We were lucky to catch up with Melania Padilla recently and have shared our conversation below.

Melania, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I am definitely happy as a business owner: I would do it all over again.

And let me tell you, I still have a 9-5 job, but that did not stop me from creating a business. And I could not have done it without my husband’s help. We both run HippieCat.

I have wondered what it would be like not having HippieCat and I don’t like the thought, LOL! There have been hard moments when I have wondered about it. Having a product considered part of a still controversial business, we have been rejected several times for “drug paraphernalia”. However, I would do it all over again. That was my conclusion. Creating something of your own feels amazing and I love our products and our brand.

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.

We wanted to create something of our own and have our own business. We also wanted to create a product that was functional and highly esthetic. We spent months thinking about what would be a product that checked all the boxes and it all started to take shape once we came up with the name. We are cat lovers and I knew our brand had to do with cats, that I knew for sure! We also enjoy the relaxed vibe of beautiful Austin and its people; the perfect match happened when we combined these two features and HippieCat was born.

We then pursued a useful product that reflected this lifestyle, looked amazing, and felt that it would be part of someone’s personality. After much research and time, we found the grinders we are currently offering. This is the first item from a line of products that will come in the near future, always with the same chilled attitude our brand transmits.

Our grinders are not only highly esthetic, they are also built for the hard work and to last for a long time. We are very proud of our product, design and brand. Know that this is a brand born in Austin, created by an entrepreneurial couple who want to offer a cool and high quality product. Are you a HippieCat? Join us!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

So we started thinking of selling on Amazon. Yes. This was the first major rejection we had; we were not allowed to sell because of drug paraphernalia. The curious thing is that we still saw similar products to our own being sold there! Long story short we appealed and we got a NO.

But this took us to another journey: we decided to create our own web page, grow our brand without a platform like Amazon and sell ourselves. We did not give up, this new way of doing business would take a lot more of our time, but we have learned so much that I am convinced this was the best outcome.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

The main thought that drove us to the entrepreneurial world was LIFE IS TOO SHORT to dedicate your whole time to a job/another company. Time and health are the most precious gifts we have in my view. Given that, we jumped in knowing this might work or not; that we might fail. But the important thing is not failing: you will. What matters the most is learning what you can from that experience and trying again.

On the books that have made a huge impression in me are the works and lives of Charles Darwin, Leo Tolstoy and Doctor Jane Goodall. Reading biographies of this type will always inspire you, I assure you that. Their conviction and resilience were amazing.

On the books that have helped me in the management/entrepreneurial aspect, there are some that my husband read and recommended to me and that I will always be grateful to him for; these books have really inspired me to go on. The first one was the work of Doctor Joe Dispenza in general; then “12 Months to $1 Million” by Ryan Daniel Moran; “Traction” by Gino Wickman and “Mindset” by Doctor Carol S. Dweck, among others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.meethippiecat.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meethippiecat/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeetHippieCat
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/HippieCat2023

Image Credits
Melania Padilla