Ros Guerrero-Ficklets

Ros's Story

1. Tell us the story of your journey. Include details about what inspired you to go into business, was this a life long dream or a newer desire. Share as many details as you are comfortable sharing.

The concept of entrepreneurship was first introduced to me in my early twenties and was intrigued from the get-go. It wasn’t until years later after learning about my daughter’s mental disability when my entrepreneurial passion soared like never before. Since then I have started a few businesses in my search for the business with the right fit – real estate investor, window drapery design and nail salon. And now Ficklets, the most inspiring and most fulfilling venture to date.   

Ficklets, the name of my busines and the product I invented in 2007, was an idea inspired by my teen special needs daughter, Gem who has worn glasses since she was 6 years old.  Ficklets are the first  interchangeable charms for eyeglasses in the marketplace and in 2009 was granted patent. I endearingly refer to my invention as my "couch potato" (instead of the proverbial “kitchen table”) idea because the idea came to me as I was literally sitting on the couch one evening watching one of my favorite business shows. My daughter walked into the room and all I could see were her eyeglasses. As I focused on her eyeglasses, it got me thinking, “Wow, we need to add some color and life to your tired, old glasses.” This, I believe, was my ‘a-ha’ moment.

2. Did you go into business before or after you had children? How do/did your children affect your decision to go into business.

I started most of my businesses after my daughter was born. Her disability was my biggest inspiration to go out on my own. I felt realistically the job opportunities for her would be limited or non-existent and wanted to provide that for her. Moreover, I wanted a business that would ensure financial security for a quality life long after I’m gone. 

3. Share your trials and triumphs. We want to hear about your highs and lows. Did you have any low points or worries as well as high points and huge shining moments?

Oh boy, the first time we received an online order was a big thrill! I think I did the “happy dance”. Another high point was the positive reception, praise and orders we received at our first industry trade show the first year we were in business. We’ve also been very grateful at the fact that the optical industry has embraced us. In 2010, we landed our first US distributor and a second distributor the following year; both reputable, long-standing companies in the optical industry. This year, we landed an optical distributor in the United Kingdom. We’ve also been featured twice in one of the top industry magazines. 

One of the lowest points was almost letting the business go as we were going into our second year. I had placed the business aside to care for my cancer-stricken sister fulltime. After several months of treatment, she lost her fight with cancer. I was devastated beyond comprehension and lost my passion and desire to continue building the business. As you know, once momentum is lost, it’s very challenging to regain that forward movement.

That is, until one day after all was calm from my sister’s passing and funeral… as if the Universe timed it perfectly, we got an online order out of nowhere. That was the little spark of inspiration that helped me get back on track.

4. Do you have any encouraging words to share with mom entrepreneurs that may help to keep their spirits up on a trying day. Not necessarily trade secrets that pertain to business but more directed toward encouraging another mom not to give up and/or to keep following a dream.

I’ll start with this quote: “pain is temporary… quitting is forever”. Truth be told… there are moments/stages the passion for my business wanes or days when it is almost non-existent, and the stress and disappointments sometimes too much to bear. To be an entrepreneur, I’ve learned and still learning, is that I have to embrace the good, the bad and the ugly of business… it’s all a part of the journey. So, in order to get through these trying times, I prepare, fortify and reignite my passion to remind myself the reason I chose this arduous path.

I think it’s so important to refill your passion cup by indulging in what feeds your spirit and engaging in “inspirational activities”. This shouldn’t be something you have to plan extensively or require too much effort. It should be simple and easy and most importantly bring you joy. You work 24/7 on your business, so the last thing you should have to do is work to get inspired, which essentially defeats the purpose. 

For me, this may be perusing interior design magazines, window-shopping at furniture stores, coffee date with a good friend, going to the movies (which I do regularly), or call a friend and chat for hours. Remember, it should be simple, easy and fun! 

Ros's website is www.Ficklets.com

 

Phyllis Pometta-Baby Swags & Tots To Teens Magazine

Phyllis's Story

1.Tell us the story of your journey. Include details about what inspired you to go into business, was this a life long dream or a newer desire. Share as many details as you are comfortable sharing.

