MyMommysBracelets
May 11, 2008 by Tami · Leave a Comment
This week’s Ms. Biz is Vanessa of MyMommysBracelets! A great quote on Vanessa’s About Me page is: “Sometimes necessity opens doors to wonderful things!” I think this quote summarizes the feelings of many work at home moms.
Q: What kind of business do you have? (what you sell, service provided, etc.)
Vanessa: An upscale boutique that specializes in handcrafted, personalized jewelry for Mothers, Grandmothers, Little Girls, and Babies.
Q: What is your best selling product?
Vanessa: Personalized Mommy Bracelets
Q: How did you come up with the name?
Vanessa: My son did; he was 2 at the time. Someone had commented about a bracelet I was wearing one day (one I had made that had his name on it) and he said “that’s my mommys bracelet.” Who knew that soon after mymommysbracelets.com would be born!
Q: When and why did you start your business(es)?
Vanessa: For me, the decision to quit working as a nurse to be home with my premature son, brought with it the desire to start a work-at- home business. While I knew I wanted to do something from home to bring in extra income, I wasn’t exactly sure what that ‘something’ was. Then one day a friend showed me her amazing Mommy Bracelet and I fell in love with it! After thinking about it, I went online and researched how to make a similar bracelet for myself. My first company mymommysbracelets.com was started around 4 years ago when I made my Mommy bracelet. I had so many compliments on it and many people were wanting one too! So, I decided that I would try to sell them on eBay. I had very limited jewelry design/making skills and decided that I would teach myself everything I could to turn this hobby into a business. Here I am, 4 years later, and I have opened another business, Baby Girl Bracelets. Baby Girl Bracelets is also a jewelry boutique, but it
concentrates on children and even has a few baby gifts. Being a WAHM has given me the ability to stay home with my children and not miss a moment of their childhood. That is important to me.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle you faced?
Vanessa: Juggling business and family, hands down.
Q: What motivates you to keep going?
Vanessa: My kids….they are my everything.
Q: Do you have any advice for other women wanting to start their own business?
Vanessa: Being a WAHM is a tough job. It takes lots of dedication and hard work. Success is within reach…it just may take a little time to get to it.
Q: What would you like for the readers to know about you? (Your background, hobbies, the little things you find important, etc)
Vanessa: I have a wonderful and supportive husband of 9 years and 2 beautiful kiddos, 6 years and 2 years. I have been a nurse since 1995, but have not worked since my first child was born in 2002. I love being a nurse and miss it greatly. One day I will go back to work, but now probably part time since I have a new found passion. My hobbies include scrapbooking/cardmaking, photography, reading whenever i get the chance (books aren’t always easy though, so it’s mostly magazines), cooking/baking, and spending time with my friends and family.
Q: Do you have a coupon code or special that you have going on or would like to offer to the readers?
Vanessa: During the month of May, save 10% on all orders over $50 using coupon code “FEATURE”. Not valid with any other special offers or coupons. Expires May 31 at midnight. I always offer my customers FREE first class shipping to anywhere in the USA! I also offer flat rate international shipping for only $5!
Thank you, Vanessa! Posting this feature has been a great way to end Mother’s Day!
Elaine Biss
Our very first Ms. Biz feature is Elaine Biss of Elaine Biss Designs and Divapreneur!
Q: What kind of business do you have? (what you sell, service provided, etc.)
Elaine: I am the founder of Elaine Biss Designs, formerly Hip-n-Chic, a full service commercial design company specializing in corporate identities, web design, illustrations and stationary. Additionally, I am the founding President of Divapreneur, an online community dedicated to the empowerment of female entrepreneurs, the Creative Art Director of Breathe Media Communications, a full service media communications agency and I am the author of Girly Up the Web, as well as teaching design and contributing to several other blogs about style and design business advice.
Q: How did you come up with the name?
Elaine: Naming my blog Girly up the Web was a natural for me, after witnessing how much of the web is predominately male and not trendy, it seemed like it was time to make a feminine mark. I use the blog as a place for me to write about design trends, business advice and sources of inspiration. As for Hip-n-Chic, I was at a place where I wanted to embrace all things related to trend and style, regardless of how the trends may sway.
Q: When and why did you start your business(es)?
Elaine: There was a time that I was considering a career in healthcare, however, my work was being featured in several galleries along the East Coast and garnered me some much needed exposure. With that, a degree in Commercial Art and the desire to maintain my status as ‘work-at-home-mom’ I saw design as a way to capitalize on my skills and meet all of my objectives. After taking more web designing courses, I went onto an auction site and sold my services to gain visibility on the web, from there I opened my own online store front and my clientele from the auction site followed.
Q: What was the biggest obstacle you faced?
Elaine: My first noticeable obstacle was other designers and not knowing all of the nuances of the industry. Designers are very protective of their work, conscious of other designers who share a similar style and some are very quick to let you know that they’re not going to share their spotlight with you. The next obstacle was justifying the time I spent working on getting business together before any sizable amounts of money were flowing in. Working from home, my family, household and pets always seemed to require my attention and making everyone understand that even though I was home, I was really at work, was a challenge. Once the money started flowing nicely, it was no longer a problem.
I’d say my biggest challenge now is keeping a pulse on the next trend in design, whether its websites, illustrations or anticipating the client’s needs, I’ve got to stay on top of my game.
Q: What motivates you to keep going?
Elaine: I take great pride in being my own boss and calling the shots of my design studio. It is a great accomplishment and privilege to be in a place where opportunities are finding me and I get to pick and choose.
One of my biggest motivations at the moment, out side of being able to support my family well is empowering other women to go after their dreams, which is why I founded Divapreneur.
Q: Do you have any advice for other women wanting to start their own business?
Elaine: Develop a clear idea for what you want your business to look like when it reaches a notable level of success and then create a strategic plan to get there. Treat the business like a job, create a schedule, be accountable to a certain amount of hours to get it up and running, and do small things like have a dedicated email or business line, that you don’t answer outside of business hours. You are your best advocate, so if you don’t know the answer to something or you want to keep up with the competition, research your trade and try to keep yourself educated as to current industry practices. Also, try to remember you are in business for yourself, but not by yourself, there are networks like Divapreneur.org that can help you with resources, advice and support.
Q: What would you like for the readers to know about you? (Your background, hobbies, the little things you find important, etc)
Elaine: I am a native Puerto Rican, but just by birth, I’m part of the nationality blending of “Generation X” with a dash of Chinese, a dollop of Cuban and Brazilian and a Spanish descent. I collect things like pens, notebooks and old French Magazines, they bring out the ‘girly’ in me. As a commercial artist, I have been trained in just about every design medium from fonts to fabric prints and have won design contracts in Paris , London , Hamburg and China . I am also a published photographer and have been featured in several magazines and books, and even though I can do corporate identities for any type of company, I am happiest doing my feminine designs, which you can find on the web at www.elainebiss.com.
Thank you, Elaine, for being our first Ms. Biz feature! You are wonderful!
