Orbit Baby Mompreneurs
You may have heard the phrase collaboration over competition, and what better time of year to practice this mantra than the holiday season. So instead of pushing sales and product announcements this season, we did a little digging into our Orbit Baby community and found a few female entrepreneurs and professionals who were up for sharing about what they do and how they do it, all in hopes of being able to inspire other parents just like you.
Read on to learn more about their professions, their journey to success, and what happened along the way. For those moms we featured who run a small businesses, we'd love it if you could check out their website for any gift giving needs this year! #shopsmall
Side note: We want to call out, if you’re running a business — whether as a mom, dad, single parent or otherwise childless individual — you’re just an entrepreneur in our eyes. And we commend you!
What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date? Recognizing pattern designs that I created for Petunia, MOBY and Disney out in the wild on various products. And/or winning the Red Dot Design award in 2018 for packaging for Ethan+Ashe.
What’s the biggest factor that has helped you be successful? Creating and cultivating business relationships and getting involved in the community. Investing time into getting to know others and their businesses creates opportunity to learn new ideas, grow as an individual and professional, and allows for a wide range of business collaborations and ventures.
Tell me first about how you got started with _______?
I got started as a travel agent by sheer accident. In 2014 after a couple rough years, my husband and I decided we’d start to travel. We made it a point to spend time as a family, to show our daughter the world. We would start with a small trip to Walt Disney World. As we started to travel more and more, I kept posting pictures of our adventures in other countries. One day I was approached by a travel agency. The agency thought my Instagram account, april_disneymom had “amazing pictures, that persuaded people to travel the world.” They thought I’d be great at helping people plan the vacation of their dreams. I figured getting paid to do something I love made all the sense in the world, so I started to plan vacations.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
What I most enjoy about vacation planning is seeing my clients smile while on their vacations. I enjoy seeing their visions come true, from romantic dinners on top of the Eiffel Tower, big family dinners in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, to scheduling princess makeovers aboard a Disney Cruise.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
Mysellf. I self-taught myself how to master the art of brand management, when I first started I begged for internships, jobs as assistants, anything to learn. NO ONE helped. So proud of myself, for the mindset to stay in it when there was no directory, no blueprint just HARD WORK and dedication.
What keeps you going when things get tough?
My family, they believe in me so much I simply cannot let them down!
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
Working with my husband!!!! And working from home with my kids! But also I love when a customer tells me they never knew what to wear, they hated getting dressed in the morning and they've started to match some of my outfits from my shop and feel so good now. They love what they wear, they love getting dressed and feel good about themselves! I'm all about feeling good so that we can do good! When we feel good about ourselves then instead of turning inward and thinking and doubting ourselves we can then turn outward and think about others, serve others, be kind to others and uplift one another! We all should feel confident! So when clothing can help someone like that it makes me feel so good about what I do!
What’s your most memorable experience as an entrepreneur?
The launch!!! My husband and I were SO excited to launch our site and we just thought it was going to go crazy! the first 24hrs were crickets... No sales haha maybe 1 or 2. That one is hard to forget! But we got to work and got creative and by 3 months we were hitting our 6 month goals!
Can you share a word of advice for someone that is looking to start a business?
Start now and don't give up! Do your own thing and don't compare your start to someone else's middle or end.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
I love that I get to make an impact in someone's day and life by sharing my own experience in taking small, consistent action over time be it in fitness, my health, business or journey through motherhood. Having a podcast allows me to reach people beyond my personal network and I find it so rewarding to hear from people all over the world who have made positive change in their life because of the podcast.
What's the biggest factor that has helped you be successful?
Being consistent and believing in my message. It's easy to compare your experience or what you have to someone else and believe that what you have to share isn't good enough. It's so important to put your blinders on and stay in your lane. What you do might not be unique but you are unique and that's what attracts people to your brand or message. Staying consistent when you don't feel like show ing up is also one of the biggest keys to any success. What has helped me stay consistent is detaching myself from the short term outcome of work I put out, I don't live in my statistics or worry if an episode has fewer downloads. Staying constantly focused on results will kill your focus because the second things feel like they are down you will begin to question your work or product.
