With two little girls, I am always browsing online children's boutiques and searching the Internet for clothes for the girls. While they prefer casual clothes over dresses and skirts, Savannah, who can now dress herself, loves dressing up. In a given day, Savannah can go through a few different outfits, as she needs to be dressed comfortable to lounge around the house, and then needs just the right outfit for when we go out. While searching for just the right birthday dress for her to wear to her upcoming 3rd birthday, I stumbled across this week's Spotlight Mom's, Rosha Chandler. Rosha, who has a relatively new online children's clothing boutique (only 3 months old), she is no stranger to retail. And, this shows in the collections she offers through Butterfly Kiss Children's Boutique.
If you are like me, and love to shop for your children's clothing online, be warned now, as you will want to buy up one of everything from Rosha's shop. :-) I have a wish list going right now of outfits and accessories I want to pick up for the girls. This past winter I tried stocking up on end of the season clothing for the girls for next fall/winter, but have found that the girls both had a growth spurt these past few months, and will probably not fit into these clothes come the colder weather. :-(
After reaching out to Rosha, I was happy to hear back and have her respond to my Spotlight Mom questions. In addition to my interview, Rosha also kindly sent along two dresses from her boutique for me to review with the girls. Stay tuned on Friday, when I will share photos of the cute dresses, which have become favorites of the girls. And, come Savannah's 3rd birthday next month, she will stand out, along with her little sister, as they show off their outfits from the Butterfly Kiss Children's Boutique. In addition to sharing a review on Friday, I will also be offering one lucky reader a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Rosha's online boutique. :-)
But, in the meantime, please enjoy my Spotlight on Mom interview with Rosha Chandler of Butterfly Kiss Children's Boutique.
Name: Rosha Chandler
Company Name/Product/Service: Butterfly Kiss/Children's Boutique - Girls clothing and accessories
Company Location: Only online
Company Website: www.butterflykiss.
Facebook URL: www.facebook.com/
Twitter Handle: @https://twitter.com/
Age of Company: 3 months
Favorite Inspirational Quotes: I have two quotes on my computer. It's hard to pick, but if I had to choose, I'd say "Either I win or I learn, but with God's help I I never lose." Unknown. The other quote on my computer was from Muhammad Ali and it is, "The ground is no place for a champion."
Favorite Book: The Curtis Black Series by Kimberla Lawson Roby
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How many children do you have? What are their ages? Your hobbies? Etc.
Single mother of
three boys, ages 7, 15 and 17. My hobbies, LOL. Their hobbies are my
hobbies. If I'm not working (my day job is a buyer at Edward Jones),
you'll find me in the stands at the boys games or at a school
meeting/function/fundraiser. The boys play soccer, basketball and
baseball, and in addition I'm a member of the school's booster club and
several other committees. I do enjoy volunteering. I am a member of
Gennext, a division of the United Way for working professional's in
their 30 and 40's. The purpose is to volunteer and network among each
other. It's been fun, I've had some interesting projects, learned about
some interesting organizations and met some interesting people. I also
enjoy reading and writing. I have an MBA in Creative Writing. I mostly
read self improvement books, but I also love Christian Fiction.
Briefly explain your business. How did it come about? I copied the bio directly from my site. It's a little more about me and how I got started.
Hi! I'm Rosha, owner and founder
of Butterfly Kiss. That is one of many titles I hold, my most esteemed
being "mother of three." Running a boutique is a new adventure for me,
however I am no stranger to the world of retail, or adventures for that
matter (if you have children you know what I mean). I spent the first 9
years of my career in retail advertising and retail buying for a major
department store, and I am excited to use that experience to guide me
through this journey. Along the way, I hope to connect with other moms
and give back to the community through my time, talent and resources.
I began this journey more than two
years ago at a back to school carnival. I was one of hundreds of
parents taking advantage of free back to school goods, in hopes of
lightening the load that arrives with every new school year. Trekking
through the rainy park, my thoughts turned from lengthy school supply
lists and registration fees to the butterfly painting on my check. A
couple of weeks earlier at an outdoor picnic, a butterfly landed on my
hamburger. Despite my best efforts it wouldn't budge, so I was forced to
throw my food away; that same week my son made me a butterfly in
church. And that day I'd gotten my face painted (to appease my then
four-year old son), and the only girly option was a butterfly. Until
that moment, it had completely escaped me, but now, I'm convinced the
heavens hand delivered me a message in the form of a butterfly. For me,
life had become a vicious cycle of clock in, clock out, pay bills (just
barely), take care of the kids, sleep and repeat. My days were becoming a
blare, and most mornings I found myself dreading the day before I was
even out of bed. But in that instant, I knew something new was about to
take flight. I didn't know what that would entail, but I believe that's
the day Butterfly Kiss was born.
What is a typical work day like?
Working for Butterfly Kiss, in a typical day I'm keying orders, following up on orders, talking to customers, looking for new vendors (I'm always on the lookout for hot products. Things I think will make my customers lives simpler or just product I think they would love and have to have), posting on Facebook, and working my marketing plan.
What has been a struggle while starting up your company?
Balancing everything has been my biggest challenge. I don't want to miss a game, or meeting at the kids school, but I also want to get back to my customers right away, make sure I'm putting in the time to make the business successful. On top of that I still want to cook a decent meal, workout, read, keep my house clean, go to church (on, and on and on), and get in bed at a decent hour to make sure I'm getting the rest to run this dog and pony show. This has been VERY challenging. FYI, I also have dog (shih tzu).
