Louisa Gehring-Semper Finest Care Packages, LLC

Louisa'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 started Semper Finest in 2010, while my husband was deployed inAfghanistan. For years, I had sent him and his friends carefully orchestrated care packages, and realized that I had developed a knack for knowing what troops needed the most, how to package it, and how to deal with the many regulations (customs forms, etc) surroundingAPO/FPO package mailing. Around the same time, I had many family members and friends say they wanted to send my husband a package, but didn’t know what to put in it. Unfortunately, after giving them tips and ideas, many of these people never got around to sending a package, because they worked full time and weren’t able to make it first to the store and then to the Post Office during its limited hours.

Given my expertise in sending packages, and my passion for ensuring that no service member went without a package simply because sending it was a hassle, I began Semper Finest. At the same time I was also completing an MBA program, and was looking for a new opportunity to work from home with my baby daughter, so Semper Finest proved to be the perfect solution.

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

Semper Finest started after my first daughter, Caroline, was born. I discovered shortly before her birth that my husband’s impending deployment had been moved up, and that subsequently I would be giving birth two weeks after he left, and raising her alone for the first seven months of her life. Despite this challenge, it allowed me to realize how fulfilling it was to be with Caroline day in and day out, and to discover how much I enjoyed watching her grow (I never intended, nor planned, to be a work-from-home mom!). This satisfaction solidified my drive to go into my own business, so I could create my own hours and make time for my daughter without feeling guilty.

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?

Well….the first thing I tell anyone about starting my own business as a single-member LLC is that your personal attitude becomes the attitude of the business! When I’m having a bad day or am in a funk, that directly affects Semper Finest. If I’m feeling extra productive and creative, Semper Finest reflects that very quickly. No matter how many times I hear it, “no” still hurts, despite the fact that I am aware that many, many successful business owners hear this word much more often than they hear one yes. These types of mind games are the biggest lows for me, because it is hard for me to remain positive and know that I can persevere.

Despite these lows, which often come after big events in my personal life that compromise my professional time (moving across country, giving birth to our second daughter), there have been many highs. I received an award as one of the Top 200 Startup Nation Mom-Owned Businesses, and have been featured in many publications, including GetMilkshake.com, The Jacksonville Daily News, Babies.com, and in an upcoming issue of a large national magazine. These highs don’t begin to compare to the biggest high, which comes in the form of thank-you emails I receive from service members who have received a donated package from one of our customers. To know that we are making a difference is a huge motivator for me.

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.

As I said above, don’t let your head take over your business! On bad days, it’s incredibly easy to want to fold up shop and close the chapter. But just remember – there are people out there who realize how wonderful your business is, and we will always be our own worst enemy. Also, being a business owner is a lot like being a mom – in the midst of seemingly normal, mundane days, a great result arises. Just keep being your best and you will make a difference!

Louisa's site is www.Semperfinest.com

 

Andrea Van Ness-Thumbuddy To Love

Andrea'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.

My name is Andrea Wulfing Van Ness and I started a company called Thumbuddy To Love® (ThumbuddyToLove.com) because I wanted to help children stop thumb sucking and make it a positive experience for them without the use of thumb polish (chemicals) or apparatuses thatdentists put in a child’s mouth that are costly and uncomfortable. Thumbuddy To Love® is forboys and girls and it comes with a beautifully illustrated book and matching thumb puppet in thecharacters of Ballerina Sue and/or Fireman Fred. I was a thumb sucker and I remember all the negative things my friends and family tried to do to get me to quit. To give up a comforting habit is hard and you need something positive to replace it. My grandmother made me a thumb puppet and it was her positive words and handmade thumb puppet that helped me to break the habit in no time.  I was so proud, that I took it everywhere including school.  Prolonged thumb sucking or pacifier sucking can cause problems with growth of the mouth and alignment of the teeth (American Dental Association). I was inspired to create Thumbuddy because there were not any positive teaching tools out there for thumb suckers. The books also come with a calendar and stickers that kids can mark off days and get involved. Dentists love it because they now have something fun and non-shameful for parents and their kids/patients. Kids love it because they don’t have to wear a glove or contraption or bitter nail polish. Thumbuddy To Love received a Mom’s Choice Award the year it came to market. My newest product is called the Binky Fairy and it helps children break the pacifier habit without all the tears or fuss. It calms children in knowing where their pacifiers go and just like the tooth fairy; she comes in the middle of the night to collect the pacifiers and leaves a Binky Fairy Puppet under their pillow so children look forward to waking and knowing she came! All of the Thumbuddy To Love® products are available on amazon or the website www.thumbuddytolove.com.

 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 went into business after I had children. I wanted to be more available and at home so I left my real estate job and started Thumbuddy to Love out of my home.

 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 only low points were really getting the business off the ground. Doing samples, getting the website up and spending money on marketing to get a business going can be stressful when money is not coming in yet. The high points were receiving a Mom’s Choice Award in my first year in business and then a PTPA Award for my product was a feeling of accomplishment.

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 would stick with your gut feelings, believe in yourself and your product and the rest will work out in due time. Always remember that business does not succeed overnight. It is over a period of time and it may take years, but hard work does pay off.

Andrea's website is www.Thumbuddytolove.com