Happy Monday entrepreneurs.

I’m BEYOND excited to introduce this week’s creative entreneur, Robyn.  She is one of the original handmade little girl hair accessory creators, and I remember pinning her items on my very first pinterest board years ago when I was pregnant with Adeline.

Robyn is a highly motivated entrepreneur, and just gets stuff done.  Her creations have been styled on the cover of a national magazine and she has a celebrity following.

a n d … she loves Harry Potter.  So, she is just pretty amazing.

I hope you learn a ton from Robyn, and please make sure to leave your questions in the comments for her so she can answer them for you!

Meet Robyn!

https://youtu.be/eExORhRavOM

“Hi ladies, my name is Robyn and I am the Owner and Creator of Giddy Up & Grow, a Canadian company that offers accessories for the modern child. I have 2 kids, son 9 years and daughter 5 years, and I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 10 years (together for 18 years). I started Giddy Up & Grow because I was tired of the mainstream and mass produced accessories available to babies/toddlers and little girls. I hope that my whimsical style inspires parents to let their kids be kids, and that they don’t have to dress like little teenagers to look good!”

Hillary: What did you do before Giddy Up and Grow, and how did you decide to start your own business?

Robyn: Before I had kids I worked in the corporate world! I had a downtown job working for a high profile advertising agency. I worked with an amazing creative team, alongside the owner of the agency, Arlene Dickinson (female judge on the TV show Dragon’s Den). I loved being surrounded by highly creative people everyday, and being able to work on TV commercials, radio spots and print ads. I would still be doing it today, had I not decided to start a family. The long hours of a marketing career, make it hard to be 100% focused on family, and I wasn’t prepared to allow a Nanny raise my kids. I am super happy I made the decision to stay home, as it eventually gave me the freedom to create my business.

Can you give us a brief history of Giddy Up and Grow?  How long have you been in business?  What has your growth looked like?

Giddy Up & Grow became a reality in 2010. My daughter was 5 months old, and I remember struggling at first. The lack of sleep with a baby, made it hard for me to spend the time I wanted to get the business up and running. But now that I look back, I think I would have never made it longer than a year in business, if I had started off so quickly. I’m glad the schedule I had back then, forced me to take things slow. I have been in business for 5 years now, and have grown substantially in the past 3 years.

What’s your big picture WHY?  What motivates you to work hard and build your business?  What is your ultimate lifestyle goal?

Where did you find your mentors, or resources to help learn about entrepreneurship and running a successful business?

I went to business school after high school, and got a Business degree. I then spent several years in the marketing industry, and was constantly surrounded by inspiring business entrepreneurs. I wouldn’t say I have one specific role model, but my Dad has been the biggest influence in helping me with advice on how to start my own business. My parents have always encouraged me to first get the education behind the business, and then go after what you love.

Can you tell a story of a specific failure you encountered while building Giddy Up and Grow?  What did you learn from it?

What would you consider are your strengths as a business owner?

I think having that Business Education has been a big strength. I learned all about every aspect of a business (Accounting, Administration, Customer Service etc.) before I even got started. A lot of small business owners don’t have that background –  education has helped me make some smart business decisions.

Do you currently have help or do you do everything?

I do every aspect of the business all on my own.  I am a one woman show currently.  Like I said before, I grew the business slowly, so I only took on what I could handle. It truly is a labour of love!

How many hours a week do you work?  How do you balance work and home?

I work about 40 hours a week. I would say a typical 9-5 job, only I break the day up between my duties as a mom and business obligations. I wake up early to get work down before I get the kids up and off to school, then I work while they are away, and have time for them when they get off the bus. We have dinner as a family every night, home work time, bath and bed. Then when all that’s done, its back to work for me for a few more hours.

What type of uncommon lifestyle does your business help you create?

 

What has been the #1 most effective way you have marketed Giddy Up and Grow?

Building relationships with other small businesses. I have been able to collaborate on certain projects with other small businesses, that have allowed me to reach other target markets, that might not have otherwise known my business existed. And along the way, I have also made awesome friendships with those other small business owners. A win/win!!!

 What has been hour biggest business “win” or success so far?  (What’s been the most exciting thing to happen to you or your business?)

I think my biggest “win” was having my accessories on the Cover of a national magazine. I have had my items featured in a number of different magazines, but to have my items on the cover of Canadian Family Magazine was a big surprise for me. It felt so good to be recognized by such a trusted parenting magazine, in my own country. I felt like a proud Canadian at that moment! And a second place “win”, would be to see Jessica Alba’s daughter wearing my hair accessories. That was fun!

What is your ultimate vision for your business in the coming year?   Where do you see Giddy Up and Grow in 5 years?

I hope to hit 10,000 sales by the end of 2015, and in 5 years I hope to have doubled my current revenue.

What’s holding you back from where you are now and your end game?

Having “mommy” responsibilities holds me back. I do suffer from guilt. I worry about the balance between work and family. I think if I had my own studio away from home, I would be able to separate work from family a bit better. Sometimes I catch myself answering emails when I should be paying attention to my kids or husband.

What is it that you need help with right now, and if you could get free advice that would solve your problem right now, what would it be?

If you could sit down with any entrepreneur for a 2 hour lunch and pick their brain, who would it be and why?

This is an easy one for me.. I would sit down with Brandy from the shop Little Blue Olive. We have similar markets, and we have been mentoring each other for about the past year now. We live in separate countries, so we only get to chat via email. So I would love to sit down with her face-to-face and just talk business ideas!

What advice would you give your “just starting a business” self knowing everything you know now?

Do you have a morning ritual or routine?

I wake up, take my dogs out (I have two wiener dog puppies), grab my massive cup of coffee and turn on the news. I check my social media, and then wake the kids up….

If you could do anything in the world knowing you would not fail, what would it be?

I would still be creating, but I think I would have my items manufactured, so that I could focus on creating new products. Getting into manufacturing can be a scary world, especially when my items are so detailed. I’m not sure a manufacturer could do the job as well, without sacrificing the small details that make my product different. If I knew I couldn’t fail at I though, I would do that…

What’s been the best business book you’ve read?

I don’t read… Hahahaha just being honest. I haven’t picked a book up in a couple of years. I just don’t have the time.

What’s your favorite success quote?

This just sums up my daily mantra. I’m always striving to create something that is different and unique, but still fits true to my business and product style.

Closing thoughts or advice to other business owner entrepreneurs reading this: