Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Allie Mirosevic. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Allie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

My business mission is to help moms live more joyful, fulfilling and connected lives through journaling. It’s a mission truly rooted in the why for my business – because journaling has helped me so much in feeling more joyful, fulfilled and connected (with myself & my family).

I’m often asked WHY journaling in the first place? I discovered my love for journaling during my first postpartum experience in 2019 when I experienced postpartum depression. At the suggestion of my therapist, I started journaling as an additional tool to help me (alongside medicine). Both helped immensely – and I like to say that my journaling practice stuck long after the medicine finished.

However, I couldn’t find an easy-to-use, inspirational 5-minute journal that could be used at any time of day (which is so important for a mom!), so I decided to create one – and nearly 4 years later, here we are! I launched my first journal last fall, and a second journal (geared at families) this past spring.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m originally from Chicago but have lived in LA for 11 years now. My heart is in both places! I love this city and have gone through a lot of life transitions while living here – met my now husband, had my ⁠two beautiful babies (I say babies but really they’re 2 and 4!), bought our first condo, and started my business, Bliss’d, a journaling company for moms (though it didn’t start out as that!).

Prior to starting Bliss’d, I worked in travel (I spent much of my 20s traveling and living abroad – New Zealand followed by Spain). I loved it – until I didn’t. The business travel wore me out!

I had always wanted to have my own business (in my early 20’s, I remember thinking, “I’m never going to have a 9 – 5” … haha joke was on me with that one!) I started Bliss’d in 2018 while working a full-time job – when I started it, it was a bath salt company because I loved self-care and wellness.

While self-care has always been at the root of Bliss’d, it wasn’t until I got pregnant and had my son in 2019 that I discovered my true WHY for Bliss’d – through my challenging postpartum experience, I discovered a love for something new (journaling) and recognized a gap in the market (easy-to-use, flexible journals)!

I’ve launched two journals so far – Time to Reflect is a 5-minute one for individual use (it’s a happy medium between a guided journal and a blank notebook) and We’re So Grateful is a journal for families to use together (with options to write and draw on every page). I believe the key things that set my journals apart from others are their ease and flexibility – they are meant to fit into YOUR full life.

I decided to go all in on Bliss’d nearly a year ago and while it certainly hasn’t been easy – I’ve never been more excited about my career path.

One other aspect of my business that I believe sets it apart is my non-profit partnership. Using my business as a force for good is important to me – I love supporting brands that give back and always knew I wanted to do the same! In line with my mission to help moms live more connected, joyful and fulfilling lives, Bliss’d is a proud partner of the SeekHer Foundation, an advocacy group for women’s mental health. They are an amazing organization and I highly recommend checking them out. I’m set up to give 10% of Bliss’d profits each year to SeekHer (and I have very big goals!)

Have you ever had to pivot?

My whole life has been a pivot haha – but that’s how I learn! I’ve always been a make your passion your career type of person. My first passion was travel; I fell in love with traveling during my semester abroad trip and knew I wanted to make it my career. So I did! I even went to grad school to get a degree in sustainability for travel – and I had a nearly 10-year long career in the travel industry. With time, I slowly realized my priorities and interests were changing, and I no longer enjoyed the business travel aspect of my job (though now as a mom, I question this haha).

So, I made a conscious decision to pivot when I started Bliss’d in 2018 (as a side hustle) – as I said earlier, I always thought the business I would start would be in travel but with time I became more and more interested in wellness and self-care as a career. It wasn’t easy; I had invested so much time and effort into my travel career, and I was known for it in my professional circle. But I knew it was necessary for my personal growth and happiness.

I think pivoting is a natural part of life, but sometimes society can make us think otherwise. It’s okay to try something and not like it; in my book, at least you tried! It’s also perfectly acceptable to have a 10-year career in one industry and then shift to something completely different. Life is a journey, and pivoting is just one of the many ways we navigate it. I’m excited to see where this path leads me!

We’d really appreciate if you could talk to us about how you figured out the manufacturing process.

While I design all my journals, I do collaborate with an overseas manufacturer to print my journals. It took a lot of time to find the right manufacturer – I started the process looking for a US based printer and quickly learned that for the type of printing I wanted (hardcover with sewn binding) and for the price point of my journals, a US manufacturer just didn’t make sense.

I dug around a lot on the internet looking for the right manufacturer – reviews, quality, capabilities pricing/minimums, and certifications all went into my decision. I ordered samples from 4 different manufacturers – sample costs can be quite high (think $60 – $80/unit) so while I had to choose wisely, I’m also so glad I sourced samples from a few different manufacturers. It made all the difference in my confidence to go with my current manufacturer, who produces my high quality journals that I’m so proud of!

Lessons I’ve learned include:

– the whole process takes time and now that I have a sense of how much time is needed for the quantities I order in, I know to plan ahead
– multiple samples are important – don’t just rely on pictures! I would say even if you feel certain you’re going to work with 1 manufacturer (as I was), it’s important to get 2 – 3 samples so you can compare and be confident in your decision/not wonder
– as you’re working through pricing, also ask about shipping costs

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blissd.co
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blissdco/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alliekmirosevic/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blissdco

Image Credits
Jessica Franz