Mom to Mom: Suzanne Simkin
I'm pretty certain that I've discovered one of the coolest Mother's Day gifts ever: This "Lucky Mom" shirt by the mama owned company, PeaceLoveMom! It's super soft, and the detail in the crown is fabulous! I also love the subtle 24/7 beneath the crown. I love it so much, in fact, that I decided to talk to the company's founder, Suzanne Simkin. Suzanne is offering a 20% discount on my favorite shirt to Mother Rising Readers. Simply add the coupon code: RISING.
It's my pleasure to introduce...
Mom: Suzanne Simkin
Of: Samantha (8 yrs old) & Hannah (8 yrs old)
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Site: PeaceLoveMom
Blog: PeaceLoveMom Blog
1. In what ways has becoming a mother changed you?
I feel that I am changing constantly - it is not just one major change. It is a continual change over time. Each stage my children are in, I feel that I too am in a different stage - different demands with new lessons to teach my children and new lessons to learn from them. Motherhood is both rewarding and humbling because you are experiencing great success and failure- sometimes in the same day!
2. What message would you like to share with other mothers?
Celebrate Motherhood & feel good about what your are doing. Be happy and comfortable with who you are. Your children will follow your example. Motherhood is a privilege & we have the world's future in our hands.
3. What inspired you to create the Peace Love Mom line?
I did not create PLM. In fact, the word "I" does not exist in our company. A team of different Mothers with different backgrounds and styles inspired us to form the foundation of PeaceLoveMom. We started with a poem we wrote called "The Language of PeaceLoveMom". Each verse represented a core belief that we felt all Mothers share. Below is the first line to each verse:
We believe in motherhood
We believe that motherhood is life’s most precious work.
We believe in our children’s future
We believe in the bond of motherhood.
Welcome to the Celebration!
4. What sparked the idea, and what steps did you take towards making it a reality?
After spending many hours in what we like to call "the Mom Board Room" (playgrounds, ball field, classrooms- anywhere our children were), we found that we were surrounded by dynamic and inspiring Moms. Although moms have different styles of mothering, we all share a common goal. We want to rear our children to be happy, self confident, and independent adults. With these Moms in mind, we set out to create a lifestyle brand company that would be "A Celebration Motherhood". A Celebration of all that we do, we feel, and we yearn for. With our mantra "Motherhood does not define us. We define it." and our "Language of PeaceLoveMom" to guide our concept, we identified key items that were essential to the foundation of our company:
* Our messages needed to be meaningful to today's Mom
* Our designs & colors needed to reflect the current fashion trends
* Our tee shirt needed to have the fit & feel our target market wanted to wear
With our company direction and product goals in place, we began formalize our business strategy. We knew owning our own business could not be a hobby. We needed to earn an income. We also needed ensure that we had the determination required to run a successful business and the flexibility to stay focused on our family. There was no task we would not tackle, but we were smart enough to recognize our weaknesses. When we needed help, we asked. After 2 1/2 years in business, we have created a strong PeaceLoveMom team. These women not only share our PeaceLoveMom vision but they bring with them diverse talents and points of view. It is this collaboration that makes PeaceLoveMom successful and a true celebration of motherhood.
5. What did you learn from the process?
Your business can and should reflect your core values. You can use your business to make a difference in the world. Even if it is a small gesture, the small things start to add up. With PeaceLoveMom, we can push our "Motherhood" agenda. We support organizations and events that are important to us. Our contributions make a difference in the lives of Mothers and their children. We are proud of the impact that PeaceLoveMom makes.
6. How do you orchestrate your creative life and motherhood?
The creative inspiration for PeaceLoveMom comes from being a Mother. PeaceLoveMom was designed to share life’s many moments of motherhood. We are both inspired and empowered by mothers everywhere and this is reflected in our meaningful messages and creative designs. The challenge for us is not nurturing a creative life and motherhood - that is the exciting part of what we do everyday. The challenge is understanding that Mom-preneurship ( as we like to call it) is different from entrepreneurship. We have redefined our typical work day to reflect the needs of the PeaceLoveMom celebration of Motherhood while still maintaining time and energy for our own personal celebration of motherhood. It is the success of this balance that drives our creative inspiration.
7. What moves you, grounds you, fills your well?
My children who amaze me, my husband who makes me laugh, my family who supports me, my friends who are constantly redefining how the world sees women, making memories that last a life time, and doing anything where I can be outside. Live, Love, Laugh. PeaceLoveMom!
