Me, Myself and I
I am a person who plays many roles throughout the day; wife, mother, Certified Management Accountant, and now the owner of an online kids clothing store. I started to consider entrepreneurship when I realized my full time paying job has stopped giving me any sense of accomplishment; I found myself just going through the 9 to 5 routine and I was not happy. I figured there had to be a way to be actively involved with the lives of my kids and find personal growth I needed. I have now taken on one of the biggest and satisfying roles I have had in my life. As a mom-entrepreneur I believe I have the best of both worlds and I am much happier with this new balance in my life.
The Inspiration behind the Idea
Life with multiple kids at home is very busy, and when I was on maternity leave often my only relaxation time was 5 quick minutes reconnecting with everybody on the internet. The internet became my lifeline to the outside world to find the things I was looking for; it was my research tool that allowed me to better plan my day. Why did I need this research? Have you actually tried to look for something while shopping with two kids? It is stressful, it is not fun and the only way to survive and to get exactly what you are looking for is to know exactly where it is located before you step foot in the store.
Gone were the days when I could leisurely browse the store shelves and racks in a leisurely manner. I was only born with two eyes and two arms and both of them are required to keep track of my kids when I am in a store. Normally they are excellent kids, but kids being kids they are known for being a bit unpredictable and their ability to actually follow instructions might disappear when they become focused on something new to explore.
As a result I ended up buying a lot of what I needed directly online and avoiding the stopping stress altogether. I discovered I could find a lot of neat baby products but I had difficulty finding affordable kids clothing. I could find some expensive baby boutiques or international stores (some of them the larger well known brand names) but by the time I factored in the exchange rate or the customs duty tax the clothing became too expensive for my maternity leave budget.
And Voila…
When I mixed my desire to be my own boss and work out of the house plus an identified need for affordable online clothing and mixed it all up I found the perfect idea for an online store. That is the background behind Growing Growing Gone; an online clothing store for children that has new brand name kids clothing at discounted prices for the baby, kid or teen in your life, and brought to you by a mom who has been there and understands.
Online shopping is the hassle free way for a parent to shop. When you have five minutes you can leisurely browse the clothing racks at your own pace and should you have to put back on the parenting hat, your shopping cart will be there for you when you return. There is no embarrassment if your kids throw a temper tantrum, there is no worry that the clothing racks will become the perfect hide and go seek spot; everything can be done from the comfort of your own home.
It has been hard work to bring this dream to life, and in the end I hope it stands as an example to my children that you should dare to dream and pursue that dream if possible; that is the dynasty I hope to leave for them.