 I have a degree in Marketing and Retail but instead of following my initial dream, I stuck with a career that was secure and paid well. Then I left my job to raise my children…but I needed something to do. I was always crafty and started making cute little blankets for babies, and then experimented with another medium, the bandana. Before Baby Swags was even a thought, I had turned my hobby into a little business, Bandana Boutique. I would create anything and everything using bandanas. It was a huge hit. I made home décor, pillows, baby blankets, shower curtains, tablecloths…you name it, I made it! I am self taught in html, coding and dabbled a bit in graphics and photo editing, which isn’t my strong suit, but I did what I had to do to get my business started. Everything I have done, I have taught myself…even now. I had my bandana products seen on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as a result of my own SEO. I was then covered in local media and was asked to take part in a celebrity gift suite.

 As you can imagine, I was beyond thrilled to take part in a celebrity gift suite. When I was there I noticed that moms like me owned many of the participating companies. We were all on tight budgets and the event pretty much ate all of our advertising and marketing money. Yet, I saw what the celebrity world could do for my own business. So when I came home, I wondered if there was a better and more affordable way to reach celebrities. It suddenly hit me: celebrity gifting, using gift baskets. Within one month after my light bulb moment, I had my website completed, I distributed a press release, and had emails from fellow mompreneurs who wanted their products to be part of my gifting venture.

 It took a lot of research at first, but everything just sort of fell into place. I didn’t have a budget, since I already had a budding business; this was something I was just going to test out to see if it worked and if I liked it. When I received my first signed autographed celebrity photo, I knew I was on to something. Then came the celebrity thank you notes and calls, and paparazzi photos featuring my client moms’ products. It was a whirlwind experience and still is! I didn’t have a business plan, or any real goals. I did a lot of the work myself (and still do), with the exception of having a friend help design the initial logo and website. It got to a point that I only had time for one business, and had to decide between Baby Swags or Bandana Boutique. I asked myself: Which makes me happier? What do I get more excited about? Which one can I see myself doing for the long haul? The answer was Baby Swags. After 5 years, a collapsing economy, and seeing other gifting companies pop up and then disappear; Baby Swags is still standing, and getting stronger every day! This year I put together a fully functioning business plan. Now I have goals that I know are within reach.

As if Baby Swags weren’t enough, I always loved writing and sharing my points of views and so I took on another adventure and started Tots To Teens Magazine.  It was my vision to have it become a printed buyers guide for all products relating to tot to teens and in*B*tweens.  I have published many digital magazines since I started it in 2010, however the website itself is something that is also becoming quite popular.  Now I am finding myself having to juggle two businesses once again!

2. Did you go into business before or after you had children? How do/did your children    affect your decision to go into business.

• I started my businesses after I already had my three children.  I started my bandana business after my oldest (then 5) asked me to make her a halter-top using her dad’s bandana she found.  I did, but that wasn’t enough.  She needed a skirt and that is what lead to the start of my business journeys.  My children have always loved watching me work.  They get a thrill when they ask who is going to get that gift and for instance, I sent a rather large gift basket to Ellen DeGeneres on behalf of my clients, and when it was all packaged up, my daughter (7) asked whom I was sending this one to and I replied, Ellen.  She just looked at me with big eyes and said, “THE Ellen? The one on TV?”  It was so cute that it just made me smile because I think at that moment, she finally got it, and she understood what I did for a living.  They may not have fully understood what it was I did for all those years when they were younger, but I know they admired me because at one time or another because they would tell me that they want to do work just like mommy, or they want to have their own business too…which as you know, is music to any entrepreneur’s ears!

3.Share your trials and triumphs. We want to hear about your highs and lows. Did you have any low points or worries as well as high points and huge shining moments?”

I have had many high points over the last 6 years.  My first thank you note was from Jennie Garth and many more followed.  I’ve had my clients products spotted on A-List celebrity children such as Jennifer Lopez’s daughter, Emme, Jessica Alba’s daughters, Honor and Haven, Halle Berry’s daughter Nahla, and Jennifer Garners girls, Violet and Seraphina.  Then I had the amazing opportunity to work with Tori Spelling and her clothing line, little maven by Tori Spelling, I got to have my clients products featured on the tv show, The Doctors and be included in a celebrity baby shower hosted by Jennifer Love Hewitt, the list goes on!  There are also low points when you don’t receive the recognition that you were hoping for, for your clients and for yourself.  There are also competitor issues to deal with…even in the product placement business, you always have to be thinking and you have to be one step ahead of your competitors as you would in any other business. 