*Most Alive Monday will resume next week!
It's my pleasure to introduce...
Mom: Suzanne Simkin
Of: Samantha (8 yrs old) & Hannah (8 yrs old)
Where: Atlanta, Georgia
Site: PeaceLoveMom
Blog: PeaceLoveMom Blog
1. In what ways has becoming a mother changed you?
I feel that I am changing constantly - it is not just one major change. It is a continual change over time. Each stage my children are in, I feel that I too am in a different stage - different demands with new lessons to teach my children and new lessons to learn from them. Motherhood is both rewarding and humbling because you are experiencing great success and failure- sometimes in the same day!
2. What message would you like to share with other mothers?
Celebrate Motherhood & feel good about what your are doing. Be happy and comfortable with who you are. Your children will follow your example. Motherhood is a privilege & we have the world's future in our hands.
3. What inspired you to create the Peace Love Mom line?
I did not create PLM. In fact, the word "I" does not exist in our company. A team of different Mothers with different backgrounds and styles inspired us to form the foundation of PeaceLoveMom. We started with a poem we wrote called "The Language of PeaceLoveMom". Each verse represented a core belief that we felt all Mothers share. Below is the first line to each verse:
We believe in motherhood
We believe that motherhood is life’s most precious work.
We believe in our children’s future
We believe in the bond of motherhood.
Welcome to the Celebration!
4. What sparked the idea, and what steps did you take towards making it a reality?
After spending many hours in what we like to call "the Mom Board Room" (playgrounds, ball field, classrooms- anywhere our children were), we found that we were surrounded by dynamic and inspiring Moms. Although moms have different styles of mothering, we all share a common goal. We want to rear our children to be happy, self confident, and independent adults. With these Moms in mind, we set out to create a lifestyle brand company that would be "A Celebration Motherhood". A Celebration of all that we do, we feel, and we yearn for. With our mantra "Motherhood does not define us. We define it." and our "Language of PeaceLoveMom" to guide our concept, we identified key items that were essential to the foundation of our company:
* Our messages needed to be meaningful to today's Mom
* Our designs & colors needed to reflect the current fashion trends
* Our tee shirt needed to have the fit & feel our target market wanted to wear
With our company direction and product goals in place, we began formalize our business strategy. We knew owning our own business could not be a hobby. We needed to earn an income. We also needed ensure that we had the determination required to run a successful business and the flexibility to stay focused on our family. There was no task we would not tackle, but we were smart enough to recognize our weaknesses. When we needed help, we asked. After 2 1/2 years in business, we have created a strong PeaceLoveMom team. These women not only share our PeaceLoveMom vision but they bring with them diverse talents and points of view. It is this collaboration that makes PeaceLoveMom successful and a true celebration of motherhood.
5. What did you learn from the process?
Your business can and should reflect your core values. You can use your business to make a difference in the world. Even if it is a small gesture, the small things start to add up. With PeaceLoveMom, we can push our "Motherhood" agenda. We support organizations and events that are important to us. Our contributions make a difference in the lives of Mothers and their children. We are proud of the impact that PeaceLoveMom makes.
6. How do you orchestrate your creative life and motherhood?
The creative inspiration for PeaceLoveMom comes from being a Mother. PeaceLoveMom was designed to share life’s many moments of motherhood. We are both inspired and empowered by mothers everywhere and this is reflected in our meaningful messages and creative designs. The challenge for us is not nurturing a creative life and motherhood - that is the exciting part of what we do everyday. The challenge is understanding that Mom-preneurship ( as we like to call it) is different from entrepreneurship. We have redefined our typical work day to reflect the needs of the PeaceLoveMom celebration of Motherhood while still maintaining time and energy for our own personal celebration of motherhood. It is the success of this balance that drives our creative inspiration.
7. What moves you, grounds you, fills your well?
My children who amaze me, my husband who makes me laugh, my family who supports me, my friends who are constantly redefining how the world sees women, making memories that last a life time, and doing anything where I can be outside. Live, Love, Laugh. PeaceLoveMom!
*Most Alive Monday will resume next week!
Labels: Mom to Mom Interviews
1 Comments:
Sweetness. I'm thinking of a mom or two for whom that shirt would be a fabu Mother's Day gift...
Thank you for all you do to reach out and connect, Wendy!
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