We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bora Falcone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Bora, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

I’ve always wanted to do something meaningful and I think I’ve found it by combining two of my greatest loves. Animals and art! The first organization I worked with was Paws Crossed. They were the rescue we got our dear Buster Brown from. Our loyal hound. I painted a few colorful pet portraits and donated them to the organization. They hung up the artwork and when the artwork gets purchased, all the proceeds goes to them.
So now, I’m at a good starting point where organizations have started to reach out to me and we’d organize a raffle for a colorful pet portrait. All the funds get donated to the organization and I get to paint someone something special!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I got into painting colorful pet portraits simply because I love animals and I love using weird combinations of colors. With a little push from my spouse after having a baby, I started painting our pets and we thought, why not try to help out rescues with my art? So that’s how Bora Falcone Art started and it was perfect as a stay at home mom. Do what you love and you don’t work a day in your life, isn’t that how the saying goes?

I’m pretty proud of putting myself out there. Through the awkward TikTok videos and trials and errors. My favorite part about the pet portrait business is meeting other animals lovers and getting to paint all the different personalities.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I initially started free pet portraits to get my portfolio going and then picked up a few commissions here and there from friends and family at a discount. I made small goals for myself such as, if I sell and make XYZ I’ll buy a printer. And the goals got bigger, I got more commissions. I put one foot in front of the other and left a trail!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being a parent is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Starting a business while being a parent is the second hardest! If you really want something you fight for it and it’s something I work on everyday. There’s no quitting, no more sleeping in. It’s tough but I’m still here doing my very best!

During the peak of Covid, I was going through a divorce in Philly and also lost my job. I got into an abusive relationship and burned many bridges through this time. I had to hit a reset button, which is a lot harder than it sounds but I basically hit rock bottom. I moved back in with my parents in NJ, and was depressed for a time. Then I started dating my friend of 8 years and now, we’re married, have two sons, and two rescue pets and my own business!
Of course, I didn’t do all this on my own but the fact that I exist today and can do what I love is a miracle. I love being a pet portrait artist, a loving wife and a mom!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.borafalconeart.com
• Instagram: BoraFalconeArt
• Other: TikTok – BoraFalconeArt