Did you ever dream of creating a homemade product that became so popular that you were able to launch a business out of it? That's exactly what Renee Sirulnik did, and she did so while she was still juggling baby bottles, diapers, and a full-time job!
It was actually before Renee even had her first child that she designed and created a "6-pack" of homemade baby blankets as a gift for her friend's baby shower. Right off the bat, they were a hit; and with a little encouragement from friends, and a lot of determination, she launched a full scale business (and a family) a few years later.
How did Renee find the time and energy to become a successful entrepreneur while she had two young children and a full-time job? Please read on for some wonderful advice and inspiration:
Dawn: When you created those first baby blankets and gave them to your friend at her baby shower, did you even imagine the possibilities?
Renee: Honestly, no. I’ve always been one to try to think of new ideas, solve problems in creative ways but I never really thought that I would start a business out of one of those ideas. However, when one of my friends tells me about an idea or a wish to start a business, I always take it very seriously and encourage them - who knows what it might lead to.
Dawn: How did you manage to start a company while working full-time as a technical writer and mom?
Renee: Looking back, the key was to take “baby” steps and to do things slowly. First, I just sold to neighbors and friends. Next I put up a website, but I only sold the blankets and only had about 3 photos. I remember getting excited when I would get one or two orders per week, so it didn’t take up that much time early on. Then I started to get one to two orders per day, and it just kept growing from there.
Like many things in life, sometimes when you look too far ahead, you get overwhelmed with what it will take to get there. But when you take it one little step at a time, you eventually make it up that hill. I’m definitely not there yet and have many more steps to take, but now when I look back, I can appreciate how far I’ve come and how much work I’ve done. It’s like having a baby – when you are pregnant with your first child, if you think about everything that it’s going to take to raise a child, all the challenges, you will feel overwhelmed. But if you just take it one day (or night) at a time and try your best at each interval, you will eventually get there.
I just finished reading a great book (see below– Lone Survivor by Marcus Lutrell) –the true story about a Navy SEAL operation over in Afghanistan. He describes the details of going through the training to become a SEAL. He says that the guys who looked ahead and thought about everything they still had to achieve/endure were the guys who usually got overwhelmed and quit. The successful candidates took each individual task at a time – just get through this moment or this day and don’t get overwhelmed with what is still to come.
Dawn: What advice would you give to other moms who have dreams of becoming entrepreneurs?
Renee: Again, I think if you have an idea or a dream, just move ahead in very small increments and don’t try to tackle everything at once. Focus on your strengths, what you do well, and then surround yourself with other people who can help with the other areas. Talk to other moms who have been through it to get advice and recommendations on everything from what software to use, how to market, who to contact, etc.
Dawn: You grew up with a very creative family. How did that influence your life and career path?
Renee: My family had a big influence. My mom was a stay-at-home mom but she always maintained other outside interests and hobbies like watercolor painting. She joined art guilds and entered her paintings in shows, sold many, always had people asking her to paint pictures as gifts. She is one of those ladies who can do anything – she was a registered nurse, and then a flight attendant before marrying my dad and having children. She can sew, decorate, cook – you name it.
My father is one of those individuals who is well versed in just about any subject that comes up - if he doesn’t know something, he’ll read and research to find out more about the topic. Sometimes my kids will say something like “how does Grandpa know that?” Or “how did he learn that?” He always tells them “once you start reading, you can learn anything that interests you.” Just pick up a book about that subject and educate yourself.
So throughout my childhood, even more than just having creative influences, I think my family taught me that you can do anything you set your mind to, and whatever you don’t know, you can learn.
Dawn: What are some of the ways that you inspire creativity in your children?
Renee: We like to play “pretend” a lot – either with plastic food and create our own restaurant or grocery store, or when I need help cleaning around the house, I’ll give my kids rubber gloves and assign them “jobs”. Their favorite job is to be the “trash man” and go around the house making beeping and grumbling truck sounds while they empty the waste baskets or recycling (they actually fight over this job).
I also try to challenge them in everyday life by asking them to come up with an idea to solve a problem. One day while pulling weeds in the garden, my dad and oldest son decided to become “weed patrol” and acted like policemen taking care of all the weeds – they had a great time and discussed how they could form a business to offer their services to other neighbors.