What did you do in your past work life?
I was an assistant buyer for the May Dept Stores and Macy's for nine years right out of college. I am still a buyer at Edward Jones.
What is a typical work day like?
Working for Butterfly Kiss, in a typical day I'm keying orders, following up on orders, talking to customers, looking for new vendors (I'm always on the lookout for hot products. Things I think will make my customers lives simpler or just product I think they would love and have to have), posting on Facebook, and working my marketing plan.
What has been a struggle while starting up your company?
Balancing everything has been my biggest challenge. I don't want to miss a game, or meeting at the kids school, but I also want to get back to my customers right away, make sure I'm putting in the time to make the business successful. On top of that I still want to cook a decent meal, workout, read, keep my house clean, go to church (on, and on and on), and get in bed at a decent hour to make sure I'm getting the rest to run this dog and pony show. This has been VERY challenging. FYI, I also have dog (shih tzu).
What did you do in your past work life?
I was an assistant buyer for the May Dept Stores and Macy's for nine years right out of college. I am still a buyer at Edward Jones.
What have been some of your major successes?
I had my first son in high school, so completing college with honors (with two boys), and eventually going on to complete my MBA (with three boys), and just managing to put them first while having a career, has been the major success in my life.
What have been some of your major challenges?
Getting through school and balancing my career with motherhood
A few things - My relationship with God (although I fight with him just like anyone else in my life, LOL) and the fact that I know I have something worth fighting for. Life is a battle, but my kids are worth fighting for. That's why I like the Muhammad Ali quote so much, "the ground is no place for a champion," because as a single teen parent there were plenty of times where I felt so defeated and down that I thought I'd never get up, but whenever I think I have nothing left I always manage to dig a little deeper (after I stop wallowing in self-pity). Plus, I have people that believe in me so much (for whatever crazy reason despite the billion of mistakes I've made), so when do finally say this is it, I've done everything I can, I tried. I think of them, and I want to be the person they think I am.
Schedules, planning, more scheduling and more planning. I have a list of everything that is important to me (god, family, career, health, etc) and I sit down once a week and try and set my schedule so that I'm accommodating those things. Depending on what's going on some things suffer, but the following week or month I try to get back in balance. Sometimes I'm successful and other times I'm not, but the fact that it's in writing and I'm constantly looking at it, reminds me that I have to figure out a way to fit it in. When I find that I'm just not able to make things work in the schedule, I try to see how I can combine things. For example, if I have week where my kids have games all week, resulting in me not finding time to exercise, I ask myself can I walk the field while I'm waiting on games to start. Or if I'm having trouble making time for God, can I take a walk on my lunch and listen to a hristian CD, thereby combining exercise and my time with God.
I had my first son in high school, so completing college with honors (with two boys), and eventually going on to complete my MBA (with three boys), and just managing to put them first while having a career, has been the major success in my life.
What have been some of your major challenges?
Getting through school and balancing my career with motherhood
On those impossible days, what motivates you to keep going?
A few things - My relationship with God (although I fight with him just like anyone else in my life, LOL) and the fact that I know I have something worth fighting for. Life is a battle, but my kids are worth fighting for. That's why I like the Muhammad Ali quote so much, "the ground is no place for a champion," because as a single teen parent there were plenty of times where I felt so defeated and down that I thought I'd never get up, but whenever I think I have nothing left I always manage to dig a little deeper (after I stop wallowing in self-pity). Plus, I have people that believe in me so much (for whatever crazy reason despite the billion of mistakes I've made), so when do finally say this is it, I've done everything I can, I tried. I think of them, and I want to be the person they think I am.
What is your balancing secret in managing a business and family?
Schedules, planning, more scheduling and more planning. I have a list of everything that is important to me (god, family, career, health, etc) and I sit down once a week and try and set my schedule so that I'm accommodating those things. Depending on what's going on some things suffer, but the following week or month I try to get back in balance. Sometimes I'm successful and other times I'm not, but the fact that it's in writing and I'm constantly looking at it, reminds me that I have to figure out a way to fit it in. When I find that I'm just not able to make things work in the schedule, I try to see how I can combine things. For example, if I have week where my kids have games all week, resulting in me not finding time to exercise, I ask myself can I walk the field while I'm waiting on games to start. Or if I'm having trouble making time for God, can I take a walk on my lunch and listen to a hristian CD, thereby combining exercise and my time with God.
What is next for your business?
I'm new, so I'm focused on building relationships (not sales, although those are nice too). Relationships with customers, suppliers, and PR people. Although, once I get in a good place with the boutique, expanding the line to include a solid line of boys clothing is what I'm hoping to do next.
I'm new, so I'm focused on building relationships (not sales, although those are nice too). Relationships with customers, suppliers, and PR people. Although, once I get in a good place with the boutique, expanding the line to include a solid line of boys clothing is what I'm hoping to do next.
Do you have any advice for
other mom entrepreneurs that are starting out and struggling, or are on
the fence about starting a business?
You can do anything you want, if you're willing to work for it, but you have to get out of the land of "I-Wish." I also say it's the place where dreams go to die. Another saying I like is, "work will work, when wishing won't." and "the big secret in life is there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." Oprah. I love quotes if you can't tell.
You can do anything you want, if you're willing to work for it, but you have to get out of the land of "I-Wish." I also say it's the place where dreams go to die. Another saying I like is, "work will work, when wishing won't." and "the big secret in life is there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work." Oprah. I love quotes if you can't tell.
Adorable clothes and I really like the name of the company.
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