We were lucky to catch up with Trish Hawthorne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Trish, appreciate you joining us today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?
When it comes to family and friends supporting your business, I think it’s important to place them where they fit best for your needs without taking anything personally. Utilize your resources, but don’t count on friends and family to be your main customers or the main support system for your business. If you have friends in photography or family in web design, place them in the appropriate area so you can maximize your productivity without having to work as hard to find talented individuals you can trust. I would draw the line where it starts to negatively affect relationships or when your feelings start to override what’s best for your business. For example, it may not be wise to put a family member with a gambling problem in charge of finances for your business, even if they have dreamed of being a CFO their entire lives and are looking for you to help make that dream a reality. Also remember, if business relationships with family and friends aren’t a fit for you, it’s not personal. No one will work harder for you than they want to, no matter their relationship to you, so find the best person for the job and remember that your priorities for your business and those for your relationships with friends can be different and still matter.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I have always had a love for fashion and, as the millennials say it, “putting that sh** on,” but having my daughters taught me the importance of not losing that spark once you start a family and move into the next phase of adulthood. I found out a lot about myself when I became a mom and I thought that deserved to be celebrated. Then, Mommy Confetti was born. I am the sole creative for my brand. I create the concepts for each shoot for my brand, I shoot the photographs, design the website, pack and ship orders…she is my baby and I take care of her lol. So many people have dreams that they’re too afraid to see through, so I’m most proud of seeing it through and watching her grow. So many people in my circle and beyond come to me to get fly for whatever upcoming event they have and I pride myself on that. I’m looking forward to my brand being that brand that takes over the summer in Cali, every single summer.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
One of the biggest things I had to unlearn was that I couldn’t trust my own decisions. I have always been a quiet girl, so people often thought they had to speak up for me. When I started my business, I saw the same patterns. People started to speak on the look my business should have and how I should run my program, to the point that I didn’t trust my own judgements and would sit on a bunch of content that I loved to satisfy others. I had to learn that there is no voice bigger than my own and that I could trust what I want for my business as much as I was trusting what others wanted for me.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
There is nothing wrong with using your 9-5 to find your dreams. I started my business as a single mom, I had to work to provide for my daughter but I also wanted to nurture my dreams. I started small, bought what I could when I could, room my own photos, whatever I could do to cut corners because the end goal mattered more than the starting point. Start where you are with what you have. Not everyone can drop thousands in a new endeavor, does that mean that we should quit? Hell no. Do what you can until you can do more. Use whatever income you have to find your business until your business can fund your lifestyle.
Contact Info:
- Website: MommyConfetti.com
- Instagram: @mommyconfetti @yooo_trish
- Twitter: @mommyconfetti
- Other: TIKTOK @mommyconfetti