Another example, when we were at the ocean this summer, we visited the nests of loggerhead turtles in North Carolina. The marine biologists were out roping off the nests and taking measures to protect the turtle eggs, however one night a fox got into a nest and destroyed a bunch of eggs. We talked to the scientist to find out more and then I encouraged my kids to think of some ways to prevent the fox from stealing the eggs. They came up with all sorts of creative fox traps (everything from an elaborate electric fence to hot peppers, to the old propped up box with string trick). So whenever we run across an issue that concerns them or affects our everyday life, we try to brainstorm ideas and solutions.
One last thought on creativity, when it comes to drawing/coloring/art – I let my kids have total freedom. If they want to color the sun green, then let them. If they want to put a bee’s stinger on the back of a bird, let them. I try not to criticize or “correct” their artwork or creative projects. I set up an “art” cabinet where they can access the paper, crayons, markers, scissors, glue sticks, etc. and let them express themselves however they wish. My 4 year old loves to cut up old magazines or catalogs (we especially love the Pet store catalogs!) and glue the pieces on paper to create collages (he went through one phase where he glued cotton balls onto everything).
Dawn: What are some of their favorite books?
Renee: My 7 year old likes the Magic Tree House series. He also finished most of the Junie B. Jones series last year. He is also very interested in non-fiction – we spend a lot of time in the library getting books about wasps, turtles, cheetahs, snakes, monster trucks, baseball players, etc. He also really enjoyed the unit in school on Kevin Henkes - we have a lot of his books around the house - (Owen, Chrysanthemum, Lily, Wemberly Worried). He also brings home a lot of books from the Goosebumps series.
My 4 year old LOVES Rotten and Rascal by Paul Geraghty - that is his all time favorite book. Other favorites are Smash, Mash Crash There Goes the Trash by Barbara Odanaka. Thanks to your recommendation, we started reading the Horrid Henry series and he is really enjoying those. Last night we read The Monster and the Tailor by Paul Galdone and had to read it three times (we love his version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff as well). All three of us are currently reading James and the Giant Peach together.
Dawn: Are there any adult books that you'd like to recommend to other moms?
Renee: I recently finished Three Cups of Tea which I think everyone should read. I also just finished reading The Lone Survivor (The Eyewitness Account of Operation Red Wing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10) by Marcus Luttrell - his account of becoming a Navy SEAL and his service over in Afghanistan. This book should also be required reading for all Americans – it had me hooked – I couldn’t put it down and plan to go back and reread the second half again. This book is definitely at the top of my list of favorites now.
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself moving from the fiction/best sellers to more and more non-fiction and historical fiction which is unusual for me because I never really liked biographies, history, or geography. Another must-read recommendation in this genre is Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. I was fascinated by the true story about the pilgrims and the native Americans and I learned so much about our early beginnings in the “New World”.
Again, all of these books are so well written and informative – you will walk away feeling enlightened, entertained, and possibly even looking at things a little differently than before. I also have a handful of classics that I keep on my shelves and reread every few years – John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors – especially East of Eden (I find something new in this book every time I read it). Also, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was always a favorite of mine. I also loved Mark Twain, so if you have never read some of the classics or don’t remember them from high school/college, I would highly recommend picking them up.
Dawn: Wow, Renee, you have some wonderful tips and suggestions here! I think what I'll take away most from this conversation is the importance of the "3 B's:" baby steps, brainstorming, and books.
- Baby steps: taking things one step at a time, and not getting overwhelmed with future tasks, is advice people of every age can live by.
- Brainstorming: Sometimes the questions are more important than the answers! If we want our children to become problem solvers and creative thinkers, then we should make sure they realize that there's often more than just one right answer.
- Books: I love how your father pointed out that you can learn anything if you "just pick up a book about that subject and educate yourself." That's what Ben Franklin did, and he had to go to much greater lengths to find books back then!
Thank you for such wonderful advice, and for making me want to find time to read some great adult nonfiction again. I've been so focused on children's books and online resources, that I haven't had time to read just for my own enjoyment lately. I always say it's important to read a wide variety of materials, but it is difficult to find the time, isn't it? You gave some great suggestions, which I really appreciate.
If you'd like to find out more about Renee and her beautiful, cozy baby blankets, please visit her company web site, BobbleRoos (formerly Mr. Bobbles' Blankets).
You can find two other interviews at the following previous posts:
If you'd like me to continue this "Moms Inspire Moms" series, please leave a comment below. Thanks!