3. Do you have any encouraging words to share with mom entrepreneurs that may help to keep their spirits up on a trying day. Not necessarily trade secrets that pertain to business but more directed toward encouraging another mom not to give up and/or to keep following a dream.

• Every day is a challenge when you run your own business.  I do have my moments just like any other entrepreneur.  “Am I doing this right”, “Could I be doing this or that better”, “How do I get more clients in this type of economy”, “Am I doing what I’m supposed to be doing”, those types of thoughts enter my head and when they do, I have to remember how far I’ve come, the things I have accomplished, the companies I have helped by getting their products to their most favorite celebrities.  It’s a lot harder to knock yourself down than build yourself up.  We tend to hold on to the things that did knock us down and we really have to put a lot more effort into remembering all the good that we have done or what accomplishments we did achieve.   Dreams and visions can change over time.  What you once thought you wanted may not be what you want today.  One twist or turn of events could open another door for you and take you to a place you never thought you’d be.  You have to be completely open to any type of opportunity for those opportunities to come to you.  Being a mom entrepreneur is an extremely hard balancing act.  You will have people pulling you from every direction imaginable.  The one thing to remember is you are doing this so you can stay home with your children. Your strength will be put to the test, many times. You must never forget who you are: You are a business owner and a mom. Most importantly, you are a woman… a very strong woman who can do anything she sets her mind to.

Phyllis's website's are www.Babyswags.com and www.Totstoteensmagazine.com

 

Leslee Kanar-Real Ryder Revolution/R3

Leslee's Story

1. Tell us the story of your journey. Include details about what inspired you to go into business, was this a life long dream or a newer desire. Share as many details as you are comfortable sharing.

I was always a cyclist and spinning instructor and wanted to open my own studio. After several years I finally followed my passion and desire and decided to pursue my dream. I knew I wanted to be successful so I traveled to New York and Toronto to research all of the cutting edge equipment and methods. I opened my studio while going through a divorce.  We started with 15 bikes in a temporary studio and it was so successful that we quickly outgrew our space and moved into a larger location. We now own 4 locations. I have three studios in the suburbs of  Detroit and one in Chicago. I went into business with an old friend of mine and the husband of one of my clients who had been looking to start a new business. I work at all four locations and I work seven days a week! I run the Michigan locations during the week and travel to Chicago on the weekends. 

2. Did you go into business before or after you had children? How do/did your children     affect your decision to go into business.

  My kids are so proud of me, that is the best part of all of this. My son was 8 and my daughter was 11 when I first opened and they were worried for me. They were concerened about the financial risk that it could be and they were worried because they weren't used to me working. Their lives changed quite a bit because now they had a full time working mom where before I was teaching classes when they were in school and I was able to work around their schedules.

Soon after we opened, the community had such a positive response and people would literally walk up to my kids and tell them how wonderful their mom is and gave such great feedback about the workouts and the mission. They loved hearing numerous success stories from parents of their friends who were losing weight and feeling great. Their friends were even coming to school with Real Ryder Revolution water bottles. They realized that everyone who was getting involved with R3 felt so good about themselves and they wanted to get involved and be part of it too. They are already asking to work the front desk and eventually want to teach classes.

3. Share your trials and triumphs. We want to hear about your highs and lows. Did you have any low points or worries as well as high points and huge shining moments?

  The biggest challenge was finding the best quality instructors. It was a huge goal for us and at first not all of them turned out to be great. Our high points have been obtaining the best equipment, having nothing but respect amongst the fifty plus employees and owners and feeling like everyone who is part of R3 is a family. There is nothing more fun than checking my facebook wall at the end of the day and seeing all of the wonderful posts from our members who are excited to share their success stories.

4. Do you have any encouraging words to share with mom entrepreneurs that may help to keep their spirits up on a trying day. Not necessarily trade secrets that pertain to business but more directed toward encouraging another mom not to give up and/or to keep following a dream.

My advice is to follow your dream. If you want something so badly and you're passionate about it, have confidence in yourself and do it. I knew I was a hard worker and I could do it so I followed my dream and succeeded. My mother died young and from that moment I knew then that you have one life so it's so important to be with who you want to, do what you want to do,be positive and always try and do the right thing. I am so lucky to be in a supportive relationship and to have wonderful and supportive friends. My support system was there for me throughout my divorce and though the process of starting and growing my business. This has played a huge role in my success.

Leslee's Website is www.Realryderrevolution.com