Meet Baxter Snider | Entrepreneur & Mom

We had the good fortune of connecting with Baxter Snider and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Baxter, how does your business help the community?
I developed my baby carrier after working with families as a babywearing educator in-person and on-line for four years. Moving frequently as a military spouse gave me unique access to ever changing communities, but they all struggled with the same issues. I decided if the big-box brands weren’t going to listen to what parents actually wanted and needed then I would. I set out to give parents the function that they deserved, in an easy to learn and use way. More importantly, I set out to give *all* people something that fits their body. Olives and Applesauce has the most size inclusive carriers available and we strive to represent a wide range of people in our marketing. From a women’s size 00-46, you’ll be able to comfortably wear your child. Your size shouldn’t be a determining factor in whether you can experience the benefits of babywearing. I am working to remove that stigma and help reach parents who have felt unseen and underrepresented.

What should our readers know about your business?
I actually didn’t start Olives and Applesauce. When my husband was nearing the end of another deployment and we knew another move was coming, I threw a little hissy fit. I was a childbirth educator, a business that works predominantly by word of mouth, and here I was about to start from scratch. Again! When I heard that O&A was for sale, I knew I wanted to purchase the company and make it my own. It had previously been owned by two strong women, I wanted to be the third. I could run the business no matter where I lived (going on state number three since the purchase) and was so excited to pour my babywearing expertise into something that could reach and help more families. This also gave me the opportunity to design and file a patent for my very own baby carrier! With the purchase of the company came the support of the former owner to understand the manufacturing and compliance aspects of the business. What an phenomenal asset for a new business owner! You don’t know what you don’t know, and I sure didn’t know a lot.

The last four years have been a whirl wind! Covid and all of its lingering issues in the manufacturing world has recently forced me to take a step back and really evaluate what I want from this business. I needed to refocus on why O&A should be a part of the babywearing world and what I had to offer. While being forced into that uncomfortable space is never fun, what comes from it is nothing sort of amazing. O&A is a brand about inclusiveness, a brand for everybody. It’s a brand for the everyday parents who feel overwhelmed because parenting is hard! Along the way that had been lost a bit. I’m back and refocused now! This is my company and I don’t have to do anything to please or compete with others. I listened to my gut and made the changes I have wanted to make with my carrier to further set it apart. I now have the most size inclusive carrier available (from petite to plus-size), in a buttery soft and breathable fabric, with the same ingeniously simple adjustment method I developed years ago, while still providing superior customer service. I want my customers to know they are always supported. The carrier supports their baby, O&A supports them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love going to the Grove! It’s so fun to park and walk around the shops or hang out at the park on the water. We would also have to go to Mathewson Hammock. It was one of my favorite places to go as a kid so I get nostalgic to show it to friends (my husband and I even did our engagement pictures there). There’s nothing like people watching at the marina after a day of laying on the beach.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without a *lot* of support and love from friends and family. Three very special people come to mind in getting me where I needed to be to make this business a reality- my 8th grade science teacher Mrs. Palmer, my wonderful friend Galen Duffy, and my phenomenal husband Chase Snider.

Mrs. Palmer is just one of those teachers that sticks with you for life. Her passion for teaching was contagious and she managed to make middle school science fun! I will never forget one of the projects she assigned: invent something, present it to the class, and the top inventions would go on to compete with others across the state. Needless to say, 8th grade me did not win or even move on to compete. But the seed of “how cool would it be to invent something” was planted and never left me. It just took 20 years to grow and mature.

Galen recognized my love of teaching and helping others. She worked to train me for a role as Volunteer Babywearing Educator for the Colorado Springs branch of Babywearing International (a former non-profit organization that sought to make babywearing education and carriers accessible to more people). It was there I gained the knowledge I would need to design and file a patent for my baby carrier, the Olympia.

I can’t forget all of the other amazing people who have helped me along the way. Owning my own business has given me the opportunity to work with friends who are so unbelievably talented and help to round out the things I can’t do. Tiffany Weitzel has been instrumental in the design of the Olympia. She saw my vision and awful sketch and created more prototypes than either of us could count so we could test fabric, shapes, and sizes. Ricki Franklin and Kimberly Lewis, two fellow educators, were always there to support me and bounce ideas off of. My wonderful and amazing friends in FITW sat with me through the exhaustion and tears when things didn’t work out well. Grace Holsten learned a whole new art program to help me take O&A to the next level with custom prints from her stunning artwork. Brian Corey helped me to better understand SEO, social media branding, and key words searches so I could better compete with the big box brands. When Covid forced me to make some very large changes (again), Brooke Harris stepped up with her phenomenal sewing skills and eye for detail. I recognize my skills and short comings, and I love surrounding myself with strong people who excel in things I don’t.

Website: www.olivesandapplesauce.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/olivesandapplesauce

Facebook: Facebook.com/olivesandapplesauce

Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC2ycMQGgkVU5Dm0yAVvLglg