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

Alright, Sarai thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

Journey back to 2021 when I created this business based solely on my interest in sharing my hobby with others. I created hair bows to replace the never-ending routine of always having to purchase some for my daughter. Eventually, after time, I realized not only did she not quite care for hair bows in the first place but, others around her showed more interest and appreciation for the bows than I did. I never truly realized that something I did as a stress reliever, cutting, sewing, and hot gluing could have the potential to be a functional business. Working full-time at a preschool in my local community led me right into the lap of my customers. Fun things like gifting my bows to my students in their Valentine’s goody bags and on holidays turned into a great opportunity to also market my items. That’s when I began being a vendor at my local Farmers Market in Burleson on Saturday mornings.

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?

What sets me apart from others is that I treat each client and their order as if I were making it for my child. That’s where the name Bows By Mommi comes into play. Bows made with so much attention and love, it’s almost as if your mama made it. My specialty is creating unique custom celebration bows. So, in my mind the bigger the better, the more unique the more distinctive details will pop out!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I know we are in the world of social media but, truly what built my almost 600 Facebook followers was word of mouth and going out into my community to network and provide my goods. My advice is to get out there and build relationships. Sometimes it’s not always about selling, it’s about building a community that you have the opportunity to sit front row to their lives in being able to make their big moments even more special with my customized items.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn that sometimes, a break is not the worst thing in the world. There was a point with me being a full-time college student and mommy and wife where things can just get to be a lot and overwhelming. I stepped back and took time to adjust all of the things, and then went back into my business a year later refreshed and excited to provide services to my community. Be attentive to your body and listen when you need to take a mental break away from the busy. -Maybe not a year break but know a healthy time frame away to pour back into you is not the worst thing in the world. How can you help others if you can’t help yourself first?

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BowsbyMommi

Image Credits

Sarai Smith