USC graduates Molly and Jeff Britt never expected to be raising a baby and a business at the same time

By Kathy Henry Dowell

Molly and Jeff Britt know the power of humor. They discovered it when Molly glimpsed her pregnant profile in a mirror and made a wry remark about her growing belly. She and her husband broke into guffaws. The next morning, Molly grabbed one of her husband's soft, well-worn undershirts and had the remark screenprinted on it.

“I wore the shirt a lot in those final weeks,” Molly said. “I was amazed at the number of people who stopped me: other mothers-to-be, new moms, friends and families looking for maternity gifts. Everyone wanted to know where I got the shirt, and I knew I was on to something.”

Within a few weeks, Molly and Jeff Britt were the proud parents of two enterprises: adorable little Anna, and a burgeoning T-shirt business.

“By the time Anna was six weeks old, our shirts were being sold in six or seven boutiques,” said Molly, who received a BS in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management from USC in 1994. “I never knew a new baby would be the start of a new career.”

These days, Anna is an active two-year-old, and her parents' smartly-worded T-shirts are being worn by Hollywood's pregnant celebrities.

“We've been very well responded to by the celebrity crowd,” said Molly, whose Web site lists clients such as actresses Brooke Shields, Holly Hunter, and Jennifer Garner; singer Britney Spears; supermodel Heidi Klum; and Saturday Night Live comediennes Tina Fey and Molly Shannon.

“We have gotten such great press—we've been featured on television and in over 20 magazines, including People,” Molly said.

As any visitor to the MollyAnna Web site knows, the company now offers some 40 shirt designs, including “Body by Baby” and “It ain't easy being queasy” and, for dads, “Be kind to me. The Queen is pregnant.” Then there is the company's first and most popular shirt: “Birth control is for sissies.”

Since its birth in 2004, MollyAnna has grown from selling T-shirts out of a suitcase in the trunk of a car to having its own Web site; and from being carried in a few California boutiques to more than 100 in the United States and Canada. The business is still family-run, with Molly and Jeff coming up with new product ideas. Molly's mother, Dianne, creates the artwork that appears on the tees and manages the day-to-day operations of the business. Molly stays at the helm.

“I manage the media and press requests, and maintain the relationships with our showrooms in Los Angeles and Atlanta as well as our retailers and vendors,” she said. “I also stay focused on our advertising campaigns, future maternity trends, and new product releases.”

Both Britts were born and raised in South Carolina. Molly grew up in Myrtle Beach where a lot of her high school friends made plans to attend USC.

“At the time, I wanted to go to a relatively large university, but I wasn't ready to venture too far from home yet,” she said. “USC had a great reputation and seemed to embody the whole university experience. I really enjoyed my time there, both educationally and socially. I was very involved in Greek life, and I learned a lot as a member of Chi Omega.

“I took an active role in our chapter as pledge class president, personnel officer, and then president. It taught me about leadership, being part of a team, and goal-setting.”

After graduation, Molly returned to Myrtle Beach and became a convention and event planner. From there, she was recruited by the Lone Star restaurant chain to be a manager.

“Then I decided to move to a big city simply because I had never lived in one,” Molly laughed. “I packed up and moved to L.A. on a Thursday, and was working on the set of a television show the following Tuesday.”

After Jeff received a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from USC Aiken in 1992, he helped manage his family's business.

Eventually, his passion for music led him back to school, this time at Georgia State University to earn a bachelor's degree in music with an emphasis in recording.

“It wasn't long after graduating that I realized I wanted to be in the thick of the entertainment industry,” Jeff said. “I knew Los Angeles was the place to be, so I decided to make the move.”

And that's when the two met—they were both relocating to Los Angeles from South Carolina, and a mutual friend suggested they caravan for safety. They did. About two years later, after a quiet friendship, the two decided they were right for each other.

In the big city, Molly became a production accountant for several reality television shows, including Joe Millionaire. Her job was to manage all the financial aspects of each television production. Jeff worked as a producer and operations manager in Los Angeles for POP Sound, a post-production audio facility that serves advertising agencies worldwide as well as film industry companies including MGM and Paramount. At POP he worked with directors, actors, and artists, including Oliver Stone, Anthony Hopkins, and Julia Roberts.

Recently, the Britts moved their family and their business back to the South.

“We had an opportunity to move to Atlanta, and after seven years in L.A., we were ready to get closer to our families,” Molly said. “Atlanta is one of the largest apparel and garment markets in the United States, so it was a good move.”

Molly runs the business, and Jeff works at Crawford Communications, a post-production facility for television and film. Together, the couple keeps notepads in each room of the house where they brainstorm new ideas for MollyAnna. Many of those ideas turn into new products. Hitting the market this fall will be a new line of diaper and stroller bags.

“Creation now is by inspiration,” Molly said. “We make what we like, and what we need. So far, we've been lucky enough to make what other people like and need, too.”

As for advertising the new bags, Molly could return to her tried-and-true method: throw one over her shoulder and walk around town.