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Her business
Hipundies.com is an online retailer of contemporary lingerie, loungewear and sleepwear, focusing on boutique brands.When I first started hipundies.com, my intent was to take a new approach to lingerie sites. Other retailers cover practicality and function, and sexy, I waned hipundies.com to be about fun underwear. This meant offering off-beat selections, colors and upbeat product lines where a woman's underwear would match her personality as an extension of her wardrobe.
I have always been career-driven. For example, my first job at 14 was at a retirement home. During my college years, I held internships through INROADS, an internship program for talented minority youth. That gave me experience in both big-box retail and corporate telecommunications, helping me to more clearly identify my career goals.
By the time I started college, I was quite serious about my future in business. I have a Bachelor's of Science in Business Administration from California State University and a double major of New Ventures/Small Business Management and Human Resources Management. My degree led me to a career in the corporate world, gaining marketing and human resources experience in the finance and pharmaceutical industries.
After taking a marketing job at Tamalpais Bank, a local community bank, I became a mother and started to question my priorities in terms of juggling my career and family. I took a position, in promotional marketing, at Santen, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, to work closer to home. That was my last job. I left not knowing what was going to come next. At the time, I was selling off-price clothing on eBay, but I had been blessed to work from home and be there for my children.
I am 33 years old and from Vallejo, California.Her 'aha moment' or inspiration
I was working with a manufacturer in China, a relatively small factory that wanted a bigger presence in the United States. I had been going back and forth with them about sales and distribution and crunching the numbers. The numbers just didn't look viable. I needed to take a step back and look at the opportunities, not the products, and where I could take them. This shift in perspective allowed me to identify specific steps for growing my business and reaching a million dollars in profit.
Her biggest obstacle and how she overcame it
My biggest obstacle can sometimes be my own fears and doubts. I have to constantly remind myself to not get in the way of moving my business forward and not sit on new ideas for too long. If we just get out there and get the ball rolling, we find that our ideas and businesses are transformed, they evolve to eventually get where they need to be. I have to constantly learn that things don’t need to be just right, or endlessly tweaked, nor do I need to become "paralyzed by analysis." I just need to believe in my business plan and work to bring the ideas to fruition.
How Count Me In helped her succeed
I’m thankful to the Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE (sponsored by the not-for-profit organization Count Me In). The interaction with the other race participants gave me the confidence to take risks.
I work in isolation, and it's hard, sometimes, to stay motivated and focused. It can also be hard, in this environment, to get constructive feedback from people who truly know how to navigate some of the business issues that arise. Someone saying "good job" isn't as helpful of someone saying "this is what you need to do to get there." I believe in this race because I believe in the passion of the women who have joined together to support Count Me In and the racers reach their goals.
How she finds work life balance
I have four children and work out of a home office, which as many women know can be a challenge in itself. My assistant and many of my outside contractors have children. Since my own business grew out of the need to balance family and work, I try to provide flexible work alternatives for mothers who have the skills and education, but cannot find suitable employment to fit their schedules.
I balance my business and personal life by integrating it all. Some people compartmentalize. For me, that's not possible. My children are very involved in my business and are eager to help in any way they can whether it's organizing samples or loading photos from the camera onto the computer. I hope that when my children grow up, they remember these moments and that they shape their career options.
More than anything, being an entrepreneur is about having options and having the ability to make your career fit your lifestyle, not the other way around.
Her three tips for future entrepreneurs
1. Believe in you (the Count Me In motto).
2. Work relentlessly to achieve your goals.
3. Do what inspires you, not what you think will line your pockets. If you're doing what inspires you, you will find a way to make money at it.
What is the Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE?
The Make Mine a Million $ Business RACE is a yearlong business growth marathon aiming to help businesses reach the benchmark of their choice—$250,000, $500,000 or $1 million in revenues. The RACE is sponsored by Count Me In, a national not-for-profit provider of resources, business education and community support for women seeking to grow micro businesses to million-dollar enterprises.
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