I knew I wanted to be a mom at a very young age. I come from a big family and I have always wanted one of my own – husband, football team of kids, pets… the whole shebang. BUT I have always loved the hustle. When I got my first big girl job, that was it for me. I wanted to climb that corporate ladder. I wanted all the accolades and I needed to be the boss. But even that isn’t enough… I LOVE ME A SIDE HUSTLE. While part of me is satisfied with the norm of working in corporate America, there’s the creative side of me that NEEDS fed. So over the years I dove into that in so many ways.
So all this talk about being a mom and making all these babies I dreamed of? LOL… That’s the thing… It has always been a part of my dream but that’s it – just a dream. The BIGGER part of my dream. I have never wanted to be a stay at home mom. I don’t want to miss any birthdays or sports events or any of the things, and I definitely want to be the one making dinner and doing the laundry (is that a mom/wife thing or a control freak thing??), but I want to work. I need to work. I always say that I wish I could clone myself so I can be in two places at once. But I would send my clone home to do the SAHM stuff for sure.
When I first had Banx I worked from home with him and it was probably the hardest year of my life! I loved that I didn’t miss a thing, I witnessed every single milestone.! But I felt half invested in everything, including myself. I was just going through the motions… lazily at that. My work wasn’t nearly as tight as it used to be, my house was organized chaos. I didn’t have a sense of peace anywhere. But life was moving and I didn’t have a choice (or at least I felt like I didn’t) but to keep letting it take me for a ride.
In May 2022, God b-slapped me with an opportunity (although it didn’t feel so positive at the time). I had an opportunity to walk away from my career and spend time at home with Banx. Fortunately, D was making enough to support us so I was able to say goodbye to corporate America and know that if push came to shove I could always bank on my trusty side hustles. And by “bank on” I say that lightly and almost sarcastically because I had so much anxiety. I had the same schedule for almost 8 years… I was waiting for my daily stand-ups and team meetings… But it was just me, Banx, and f-ing cocomellon.
One of my best friends had a home decor company that I had helped with from time to time and she asked me if I wanted to go into business with her so she could rebrand and expand. A DREAM. I jumped at that. Design and coordination has always been what fed my creative side. Naturally, D supported me like he has with all my dreams, we said a prayer then we dumped our savings into it. If you follow me on social media you know the company I am talking about is Still Interiors. And if ya don’t… I am basically a pot dealer – check out our instagram 😉
I have to say we have been pretty successful in our first couple of months! I personally, have not been as successful at juggling an almost toddler, a preeclamptic pregnancy, and home life along with my other businesses and commitments but we are getting there. It can be hard not to feel stuck as a mom. For me, I am not a “no” person -never have been. I am bad at healthy boundaries and a professional at spreading myself too thin BUT I never miss out. When you’re a mom, especially a working mom, you can get lost in this mix. Some days I have so much to do and a ton of commitments but being a mom has to come first. That might mean that I can’t haul Banx with me to the shop because he is sick or irritable. It might mean that my pregnancy needs me to stay off my feet that day. I am lucky enough to be in business with partners that I love so hard and love me hard right back. Regardless of how hard I am on myself, they are there to give me grace and keep me sane. Keep me HEALTHY! Because that’s the real hustle. That is the scalable hustle. That’s the mama hustle. I go deeper into why these relationships are so important in my life in my “Soulmates & Besties” blog so if you haven’t read that, you should. And, should definitely get you some of that too lol.
All my businesses are with my besties or my sister. My bestie Mackenzie and I source rustic minimalist home decor and furniture from around the world for our company Still Interiors. We also provide custom pieces. If you’re not familiar with us, then here is a shameless plug 😉 check us out on Instagram @StillInteriors or visit our website www.stillinteriors.com.
Then there’s In The Cut Design Co. that I started with my other bestie Morgan. We make laser cut and engraved signs and custom items. This is a company that stemmed out of our event planning and design company we had launched just in time for the pandemic that shut down the world. Like Still Interiors, it has taken off by just word of mouth. So if you think we have lots and lots of orders and gigs, you’d be right! If you think we have even had time to list them on etsy or post on insta, you’d be wrong lol. We are blessed to be taking off so fast and if you’ve read my “Soulmates and Besties” you know, Morgan is my twin flame through and through (read about her in my “Soulmates and Besties” blog because I def did some name dropping). She is killing it at her full time job and we do ITC Design Co. on the side. So all of our free time is spent on executing. Keep an eye out for us though! We are booked through the New Year (with no marketing I might add **dusts shoulder off**), but we have some awesome stuff coming in 2023.
After being in business with my two besties, it was obvious to me the next step was to bring in my third bestie – my little sister Mekaella. I thought for a long time about what I could do with my sister to:
- Have that bond with her because after working with my best friends, if you can love each other through being in business together, you can do anything with that person!
- Talk every day LOL I am obsessed with her.
- Make a lot of money! DUH! Honestly, I wanted Mekaella to experience the high of building something from the ground up and I wanted to experience that with her.
The hard part is, she lives in another state so we had the challenge of building something together while separated… by thousands of miles.
And here YOU are, reading on our website! Together we started Just Bare Essentials which sells THE COZIEST BLANKETS YOU WILL EVER TOUCH. And I know that for a fact because I paid the price to snuggle every blanket out there. LOL. From $20 – $200. While you may see some checkered blankets that look a lot like our first drop, trust me, we design all of our blankets in house with the help of our brother John – it’s definitely a family affair! Maybe one day I can get into the checkered print fiasco but for now, I am just excited that people can get their hands on something as soft as these blankets. We have a lot of designs coming out in the next couple of months so stay tuned for that.
To make a long story even longer – whether you are a working mom, or a mom making your household their B***ch, it is okay to feel stuck. To feel like you’re lost in the day or hell, lost in the week even! Get yourself a village if you can, give yourself grace always, and just do your best every day.