Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Eunice Chen-Promotorov, Co-Founder of Mrs At Last Wedding Gifts Inc., located in Milton, DE, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Mrs At Last Wedding Gifts Inc. is an eCommerce business based in Milton, Delaware, which offers wedding-themed gift boxes, plus other wedding essentials and bachelorette party favors. Just over a year ago, we launched six engagement and wedding subscription boxes to help brides-to-be celebrate their special occasion. These special bridal-themed boxes are uniquely curated gifts that are luxe and useful and inspire the engaged woman to cherish the moment and the memories along the way – from engagement to after the wedding day.
Our customers are soon-to-be brides who deserve a little pampering during wedding planning. Our boxes are an affordable treat every month that won't put a dent in their wedding budget. They're also the perfect gift for friends, family, and co-workers to gift to their favorite bride-to-be. After all, we've taken the guesswork out of gift-giving - brides have chosen these items FOR brides. We know these gifts are fun and useful for brides planning a wedding!
Tell us about yourself
I co-founded Mrs…Last! with my husband following our own wedding experience. Too often, soon-to-be brides get so caught up in the finer details that they forget to take a moment and enjoy the journey. And that's what our mission is all about - to remind soon-to-be brides to celebrate themselves and their love journey. Running a family-owned small business isn't easy, but just knowing the smile that it puts on the bride's face is worth it! And we know this to be true from the customer reviews we've been getting that tell us so.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Gosh, the biggest accomplishment is just getting to the launch date! We started all the planning and logistics before the pandemic; there were tons to learn from production to importing goods. The pandemic really slowed us down, and we never thought the day would come. But finally, after years of planning and prepping, we finally launch in February 2022! Now, our next big task is to nurture our business and watch it grow.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
One of the hardest things is to come up with a number of contingency or mitigation plans. Getting mentally prepared that your plans may not map out the way you ideally want them to and then having to course correct along the way. It's also about being patient small businesses take time to grow, and most aren't instant successes overnight. We just want to skip past the growing pains already, but we know that's not possible. There's so much to learn along the way that skipping steps and fast-forwarding into the future isn't the right path to take either.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find an amazing partner who will go the distance with you. There will be bumps and land mines along the way, and you need to be confident that you and your partner will have each other's backs. It just so happens that my business partner is also my life partner, and I'm thankful for that.
- Have more than one backup plan because you'll need it. And I'm not just talking about having a "Plan B," either. Take it all the way to a "Plan D or E" and just hope that you won't need to activate them.
- Be prepared for all the learning that will come your way, whether by choice or out of necessity. We joke that running our family business has been the longest, most intensive practical MBA program that either of us has ever taken on. And we're both business-minded people, having worked for large corporations for decades!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.mrsatlastbox.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mrsatlast/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MrsAtLastBox/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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