Mom/EmployedPreneur

Starr: What is Blissfully Inspired?

LP: Blissfully Inspired specializes in design for special events and celebrations. I make custom items, including invitations, acrylic and wood signage, luxury gift boxes, cake toppers, menus and much more. For any special moment that you celebrate, Blissfully Inspired can design any element.

Starr: What is your background?

LP: Funny enough, my background is in Accounting and Management Information Systems. I started out my professional career in Public Accounting at Ernst & Young, LLP, and I’ve been in Corporate America ever since. My current role is focused on Corporate governance, fraud detection and financial investigations

Starr: Where did this gift for branding and graphic design come from?

LP: I’ve always loved paper and designing invitations from a very early age. I used to beg my mom to let me design all my birthday invitations. When I was in school and we had any visual group assignments, I was always volunteering to design the posters and PowerPoint presentations to make sure I had creative control. I designed my first website in college, while taking a web design class and won 1st place in our University competition. I was so in love with the process of creating that I started reading coding books and consuming all the information I could get from library books and video tutorials. I also love school and office supplies, and I often get lost on stationery aisles in Target and spend lots of time shopping in my favorite paper stores. I feel like it’s so special to send a pretty personalized note to send to someone and brighten their day. That artform is becoming lost, and I want to keep that tradition going through my gift of design!

Starr: Why did you decide to turn your passion into a business?

LP: After I had my first daughter, I didn’t want to return to my Corporate job at the time, but I knew I had to. I was becoming more confident in my design skills, and I would ask my entrepreneur friends if I could design sites and logos for them to build up my portfolio. When I had my first paying client, I started to consider that I could really do this as a business. From there, the side hustle journey began. I have always felt a burning desire inside to work for myself, and it’s so easy to become hasty and fed up with the process. But I have realized that slow and steady building is the key. No one (no matter what it seems, especially on social media) made it to success overnight.

Starr: Are you a full time business owner? Why or why not?

LP: I am currently part of the side hustle community. I am very risk averse, and I have set some very strict goals for myself to meet before I would be comfortable fully switching over to full time entrepreneurship. I recently have invested and budgeted for coaching that I know will take me to the next level that I wish to be in the near future. My goal has always been to work for myself, and there have been times when I have doubted my path because of the time it’s taken me to get “there”. However, I have also learned some extremely hard lessons with setting boundaries, establishing a firm workflow, dealing with burnout and also overdelivering, in hopes of providing the most stellar service. I’ve learned that all of those experiences were necessary and pivotal on my journey to help me become the businesswoman who will be able to sustain herself as a full-time entrepreneur.

Starr: As a mom of 4 and a wife, what has been your challenge or your push to become a business owner?

LP: Great question. My family is actually my driving force and motivation. I want to be able to spend as much time being present in their lives as possible, and I feel that entrepreneurship will help me get there, in having more control over my schedule and also maximizing my earning potential.

Starr: What advice do you have for other moms, specifically busy career moms, who want to start their own business?

LP: Nothing comes easy. Even though the progress will seem slow and full of every challenge you can imagine, keep pushing through. Each obstacle will teach you a valuable lesson to carry on to your next level. Also, be careful of what is portrayed on social media. Remember that only the best of the best life gets posted. We don’t get to see real life, so don’t compare yourself to someone else’s journey and become discouraged. Lastly, establish boundaries for what your business does and does not offer and stick to those principles.

Starr: As a career mom, wife, and entrepreneur, do you ever experience mom guilt when working full time and committing free time to your business?

LP: I actually feel more guilt when I work so much and don’t give as much time to my family. I’ve realized that being an entrepreneur in the creative / consulting space somehow confuses people that they should have direct access to you at all times. There are very late (both after hours and last minute) emails, texts and phone calls I receive for all sorts of requests. People expect you to always be “on” and ready to accept any request or job they want you to work on. Historically, I would take any and all of these, staying up until almost 2-3 AM. I’ve learned that sleep is very important and healthy, and so is disconnecting from my clients, phone, social and my computer.

Starr: How do you “balance” it all?

LP: Most days, I personally don’t feel like I do this very well at all. It’s one of those things that I constantly review and challenge myself to discover ways to become stronger in this area. Some of my colleagues in a few of the masterminds I belong to feel differently and always ask me how I do it….and I have to say that my husband has been very supportive of me and helps me find time to work on critical projects with sensitive timelines. The second most reliable tool has been weekly planning of my calendar, down to what meals we are eating for dinner so that I am super prepared. I have found that when I have to ask myself “ok, so what are we going to do for _____”, that point in time is already to late for me. I will probably end up making a bad decision. The third thing that has helped me in this area is setting expectations with my clients. When I get a new project, I have learned to communicate what my expected turnaround date is so everyone is on the same page.

Starr: Has there been a moment when you wanted to give up? What kept you going?

LP: I want to quit every single week! I am part of a really great text thread of black women entrepreneurs who keep me sane and push me to keep going when I’ve reached a low point. I am very grateful for them and all the other supportive friends in my life. Also, my oldest daughter recently came home from school and said that she had told all her friends at school that her mom can make anything. She went on to name several of the items she has seen me design at home, and then she told me that she wants to be just like me when she grows up. For me, that was truly the epitome of everything I felt like I ever wanted to hear from my child. I certainly want all my kiddos to live their own lives and follow the direction of their own dreams, but for a six year old to recognize my hard work and appreciate it made my heart do cartwheels. Those are the reasons that I can’t give up. There are important eyes on me that are more impacted than I ever realized.

Starr: What advice do you have for any women who may not feel that they have the time to pursue their passion, experience mom guilt, or are afraid to push through their fears?

LP: I would challenge any ladies experiencing these feelings to create a list, representing the top five successes they would like to achieve in pursuing their passion. Next to each of those areas, write a plan of how to get there. Take a day to let it rest, then come back to that list and ask yourself if you are more afraid of succeeding or more afraid of failing. Mom guilt and self-sabotage go hand-in-hand to me, and sometimes it’s hard for me to tell the difference between those two imposters. I would really encourage any women to reach out to a mentor or respected colleague that you have in your network and ask questions on how you can get started on the right path. Some of my greatest ideas have come from having these heart to hearts with my girlfriends. Others can often see strengths in you that you take for granted.

Starr: What has been your greatest success today?

LP: I think not giving up, despite all the obstacles, hardships and tears. Running a business takes mental and emotional resiliency.

Lya Pollard