We recently connected with Dawn Sprong and have shared our conversation below.

Dawn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

From early in my career on, I made a decision to actually share the truth about myself no matter the audience. In other words, not to change just because I was at work, at home, with friends etc. I actually have always questioned the authenticity of people and decided I was not serving anyone with pretending to be something I am not.
After starting a childcare, mainly to spend time with my children when they were young, it grew to three centers quickly. I feel that the huge success of this business and its profitability was based on ignoring the norms. We always, and I mean always did things because we felt they were ‘right’. Not to say I did not have to consider finances, but I always trusted that if I felt called to help out a family with no money, or wanted to be creative and extravagant the money was there. After a while I had such an amazing staff, I stepped away into an inactive role in the business. As much as I love money, this motivation alone was not enough to expand further. I really was looking for more. I sort of knew it was there, but had no idea what it was. Ignoring family and friends ideas to just keep going and expand, go on more vacations, buy a bigger house, I sat with the discomfort.
Several years later, and quite honestly lots of painful introspection led my to a realization of just how much wealth and success I had created. There was just one problem, until that moment, other than a brief moment of gratitude, I had never slowed down to enjoy it, to actually witness how abundant life is, I was always on to the next event.
That is when life changed. Through a series of events, I became so mindful of myself and my life that regardless of ‘others’ thoughts I created a bracelet to give out. It was with the sole intention of getting others to sit in the moment before charging ahead. That bracelet started my current company, which has proved to be something beyond my wildest imagination.

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?

My career started working in professional sports. I worked for the NBA on the publication HOOP magazine in the marketing department. That was the last job I choose because of the “image”. I stayed 12 years, but it was never as aspiring or satisfying as it looked to the outside world. My other two career moves were chosen for me, I say this because I followed what my heart needed, not the image I wanted to create. First was opening childcare facilities that as I said earlier, gave me a change to step out of the norm. We focused on creating a place that focused the way staff and families were treated. The pay off, although that is not why I did it, was staff that stayed 10+ years, amazing family bonds, a reputation that kept our waiting list a year long, and ultimately (after 25 years) a lucrative buy out.

Currently, I create and manufacture jewelry. Our company is called Made As Intended, my husband is my partner. This company started by initially giving a bracelet to others tagged with a reminder to practice present moment gratitude. The company actually started itself, I even almost ‘chickened’ out from expressing so much of myself. I did not intend to start a company, I was actually doing the opposite, giving things away. I felt exposed, but also called to give out my widening perspective thinking it might be helpful to others.

Made As Intended products have now reached 3 million people and going. We are a 12-year-old company. Interestingly, two years ago when sales started to slow, we received a call that Hallmark wanted to do a movie about us. They actually bought the rights to do a movie that aired for the first time in 2023. The movie was based on the story behind the bracelet. It featured a woman named ‘Dawn’ and while it was not really my life story, the energy and story behind the bracelet came through. It put sales beyond, beyond. While we tripled our staff, I am still not really sure how we are manufacturing as much as we are. Guess I am finally catching on- do not question life, question your -Self.
The movie was the result of a friend sending some notes to Hallmark on a movie idea. It had absolutely nothing to do with me, I actually never really put much stock in this ever happening.
Then, after taking an extended time of reflection walking the Camino in Europe, I found out they wanted to sign a contract with us and produce what turned out to be an almost two-hour commercial on our story and product.

Turns out the moral to my story is, be still and take the time to find yourself, your success will unfold. I never would have believed this, had it not actually happened to me. Like everyone else, or most others, I did chase money for a good bit of time, it was when I took time to really find myself that life’s real riches were revealed. Currently they continue playing the movie and our bracelet is sold in 500 retail stores in addition to our website.
I have been told over and over again what it means to people, and I often have this surreal feeling, “I did nothing, it was a random idea that was already there, I just listened.”

Conversations about M&A are often focused on multibillion dollar transactions – but M&A can be an important part of a small or medium business owner’s journey. We’d love to hear about your experience with selling businesses.

As I often find, my story is often more about what I had to find in myself then it is about the typical business transaction.

One of the things I will say over and over again is follow your instincts. One of the best examples I have of the pay off in this is when I received an offer to sell my childcares centers. I knew that a larger and very successful corporate center was going to make an offer. It came via email. I opened the email and although to most people it would have been a generous offer, profits x several years, my realization was it was not what I wanted. It felt low, I don’t have an actual explanation for what I felt, I just knew at that price I would feel okay not selling.
I called our accountant who said, ‘that is the best you are probably going to get’, ‘it is a very fair offer’.
For about 12 hours I sat with this.
The next morning, I emailed the company. My only line was, Unfortunately, I cannot accept your offer, I need- and I doubled the number. I only based this on instinct, it was not worth selling if it was not at a number.
I signed my name with no other blah-blah-blah.

I received an email back in 24 hours- they accepted my terms. They doubled their 6 digit number and we closed 12 months later.

I was actually just a bit shocked, but it was not at receiving what I wanted, it was that I had the courage to not listen to what the accountant said. I was ultimately okay whether it sold or not, My ah-ha moment was about being courageous enough to not base what I was willing to ask for on the opinions of others. This is what being programmed by society is all about, norms.
I like to test norms and create exceptions.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I have had to unlearn is making more and more money, having more and more material wealth is all great, yet it still leaves you looking something. It haunted me that the more and more I had, nothing changed. I could not figure out what the point of it all was, yet I kept making more money and buying more stuff. I ultimately had a moment when I stepped back saw myself always charging ahead and never taking the time to really ask why -I still felt so miserable. Once I did what I found was amazing. I wanted to be happy and at peace. Money is great and I love spending it, but until I was able to be happy with what I had at any given moment the money was pretty useless, I was insatiable. As for peace there is no peace when you are chasing ‘things’ and an image. Instead finding peace by choosing ‘who I am in the world’ brings the ‘things’ I need and ultimately creates the image. A total transformation from what advertising or most of society would have you believe.
I would never in my wildest imagination have believed that I would have a jewelry company and a movie made based on my story. One of craziest thing about this, I never really liked jewelry. I have learned to really appreciate it, but I would not have dreamed I would be designing it.

Contact Info:

• Website: madeasintended.com
• Instagram: Made_ As_Intended
• Facebook: Made As Intended