Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Tiffany Chapman, co-founder of Baeology LLC., located in McKinney, TX, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

The Baeology mission is to support every woman’s health journey by providing products that make them feel beautiful inside and out. We know that every woman is unique, and so are her health goals. Whether you’re an athlete, a daily walker, a dieter, or a tired mom, we want to inspire you to keep going.

Our first product as a new business is a reimagined shaker bottle with the features of a durable shaker but the beauty and insulation of a fashion tumbler. This bottle is an all-in-one answer to every hydration need with beauty as the bow on top. We serve women with ice water as their constant companion, women who blend supplements and powders in their drinks, women who are tired of reheating their morning coffee throughout the day, and women who want a long-lasting, reusable bottle that's sturdy enough for the dishwasher.

Tell us about yourself

I am a mother of 5 amazing children and have been married for 17 years to my husband and business partner, Christian. I've always been a doer, but my season of having little ones looked very different than the season I'm in now. I spent 14 years managing my home, working side businesses, homeschooling my kids, and helping other people start new things. I loved that season, but I was ready to move into the business more seriously when my youngest went to kindergarten.

I'm on my own health journey, and one day while making a health shake at work, I decided that I needed (and deserved) a cute shaker bottle. You know how you start working out, and you get new yoga pants and shoes to help motivate you? I wanted a cute floral shaker bottle to inspire me to keep drinking my health shakes, but I couldn't find one online! We were ready to start something new, and I discovered a market gap, so we got to work making exactly what I wanted. Doing business for myself is so different than working for other people. You get all the creative freedom and pressure to see it succeed. I press in every day to see our business be successful because I know that if I need the motivation to stay healthy, other women must too.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment has been building a complete brand for our business. It has been incredibly fun and rewarding to design the logo, the colors, the fonts, the word branding, the bottle designs, and even cute swag. I've made my creative mark on our email content, our social media images and wording, our website build, our Kickstarter story page, and so much more. I have loved seeing my vision come to life rather than just executing someone else's vision.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

It is so scary to start a new business and take a financial risk with a big family to care for. A lot is riding on the success of this business launch. We went all-in on this, our whole family, and we're determined to see it grow. From my 6-year-old to my 15-year-old, everyone is involved and watching and learning from this. This is a family business, and I want my kids to see what it takes to succeed and not be afraid to follow their dreams either.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Surround yourself with people who believe in you — in word and action. Build a team that will partner with you and pushes hard to make your business successful. When we launched our business, the first thing we did was create a VIP Launch group on Facebook, and we invited everyone to join. We included this group in branding decisions, logo, and bottle designs and asked them what they wanted to see in a newly designed shaker bottle. They helped us build our product and now have a sense of ownership that compels them to share the product with others.
  2. Invest money in 3rd party services. You can’t do it all. Hire a team to help build your social media following, hire people to create high-quality videos and photographs, and invest money in advertising. The more money you can put into the front end, the more money comes out.
  3. Take time off. Run your business, don’t let it run you. We have been guilting of putting everything else aside (including family) to meet a deadline, but we’ve learned that success will come when you do things right, and success will last when you’re healthy enough to sustain it. Taking a day off does not mean that you’re undedicated. It means that you value your personal health and relationships. Trust me; you’re better for your business when you’re rested.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

We are halfway through our Kickstarter campaign (it ends on May 26th) and trusting God to provide all that we need to bring this product to the market.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://mybaeology.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mybaeology
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybaeology/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyjoychapman/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.