Happy Women's History Month!

Spring is upon us and so is that much needed deep clean. More than ever we are thankful for our trusty #001 household cleaner and give thanks to its incredible founder April Sargies. A mother of 3 and multi business owner she definitely has her hands full but is always sure to set herself up for success in achieving her goals. “Coming from an entrepreneurial family and being a very creative person I always knew that I wanted to have my own business”.

This month let’s celebrate strong independent women in business and our spring deep clean! The Cloth & Bristle team interviewed a few entrepreneurial women about their path to success in their professional and personal life, if you’re ready to be inspired I suggest reading on. 

Jill Koch founder of a cleaning, living lifestyle brand: Jill Comes Clean, shares cleaning hacks, organization tips that keep your home tidy and functional tricks to simplify life. Her business has grown into a space that helps busy women and mothers get ideas for how to create a home they feel good in. Jill Comes Clean was inspired by Jill’s passion to teach easy ways to reduce the toxins in your home and products combined with her love for keeping a clean and organized space. “I struggled with fertility issues trying to conceive our son and I quickly found connections between many of the chemicals in our lives and infertility, along with other health ailments. The more I learned the more I wanted to share that knowledge with others”.

C+B: How do you feel about the word ‘mompreneur’?

Jill: I love it! I feel like it shows that moms can wear two hats if they want. Of course being a mom is plenty of work enough and that alone deserves to be celebrated but the term mompreneur, to me, shows that moms can find a balance between raising children and building a business if they want.

C+B: How has being an entrepreneur/business owner affected your family life?

Jill: There is something about working for yourself or from home that for me, makes me forget to set “business hours.”  I started to notice I was missing out on little things, but I’m glad I had those moments because it made me realize the importance of setting boundaries. I make sure I’m prioritizing family and work at different times of the day and allowing myself time off to be fully present with my family. 

C+B: What’s your biggest advice to other female entrepreneurs?

Jill:  To be as organized and disciplined as possible and to be willing to fail forward. Some days you will feel like you are firing on all cylinders and others you’ll play the comparison game and feel like you don’t measure up. It’s all part of the journey. Another piece of advice would be to invest in yourself and to learn and grow in your endeavors. However, also take advantage of all the awesome free resources out there. There’s no schooling for being an entrepreneur but success leaves clues and one thing I have found with entrepreneurs is that most love to help others because they remember what it’s like to be starting out. Watch all the videos, listen to podcasts, take the courses and join some groups. Entrepreneurship can be lonely at times but there’s a great community out there to help guide you.

Amanda, mother and co-CEO with her husband has been a business owner for a paint-less dent removal company: IndepenDENT of Tennessee LLC for 11 years. As a family run business they also include their son in many of their endeavors. “It’s a small business with a lot of tasks, but we work really hard as a team”.

C+B: What is your key driving driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Amanda: My grandfather is my reason for wanting to be an entrepreneur. He was an entrepreneur and taught me so much and I’ve always wanted something to call my own. It’s the feeling of accomplishment that you get when you do it yourself. It gives me a great sense of pride when I accomplish things on my own. It’s hard and not a lot of people can say that. I don’t try to compete with others, I am competing with myself every day. I want to improve and grow to become a better version of myself. 

C+B: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

Amanda:  One entrepreneurial trick that I would have to say that I have learned over the years would be delegating. Being a business owner and a mother comes with a lot of responsibility. We are expected to work full-time, raise our children, run our household and take care of everything in between. I try my best but sometimes things slip between the cracks, but I am quick to forgive myself and just learn from it.   I give my children chores each day as I feel it’s important for them to help around the house. Children need to learn how to take care of themselves and take care of a home.

Carly and Rachel co-founders to Kale Blossom , a business that flowered out of a desire to support, educate, and inspire women and their families on their journeys to wellness.  As doctors for over a decade and also mothers, they have valuable information to give and share with others. Kale Blossom is a platform that offers (FREE!) educational resources geared towards all things health + wellness, with a special focus on women.

C+B: How has being an entrepreneur/business owner affected your family life?

Carly & Rachel: First, we love being business owners and watching our vision come to life every day! It’s a way for us to have a creative outlet while helping others, which is pretty awesome x 2! In most ways, family life remains the same - we work during the day while our kids are at school/cared for and while our husbands work. We also really try to balance… so we’re not constantly taking selfies or trying to capture the perfect photo, we’re real, authentic and that’s served our families well. Answering emails, fixing tech issues, and staying up later than desired to meet deadlines happens on occasion. We really try to practice what we preach and to do our very best not to let our work interfere with family life. Being the owners does allow us greater flexibility - some days that means additional time with family, with the ability to extend vacation a day or two, or to be a class mom for the afternoon. Each day is different...which is what we LOVE!

C+B: What is your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Carly & Rachel: Kale Blossom was created out of the desire to educate + inspire + serve. In our roles as doctors/moms/friends/sisters/daughters we’ve spoken with so many individuals seeking guidance in how to live healthily and support their own families in doing so. We want to be that qualified, reliable, friendly and FUN resource women to turn to! Hey ladies, we’re here for ya!

C+B: How can we be a support system to the female business owners in our lives?

Carly & Rachel: It’s been so helpful for us to be connected to other female business owners - bouncing ideas off of each other, giving/receiving constructive feedback, sharing women-owned businesses with others, and CHEERING each other on in both business AND life! We have felt so supported by other female business owners and we hope to provide the same for our female colleagues out there!

 Michelle, an interior designer, created House of Strasner to “showcase beautiful surroundings''.  She allows her creativity and passions to shine through in interior design, baking, sewing and other decorative advice. Four years into being a business owner she is a master of the ropes, bringing all things home to us in various different lights. 

C+B: What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule? 

Michelle: I have no tricks. Being an entrepreneur is a 24/7. If you love what you’re doing it’ll never feel like a burden. You’ll wake up from a sleep with an idea, then you’ll know you’re on the correct path. Being an entrepreneur requires flexibility and grace within yourself.

 C+B: How can we be a support system to the female business owners in our lives?

 Michelle: Educating the consumer that supporting local and supporting women owned businesses is important. If supporting financially is not feasible; a like, a save, a forward on Instagram is also an important way of supporting.

 C+B: What's your biggest advice to other female entrepreneurs?

Michelle: Start! Just start! Don’t tell your ideas to anyone, anyone! Believe in yourself and allow that little feeling of uncertainty to guide you forward. Anything that gives you that feeling is worth the risk. The risk is better than the “what if”. Believe in yourself.

C+B: What is your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

Michelle: Wanting to help Inspiring others to create beautiful interior spaces.

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