In celebration of National Women’s Small Business Month we had a chance to connect with entrepreneur Sandy Abrams, CEO and Founder of Moisture Jamzz, Inc. and author of Your Idea, Inc., to learn more about her experience starting a business, the lessons learned and her advice to fellow female business owners. We enjoyed hearing her story and are excited to share it with you.
1) Tell us a little about your career path, prior to starting Moisture Jamzz, Inc. and writing Your Idea, Inc., what were you doing? What inspired you to start your business?
In college, I majored in broadcasting and dreamed of being a TV news reporter. I interned all through college in TV newsrooms. My last internship during senior year was at CNN on Capitol Hill. It was supposed to have cemented my passion for news but it completely changed it. I realized that hard news was not for me. I still loved the medium of television and storytelling but I began to broaden my horizons. I moved to Los Angeles after graduation and the first job I got was in PR. I enjoyed it but then moved on to getting my real estate license and sold houses until launching my own business, Moisture Jamzz, Inc.
I launched the business because like many entrepreneurs, I needed a product that I wasn’t finding in the marketplace. I became intrigued with the fact that I had an idea for a product that could really help other people with the same very common problem that I had (dry hands). My husband was a trademark attorney, his father was a patent attorney and we frequently had conversations about turning ideas into products. I decided to actually do it. It helped that I was in Los Angeles, which at the time had a thriving garment manufacturing industry. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing so I read some startup books, which were written mainly by MBA’s and professors at the time. I didn’t speak that language, so I turned to
Tony Robbins for self-confidence instead and I found my own way to build the business.
Over the years, people would ask me how I started the business and I always said, “If I can do it, you can do it!” I started to write an outline and give it to people and it changed a few lives. So, after 15 yrs. in business, I felt qualified to try to find a publisher and help others on a bigger scale. That’s why I wrote Your Idea, Inc., to help other ‘regular people with great ideas’ start their own business.
2) How would you describe the first year of starting your business? Did you notice any specific obstacles as a woman?
The first year was both exhilarating and exhausting. It’s where you have to build a solid foundation for every aspect of the business, of which I knew nothing. It was a priceless education in being resourceful, determined and persistent. I didn’t feel any obstacles from being a woman, probably because I wouldn’t have noticed anyway. I was on a mission to find solutions to each problem that needed to be solved in order to design, manufacture, market and distribute my product.
I was the VP of every department, I had no choice but to figure it all out. The value of learning everything piece by piece was not lost on me. I could see where I was weak and needed to hire outside help and could see my strengths and where I wanted to retain control. That first year was a year of list making and problem solving; with manufacturing issues taking the bulk of my time. I’m sure I had walked into every single sewing contracting business in the Los Angeles area. I had also learned about the legal issues of setting up a business and by the end of year one, my ducks were in a row and I was ready to market and sell.
3) What challenges and opportunities have you encountered along the way?
I’ve faced many challenges building a business because I had no business experience but I learned that each challenge is, in fact, an opportunity to look at something in a different way. I tend to get laser focused on something but if there’s an obstacle, it’s usually popping up for a good reason. I try to look at why it came up and figure out another plan. In hindsight, I can see that obstacles usually led me to a better solution.
4) What challenges and opportunities still exist for women in your field?
Over the years, women have made tremendous progress in the business world. While wages in the corporate world are not equal, as an entrepreneur selling a product or providing a service, if the marketplace wants that product/service, they will buy it. So, I’ve always been focused on providing a quality product and now, as I’ve branched out into consulting, I’m focused on bringing value to my clients and brands.
There’s a very supportive network of women out there to help women entrepreneurs excel in business. I’ve been on both sides; as a mentor and mentee. It’s critical that as women we support each other and enjoy the momentum that comes from a collective energy.
5) How about the things that make you keep going, can you tell us #1) Your ultimate work day motivation #2) Your proudest career moment?
My ultimate work day motivation now is to create thoughtful content that helps to inspire other people see that they too are qualified to be an entrepreneur. I’ve always loved storytelling and have come full circle back to my love of reporting. I’ve been writing entrepreneurial start up stories and profiles for the
HuffPost Small Business vertical so that people can see a part of themselves in someone else’s story and feel inclined to move forward with their own entrepreneurial dream. I’ve also developed a blog for a big fashion trade show that profiles their exhibiting entrepreneurs, there’s no shortage of inspirational stories to share!
When I first started my business, my proudest moment was seeing our line in the big chain stores where I shopped, such as Bed, Bath & Beyond, Bath and Body Works and H2O Plus. Now, it’s when a Your Idea, Inc. reader takes the time to reach out and let me know that my book has changed their life and helped them finally turn their idea into a business.
6)Are you active on social media? On a typical day what platform would you be on and what would you be posting?
When my book was about to be published, the publisher insisted that I join Twitter and Facebook and ‘get social.’ I was kind of dreading it... but it changed my life! I’ve been able to utilize social media to build an amazing online
#SmBiz centric community that is engaging and supportive.
Twitter is my favorite platform. I’m a bit of a Twitter evangelist to anyone I meet in #SmBiz who is not utilizing the platform to network and grow. It truly is a part of my connection to the world. It’s where I can engage in real time conversation, usually about #SmBiz and lifestyle related topics, but also for supporting social good and causes that friends and colleagues are passionate about.
The access that Twitter allows to reach out to anyone never ceases to amaze me, because who isn’t on Twitter?! I’ve had the privilege of meeting Oprah in person as a result of connecting on Twitter when she first launched her television network. Connecting with Oprah was very meaningful because I credit the Oprah show for providing key inspiration after seeing a women entrepreneurial panel that made me feel like “If they can do it, I can do it.” I was able to connect with one of those women after the show. She took the time to meet with me (while in L.A. on a family vacation) and offer advice and enthusiasm. I will never forget her generosity. It was that breakfast that I considered my first biz expense.
I made a promise to myself that day that when I became successful like her (I’m always optimistic), I’d be helpful to others who were just starting out. Today, that still continues to fuel my fire on a daily basis.
7) Takeaway: What is one piece of advice you would give to a woman thinking about starting her own business today?
Absolutely do it! As Tony Robbins says, “You haven’t fully decided until you’ve taken action.”
Stop thinking or dreaming about that business; take pen to paper, make it real and bring the idea to life. Take baby steps each day and before you know it, after a week and then a month, you’ve made real progress. You have to begin with a positive mindset and be ready for challenges. Do your research, get clarity on your goals, make lists, decide if you can commit to the journey. Then start from a place of strength, knowing that you are ready to follow your dream.