SuperWAHM Interview – Joy Randel of Dazzle Dog Delight

This week’s interviewee is Joy Randel, from Dazzle Dog Delight.  I had no idea all these things were available for dogs until I saw her site (I’m a cat person) and it was almost enough to make me want a dog.  Joy has a great heart for helping homeless dogs, and she donates a large percentage of her profits to the SPCA.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your family?

My wonderful husband and I have an eight year old daughter. We also have a Labrador retriever greyhound mixed dog. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and enjoy the temperate weather. We live in a city but we are only about ten minutes away from a wooded redwood regional park that is hundreds of acres. We spend time each weekend taking long family walks either through the regional park or along the San Francisco Bay.

2. Tell us about your business – what you do, how long you’ve been running, who your customers are?

I am the CEO of Dazzle Dog Delight. Dazzle Dog Delight is dedicated to passionate dog owners by providing gifts for the dog who has everything. Every purchase you make helps a homeless dog because we donate 5% of our profits to the SPCA. Our customers pamper their dogs with designer collars, leashes, bed, toys, clothes, etc. We have over 800 items in our store.

3. How did you get into that particular business?

Dazzle Dog Delight was born out of love and necessity. Prior to Dazzle Dog Delight I worked as an IT manager for numerous companies managing large web development projects.

At home, the family dog always had a starring role. First it was my black Labrador Kincaid and now a Greyhound-Labrador mix, Rocket.

I found time with my family and dog more rewarding than my job and when the economy turned sour and layoffs were abundant, I thought “hmmm, maybe getting laid-off wouldn’t be so bad.” I found that out for real when the cost-cutting arrived in a memo.

I combined my passion for dogs with my IT knowledge and created Dazzle Dog Delight. The hours are long and there’s not nearly as much support staff, but the employees and customers always wag their tails – a reward rarely found in my old jobs.

4. What’s the worst challenge that you’ve experienced in your business, and how did you overcome it?

The worst challenge I experienced in my business was not having enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done. I overcame it by setting up a system where I do specific tasks at certain times of the day.

I plan my week out ahead of time and decide how each day is going to be segmented for that specific week. Each week I re-evaluate and make changes. I also set up a goal board so everything I do has to meet one of my goals or I don’t start doing it.

5. Tell us three things that no-one knows about you.

1) Travelled and walked across Macau.

2) I drove across America twice.

3) Once was a dog in a former life.

6. What has been your biggest success that you’ve had in your business? What was it that made that happen?

My biggest success has been being able to contribute my profits to the SPCA. I am determined to make sales because it benefits a non-profit organization that I believe in.

7. If you didn’t have this business, what do you think you’d do and why?

If I did not have this business I would be doing fund raising for animal shelters. There are more and more homeless animals as people lose their jobs in this bad economy. The shelters need all the help they can get.

8. What’s the biggest mistake that you see newbie business owners making?

The biggest mistake that I see newbie business owners make is that they do not plan. They do not have a business plan and they do not have a marketing plan.

9. Coffee or Tea?

Coffee

10. How many hours a week do you put into your business?

I am putting 40 hours a week into my business.

11. How do you fit those hours in? Eg: school hours, early mornings, late nights, kids in daycare, around my other (paid) job?

I work many late nights and early mornings before my daughter awakes and after she is asleep.

12. If you were a Superhero, what would your super powers be?

If I were a Superhero my super powers would give me the vision to tell the future.

13. What’s the weirdest/funniest thing that’s ever happened to you? (business or otherwise)

The weirdest thing that happened to me is that the dog walker I hired turned out to live in a home that I had lived in two years earlier.

SuperWAHM Interview – Sarah Lee of Speedy Cartridge

This week’s interview is with Sarah Lee from Speedy Cartridge, located in Australia.

1. Tell us a little about yourself, your family, whatever you’re comfortable sharing.

My name is Sarah, mother of two absolutely gorgeous kids. My girl, Amelia is three and I also have a son Aaron who is one almost two.

Things I love are my family, cooking, EATING (LOL), and travelling. My work prior to becoming a work from home parent was in the accounting field of the financial services industry.

Now with the knowledge of my husband and my own ambition to become a work from home parent, we have recently reached this point of beginning our very own business.

2. Tell us about your business – what you do, how long you’ve been running, who your customers are?

Speedy Cartridge specialises in the sales of printer cartridges, inks and toners. We offer the choice of genuine cartridges or compatible cartridges which are backed by a 100% money back guarantee and offer even greater savings.

We don’t have a shop and are not a franchise so we are able to offer our customers a better price than retail as we don’t have the addition costs of these things to cover therefore pass these savings on to our customers. We only recently just got up and running, but this business has been in the minds of my husband and I for so long, its amazing that we are actually up and running now, feels very surreal.

So far, we are building our customer fan base on Facebook and we have had some great customers so far, willing to give us a try and we are very grateful for that.

3. How did you get into that particular business?

My husband has a lot of knowledge in this area. He is qualified in printer repairs and knows a great deal when it comes to cartridges. My family always said he should do something for himself so we could gain from his technical knowledge and me being out of work with the kids was the starting point.

4. What’s the worst challenge that you’ve experienced in your business, and how did you overcome it?

Probably just issues with getting money together to pay for advertising. We just decided to take it slowly, and build it up as we go.

