Designer Diaper Bags

Amy Wright and Michelle Herbert founded Amy Michelle to design and manufacture a single baby bag to reflect a woman's style.

Amy Wright and Michelle Herbert founded their own business, Amy Michelle Bags in 2003. Now, they are participating in Count Me In's Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE. This yearlong business growth marathon is helping businesses reach the benchmark of their choice—either $250,000, $500,000 or $1 million in revenues. Count Me In is the leading national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education and community support for women seeking to grow micro businesses to million-dollar enterprises.

The goal of Amy Michelle Bags is to accommodate the travel needs of both the baby and mom and be fashionable at the same time. The saturated markets of baby products and women handbags did not offer an organized, functional baby bag that was also sophisticated and elegant.

"Instead, a mom who chose organization and function, sacrificed her style and elegance; a mom who chose elegance and sophistication, sacrificed organization and function," Herbert added. "Motherhood requires many important sacrifices, but we believe choosing a baby bag should not be among them."

Wright and Herbert, were friends throughout their M.B.A. graduate program at the University of Colorado, and often shared the desire to be successful entrepreneurs. But it was not until after Michelle had her second child, and joined Amy for dinner, that their calling came into focus. Michelle removed her day planner from her bag—an attractive, expensive designer bag marketed as a baby bag—only to have some of her baby's necessaries and personal items spill onto the restaurant floor.

Wright, who was heading the U.S. division of an Asian bag manufacturer and managing a Direct Import program for Target, commented that although Michelle's bag was pretty, it lacked organization and function. Amy wondered why Michelle chose to carry it. Michelle explained there were a variety of "diaper bags" with plenty of space to store bottles, diapers, a change of clothes for the baby and the like. And there were a few designer bags that were stylish and fashionable, but none provided the organization and function a mom needs. Later conversations with friends and their market research confirmed Michelle was not alone in her shopping experience, and thus the foundation for this company was born.

Since baby and mom are infrequently separated during the first few years—whether traveling to the local market, to a friend's home or on an extended trip—a busy mom should not be required to carry two different bags, a diaper bag and handbag. Amy Michelle mommy-baby bags allow mom's to stay organized in the front Mommy section, while keeping baby essentials in the middle and changing compartments. 

For more information, visit amymichellebags.com.

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