Small business Sunday is a chance for me to help small businesses, many of which are local. It is an opportunity to help highlight and feature their incredible services and products to our Modern Mama audience. Many of these businesses are fellow parents starting out and with the pandemic, could use the extra boost! Please take a moment to learn more about one of these amazing businesses below. Check out last weeks small business Sunday here.
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This month I am focusing on mindfulness for the whole family. This week I am featuring a Canadian mother of four, who has created a business creating affirmation cards and guidebooks to equip children and families with the necessary tools & knowledge to engage in healthy self talk, one affirmation at a time.
Adriana created a small business with a BIG DREAM. Her mission is a world where all children will have access to tools and knowledge to support positive self-talk and mental health. Currently she provides affirmation cards for children. They are hand painted, thick, beautiful cards intended for children between the ages of 2-12. What really makes her cards special is the guidebook included with them. The guidebook includes tips, tools and activities you can do with your child to practise the affirmation. Part of her business has also been the dedication to create a community, where parents, caregivers and teachers can join together, in a safe environment, and share ideas and concepts about mindfulness.
Mindfully Mamma ships worldwide. Shipping in US/Canada is free with $1oo purchase. You can find Mindfully Mama on Instagram, Facebook and the web.
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What made you choose this type of business?
I am always drawn to this beautiful quote from Confucius: “If your plan is for 1 year, plant rice. If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees. If your plan is for 100 years, educate children.” Children are our gateway to change. I am a mother of 4 children, and I have been working on this project for almost 2 years. It was almost perfect timing to launch when we did because of the emotional and mental effects Covid was having on the general population and children. Children truly are the future – they are future leaders, parents, partners, spouses, friends, inventors, adventurers, they will dictate what direction our world takes. And my plan, I guess, is a 100-year plan – its an investment for the future, for my children and yours.
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What is your favourite small business (aside from your own)?
This is such a hard question. To be honest with you I am always moved when I see people start businesses from their passions. People that tap into themselves so deeply that they find a way to do what they love and share it with the world. This always inspires me and I guess, its my favourite thing about entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurial spirit is so inspiring.
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If you had one piece of advice to someone just starting out, what would it be?
Don’t let fear hold you back. We come up with all kinds of excuses and reasons why we can’t do something, or why we shouldn’t do something. Have faith, take the leap and know you will be caught no matter the outcome. I am a firm believer that things happen for us, not to us. Leaps of faith have lessons and starting a business is filled with so many lessons. Oh – and don’t take yourself too seriously. Forgive yourself and move on if/when you make a mistake.
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If applicable, has your business been affected by covid19? if so, how?
I started out during Covid19 and I am an online business. In some ways I think Covid19 has opened more doors about mental health and kids so perhaps it has helped people look at my products and join my community. I guess that has been my silver lining.
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What are your long term business goals?
I am hoping to start workshops for parents on mindful parenting – mostly by checking in with themselves. Teaching that mindfulness can be practised in small moments and isn’t something you need to dedicate hours a day to. I am also in the process of creating a mindfulness in nature workshop for children and hoping to offer it within my community this summer.
What are you most looking forward to with the launch of your new business?
Making a difference. I live and love to hear from clients that have purchased our cards and tell me how much their kids love them, or that they have made a change in their children’s lives. It moves me. My goal has always been the hope to give back in one way or another.
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What is your funniest/weirdest/most memorable experience with a customer or client?
I can’t really think of a funny or weird moment. I guess the most memorable has been when customers reach out to share about their personal experiences. Community and support has been the most memorable for me. Perhaps I will have more funny experiences as time goes on.
Thank you to Adriana for taking the time to answer my questions and share her small business with us today. I have had the opportunity to try out her affirmation cards. What struck me first, what the nice feel of the cards. They have a really nice texture to them and are nice and thick. Then the artwork – it is so beautiful and something that resinated well with my kids. She has done a beautiful job of creating artwork that is colorful, calming and beautiful, perfect for kids and adults alike. Then I read thru each of the cards and, It seemed easy to take my time reading them. It was a very mindful experience just letting the words resonate. I showed them to my kids and my daughter immediatly took to them, reading them out loud, one-by-one. She was inpired by them. It was a really nice thing to see.
To purchase these affirmation cards and/or the prints you can do it directly from the Mindfully Mamma website.