6. What has been your biggest success that you’ve had in your business? What was it that made that happen?

Our first sale, it was very motivating and exciting for us. All the lovely work at home mums who send their enquiries to us also give us such a sense of motivation and the lovely work at home mum who was the first to give us a shot! Facebook made this happen, and a lot of networking.

7. If you didn’t have this business, what do you think you’d do and why?

I would still be trying to think of a way to earn some money from home and stay with my kids. Or I would be starting to think about doing a refresher course in finance and accounting so I could return to my previous career once my kids go to school.

8. What’s the biggest mistake that you see newbie business owners making?

For an online business, it would be letting off some steam in their FaceBook status bar. I think people need to be careful of that as it can give a real insight to the person behind the business.

9. Coffee or Tea?

Tea

10. Wine, Beer or Champagne?

Champagne

11. How many hours a week do you put into your business?

I don’t have a set amount of hours I put into it. I put as many hours as I can and when I can. I mind my two children at home so if they are asleep or busy and happy then I sit down and work on it.

12. How do you fit those hours in? Eg: school hours, early mornings, late nights, kids in daycare, around my other (paid) job?

During the kids nap time (when that ever happens!), when my husband is home or during the day when the kids are happily occupied.

13. If you were a Superhero, what would your super powers be?

I would like to be able to fly!!

15. Is there anything else you’d like to say or add?

Be sure to think of us next time you need cartridges, ink or toners for your printer.

SuperWAHM Interview – Alison’s Soy Candles and Melts

A brand new feature of SuperWAHM – I’ll be posting an interview with a different SuperWAHM each week.   To kick off the first interview we’ve got Alison from Alison’s Soy Candles and Melts.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Alison and I am 28. I live in Sydney, Australia, with my gorgeous husband, and 3 children aged 8 years, 19 months and 6 months.

Tell us about your business and what you do.

Alison’s Soy Candles & Melts have been running an online store for around 7 months.

Previous to that I sold on ebay, madeit and at local markets.  We sell soy candles and melts and specialise in wedding and christening bonbonniere and also sell DIY kits so you can create gorgeous candles yourself. We have lots of different customers nationwide and are also selling in 2 retail stores.

We love to create different things also and at the moment our “Cupcake” melts I can hardly keep up with!

How did you get into that particular business?

I have always loved crafts and handmade things. I have dabbled with so many different crafts and so candle making was at first just a new hobby that I quickly fell in love with.  It is relaxing for me and a bit of time out from our busy lifestyle.

After buying some soy melts years ago at a local market, I ordered my first batch of raw materials and then went from there. My family and friends love being my guinea pigs for new products and fragrances.

What’s the worst challenge that you’ve experienced in your business, and how did you overcome it?

Time is probably my biggest challenge – being a WAHM is harder sometimes then people would think but I have a pretty good system in place at the moment and my husband has designated a whole working space for all my things in the garage so when I need to do orders I am out of the house and in work mode.

Tell us three things that no-one knows about you.

I used to be a fitness fanatic and work out 6 times a week, when I was a teenager I used to tell everyone I was never getting married or having children!!! haha lol

I don’t eat vegetables or salad – I am a MEATATARIAN!

What has been your biggest success that you’ve had in your business?

I have had a lot of success I guess for my type of work – It was exciting when we received a rather large order from New Zealand, and we have just introduced some lines into 2 retail stores so that’s a success for us!

Patience and being persistent has made our small business successful and learning not to get down when you have slower weeks because usually following a slow week we end up with our biggest the next!

If you didn’t have this business, what do you think you’d do and why?

I would probably be back at work slaving away in a cafe and not getting to enjoy my children the way I can now

What’s the biggest mistake that you see newbie business owners making?

Copying – since we started our small online business so many other small or new business simply copy packaging or ideas that we have had.

Try to be creative and come up with new or different things to what are on the market and you will have more success that way.

Coffee or Tea?

Hate them both and I don’t drink alcohol either.

How many hours a week do you put into your business?

I usually spend around 10-16 hours a week online, and answering emails etc and between 4 plus hours creating depending on demand week by week.

How do you fit those hours in?

Most of my creating is late at night from 9pm when all the kids are asleep and the house work is done.  My 2 youngest have good sleeps in the days and that is when I finish or pack orders, answer emails etc.

If you were a Superhero, what would your super powers be?

Honestly to have enough food and clean water in the world for everyone. We are spoilt rotten in Australia and its sad to think that we make out sometimes like we live in poverty because interest rates go up or groceries or fuel are more expensive but when you look at the whole picture their are families that go days without food, and clean water and that don’t have houses let alone cars. It’s crazy.

Is there anything else you’d like to say or add?

I am loving the support for WAHM and dads at the moment. It is great to see.

Grieving What We Can't Have – An Interview at Someday Syndrome

The lovely Alex Fayle of Someday Syndrome asked me recently to be one of his interviewee’s for his weekly “Someday Interviews” that he does every monday.  Click here to read the interview – Grieving What We Can’t Have

Alex is one of my friends that I’ve met via Twitter (he’s @alexfayle), and he’s a lovely guy! His own story makes great reading if you go back into his site archives – selling up everything, moving to another country and creating the life he wants rather than staying in a comfortable rut.

So far he’s motivated me to take up running again (I think I’m thankful for that!), to become more organised and to work on my own ‘Someday’s’.

Thanks Alex!