Wry Baby’s “idea board” – the sign of a creative company!
Dave and Kelly Sopp didn’t intend to launch their own clothing business when they began designing onesies for their newborn son. But their designs – which debuted in 2000 – were so clever that they began attracting attention from the media and celebrities. The Sopps, realizing they were on to something, quit their corporate jobs in the design industry to focus on Wry Baby full time. Twelve years later, the Morrisville, North Carolina-based business continues to thrive – proof that the Sopps’ concept is striking a chord in the apparel marketplace.
In looking at Wry Baby’s clothing line, it’s not hard to see why the company is doing well. Dave and Kelly screen-print their onesies with hilarious phrases – an approach that no one else in the baby-apparel industry is taking. And it’s not just parents who are clamoring for Wry Baby’s slogans: Dave reports that “I Might Barf” is in huge demand among college students.
(For now, the Wry Baby line comes in baby sizes only, sadly.)
Despite its popularity, Wry Baby has kept its footprint decidedly small. Just about every aspect of the company’s manufacturing process is contracted out to external partners, Dave explains.
But the buyers with whom Dave and Kelly work expect them to have the same fulfillment capability as much larger clothing companies. Therefore, business tools that help Wry Baby appear larger than it really is are welcome – and it’s for this reason that Wry Baby turned to RingCentral.
The Sopps have found the auto attendant feature, which handles every incoming call and explains how different departments may be reached, particularly helpful. “It’s only the two of us, but we don’t want to seem like a tiny business,” Dave says. “RingCentral lets us look like the company that people expect us to be.”
And RingCentral’s benefits extend beyond Wry Baby’s office. Dave and Kelly are often on the road meeting with vendors or attending industry events, so they love being able to forward business calls to their cell phones and receive voicemails as email attachments.
But when pressed to decide what it is about RingCentral that they like best, Dave and Kelly can’t pick any one thing.
“We couldn’t live without almost all of RingCentral’s features,” Dave says. “If every one of my vendors worked the way RingCentral does, it would make my life a lot easier.”
Originally published Sep 07, 2012, updated May 23, 2021
