I'd like to introduce you guys to Carolyn Hoerl: wife, mama of twin girls, genuine soul, and owner of Two Sparrows Headbands.
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| (nancynoble).photography |
I met Carolyn during my first year working for GE in Schenectady in Upstate New York. Our little ones were playing together in the church nursery one Sunday morning and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful and sweet she and her girls were and not to mention, STYLISH. It was an instant woman-crush and before I left I asked her for her number after only about a half-hour of meeting her and suggested that we get together for play dates. I've been out of the dating scene for awhile, so I'm sure I was completely awkward and forward.
You guys are in luck because Two Sparrows Headbands just released their Valentine Collection on Monday. These new pieces are fun and versatile, and there is something for babies, toddlers, and adults. TwoSparrow Headbands has also been so generous to offer The Kentologist readers a 15% discount at checkout using code: KENTOLOGIST.
I caught up with owner, Carolyn. Read below to find out more about the woman behind the brand:
Tell us about yourself.
I'm Carolyn:) Wife to an amazing man of almost 7 years, mama to awesome twin babes, and owner of Two Sparrows Headbands. I'm a simple girl who likes to be creative in her spare time, and make others smile. I always dreamed of having kids and being able to be a stay at home mom, and I'm so grateful for that opportunity. I'm grateful to have a business that I can make my own hours for, and work into my family life.
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What inspired Two Sparrows Headbands?
My daughters! After they were born, I really wanted some fun and simple hair accessories for them but was having a hard time finding exactly what I was envisioning. So I made a few, sold a few to friends, and decided to open an etsy shop. I sold my items at a nearby boutique, a small craft fair, and tried to branch out and network as much as possible to get business going!
What challenges have you faced since you started?
The biggest challenge I've had to face since I started Two Sparrows is learning balance, which is definitely something that is a constant struggle (for everyone, right?). Obviously my family is my first priority, and my kids are 3, which means they require most, if not all, of my attention during the day. Learning to balance my time and energy with them, keeping up the house, spending time with my husband, grocery shopping, etc. etc. etc, has all been a learning process as far as figuring out where Two Sparrows fits in. I have gone through phases of all nighters working from 8 PM to 3 AM, and realizing that it's just really, really exhausting :) But sometimes necessary! Overall, I've just been trying to be better about carving out intentional time for Two Sparrows, and when I do have the time for it, working as hard as I can during that time.
What's been the most rewarding experience with Two Sparrows?
The most rewarding part of having Two Sparrows is seeing other people as excited about products as I am! You can ask anyone that's close to me and has heard me talk their ear off about my new ideas, fabric or what not, and how crazy excited I get about everything. When I see others excited about a new collection or when they get their package in the mail, that is super rewarding.
What's been your favorite collection (or current favorite piece)?
That's a tough question, because I love them all for different reasons. Sometimes I look back on really early things I made and think "what was I thinking?" haha! But then I remember the time and thought about what went into it and how it helped me to grow and that everyone has to start somewhere! I do really love the Fields of Gold Collection though; it was so carefree and feminine and the photo shoot for the collection was so much fun! Whenever I have the chance to work with my talented sister (nancy noble photography), it's a good time! Not to mention a guest appearance by the Kentologist ;)
How do you manage running a household and business?
Haha! I really don't know how to answer that because it's a constant struggle as I stated above. I've really tried to make an effort to separate business from family though, and that has seemed to help. I used to try to package orders or finish things up here and there with my girls around and just realized that I couldn't give 100% of my focus to one thing, and it was difficult and frustrating. One advantage of having your own business is setting your own hours, but if you aren't intentional, that can mean ALL THE HOURS. And then you realize you're doing it 24/7 and not making time for everything else on your plate. It's forced me to work hard on giving my all to my chicks during the day, so that when their sweet little heads hit the pillow at 7:30 pm I can get to work and focus. Sometimes it means coffee late at night or working alongside my hubby as he does things he needs to do, but that way I'm able to give it my full attention. Not to say you can't do both at once, but as someone who can be a bit scatterbrained and all over the place to begin with, it seems to work well :)
What advice would you give someone starting up their own business?
The number one piece of advice I'd give someone just starting their own business would be: don't give up when you feel like it's failing. Really, don't! Starting up your own business is HARD, takes time (lots of it), money (lots of it), and there will be days you will ask yourself "Why did I start this?". Take yourself back to that moment right before you started, and remember your excitement, enthusiasm and dreams...and let that keep driving you. The most successful people I know started where we all are and are who they are today because they hustled and kept going even in the slow, boring, frustrating times.
What values, to you, are most important to teach your children?
Values are so important to teach our kids! No matter if we work inside of the home or outside of the home, our kids look at us parents as their primary role models, especially when they're little. They imitate everything we do (if you're a parent, you know what I'm saying;). My husband and I try to work hard as a team to teach our girls as much as we can, but a few of the ones we've been trying to teach them are patience and gratitude, which I feel like go hand in hand! Teaching a child patience can be difficult, but when they can be patient for something, the ultimate reward is so much greater, and they can appreciate it. Gratitude goes so much deeper to me than saying "please and thank you", but it's an attitude of the heart. We want our kids to learn its ok to wait for things, work hard to get them, and appreciate the outcome and the circumstances that got them there with every fiber of their being.
Share a fun fact/story.
Haha! Oh goodness...I don't know if I can pick just one embarrassing story, and I'll try to spare all of you from some of the bad ones, because there are many. I'm SUCH a dork! Honestly, and I don't even mean that in a way that I'm putting myself down...it's just fact, ha. I am the biggest goofball, and love to laugh. I love fashion and getting dressed up and try to maintain some type of poised attitude when I'm around others I don't know, but if you know me well, you know that's far from who I really am behind closed doors ;)
Keep up with Two Sparrows Headbands:
Instagram: http://instagram.com/twosparrowsheadbands
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoSparrowsHeadbands
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/twosparrowsheadbands
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