DayOne Center founder takes more than just baby steps
East Bay Business Times - by David Goll
Andrew Zenoff wants his DayOne Center Inc. retail business, which just opened a third location in Walnut Creek, to get big catering to little people.
The San Francisco entrepreneur got into the baby business when he invented a new style of breastfeeding pillow in 1995 - called "My Brest Friend" - that revolutionized the way nursing mothers nurture their infants. To date, his first company, Zenoff Products Inc., has sold more than 1 million of the pillows worldwide through hospitals, lactation consultants and retail stores.
Zenoff launched his own retail business seven years ago, opening his first DayOne Center in San Francisco, with a second debuting in Palo Alto in 2006. His third, a 4,000-square-foot store in a former Dress Barn location at 1403 N. Main St. in Walnut Creek, opened June 7. It sells the supportive, doughnut-shaped pillow with a strap and a wide array of other products for babies, offers a number of classes and training sessions for new parents, contains a "library" with up to 1,000 books, DVDs and videos on early childhood topics and a "living room" that provides a homey community gathering spot for young families.
"During childhood, my dream was to invent something to really help people," said Zenoff, who got the idea for My Brest Friend years ago when a friend of his sister's who had just become a new mother complained about the lack of effective, comfortable breastfeeding options. His newfangled pillow provids a supported, flat surface to help new mothers and infants handle feeding with more ease and comfort.
Now, Zenoff's fondest wish is to have DayOne Centers in selected locations coast to coast, with up to 10 stores in the Bay Area and 32 more up and down the West Coast and in large cities east of the Rockies. In the East Bay, he's seeking additional locations in Berkeley, Oakland's Montclair district and the Tri-Valley area, among others. He has already identified spots for new stores in Santa Clara, Burlingame, Marin County and Sacramento.
Zenoff said so far East Bay moms seem to share more in common with their San Francisco counterparts than those in Palo Alto.
"Many of the moms in Palo Alto have trouble admitting they can't handle it all, work and family, which may be because of the influence of Silicon Valley," he said. "In Walnut Creek, the moms are a lot more open to our suggestions and help, as in San Francisco."
Though he does not divulge annual sales for either one of his companies, Zenoff said both of his retail stores are profitable. He added he's confident further growth is possible because annually, 2.2 million people in the United States become first-time parents.
But after seeking in vain to secure investment to fuel DayOne Center's growth from venture capitalists and angel investors, Zenoff said, he has turned successfully to many of his own customers for financial assistance.
"These days, venture capitalists are mostly interested in online businesses," said Zenoff, adding he does eventually plan to sell his products online, as well as in person. "It's a lot more difficult to get investment for brick-and-mortar stores, because there are a lot more difficulties involved and they can take time to ramp up."
His target demographic group - of customers and investors - are affluent, college-educated adults. Studies reveal that the rate of breastfeeding rises sharply among those with higher education levels.
"About 73 percent of college-educated women will breastfeed for at least three months," Zenoff said, adding that experts recommend breastfeeding for up to a year. "The higher the education level, the greater the awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding."
However, these are also people who often don't have much support nearby after having a child, having moved away from family members to pursue educational and career opportunities.
"In recent years, our lives are speeding up and family connections are strained," Zenoff said. "Often family members are dispersed around the country. New mothers and their partners are often alone with their baby."
Zenoff hopes DayOne Center, which employs a staff of nurses, educators, social workers, psychologists and other trained professionals, can serve as at least a partial substitute for biological families.
"We all spend a lot of time listening to what our customers need," he said.
Small niche businesses like DayOne Center have a tough row to hoe when facing major nationwide chains like Babies R Us, Wal-Mart and Target, according to George Whalin, president of Retail Management Consultants in Carlsbad. But they can be successful if they distinguish themselves from the big fish and other smaller competitors.
"They can't have delusions of grandeur," Whalin said. "They need to keep in mind they are a niche business, a neighborhood business geared to the community. It takes a massive amount of money to grow, to stay ahead of the curve in infrastructure and technology. It's difficult, but not impossible, to succeed if they have a good idea and an intelligent, deliberate plan for growth."
DayOne Center Inc.
Business: Retailer of baby-oriented products, provider of new parent education
Headquarters: San Francisco
Founded: 2000
Founder, CEO: Andrew Zenoff
Address: 3490 California St., Suite 203, San Francisco 94118
Web: www.dayonecenter.com
dgoll@bizjournals.com | 925-598-1436
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