I’ve always been a motivated person with big dreams and prayers. At 9 years old, I made a list of life goals and worked hard to achieve them. Work started young—making lemon shake-ups, mowing lawns, working at a vet clinic, housekeeping, pet sitting, delivering magazines, and serving at Cracker Barrel.
Each job taught me something valuable. I worked my way through college, graduated debt-free, and married my best friend during my sophomore year. To my own amazement, I had achieved every goal I wrote down as a child.
Our slice of heaven is a 4th-generation 40 acre farm we bought four years ago. It needs work, but it’s full of potential. I still have the horses I trained in junior high, along with other animals we love caring for.
We now have three kids, which feels like a miracle. My husband’s cancer treatments as a teen were told would prevent us from having a family. We homeschool our kids. This inspires me daily—they’re like built-in best friends.
With my husband, it’s always a party. After cancer at 17, he’s embraced life wholeheartedly. He’ll say goodbye five times before leaving for work or turn a simple farm chore into something hilarious with hardcore rap music or wearing an outrageous outfit.
In my early 20’s after the birth of my first daughter I was praying for something to make my life interesting. The first time I sat down at my grandma’s sewing machine the original Ring Bandit was created. Ups and downs define my small business, but it’s been an incredible adventure. I began with a $600 investment and have sold over 1.5 million of product. My natural persistence and an unwillingness to give up would be key.
Through mentors like, Brian Smith who created the brand Ugg, I’ve learned that true success is that you enjoyed the journey. Entrepreneurship can be a very lonely road. You must be your biggest cheerleader.
We try to teach entrepreneurship to our kids and it’s an adventure. I remember meeting our first manufacturer in Michigan. We had no money, but were so excited to have a supplier.
When it came time to stay the night, the hotels were so expensive. My husband said, “I brought the tent,” I couldn’t believe it—it’s a one-person tent, and he’s six-foot-four! 105 degrees and storms all night, but this shows our kids the creativity and effort it takes to build something from scratch.
