Kathy Campbell - Owner, Homemade Spa Essentials

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business.

I attended Ave Maria College for four years and graduated in 2005. My friend Tammi Wachterhauser and I have started a business selling bath and body products on Etsy, as well as to local friends and acquaintances. 

2.  What spurred you to start your own business and what keeps you going?

When I was pregnant with my first child, I started researching herbs and natural living. I found some do it yourself bath recipes and began making different products for friends and family. People liked them so much they started suggesting I start my own business. Tammi was a business major in college and thoroughly enjoys the marketing and accounting aspect. We decided if we put our talents together we would have the possibility of a successful business.
What keeps us going is the excitement of creating something new and making people happy to receive a product with which they can pamper themselves without unnecessary harsh chemicals.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business? 

I have 2 favorite parts of having my own business, the first is creating the products and coming up with a great scent combination. The second truly is making people happy. I love when someone gets excited to use one of our made to order products.

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business?

Homemade Spa Essentials is a brand new business, so we're hoping to have plenty of achievements in the very near future. Right now, having the motivation to actually start up our business and not just talk about it is our biggest accomplishment.

5.  What is your work process?

We make orders as they are received so they are as fresh as possible when the person receives it. The product is then delivered, if local, or shipped the next business day.

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Naomi Huzovicova - Blogger, Almost Bananas

1. Tell us about yourself, your connection to Ave and your blog.

I attended Ave Maria in Ypsilanti from 2001 - 2004. I'm originally from Canada, but since marrying Michal, another Ave graduate, I've lived in Slovakia. We have four children, the last two are twins. 

I have a blog called Almost Bananas, where I blog about real food and Slovakia. 

2. What spurred you to start your own blog and what keeps you going?

I'm passionate about healthy but delicious food, that's simple to make and budget friendly. As a busy mom, I don't have time to fuss over recipes with many steps and I can't spend a lot of money on gourmet ingredients. I also really enjoy photography, and combining the two naturally led to a blog and a way to share kitchen creations with other people.

I also wanted to share life in Slovakia with others. Slovakia is a small country and not very well known, and I wanted a way to tell family and friends what it's like here.

People writing and letting me know that they enjoyed a post or photo really help keep me going. I don't want what I write just to disappear down the black internet hole, so it's nice to know that people appreciate it. I also really enjoy food photography, I could spend hours at it if I had the time, and would like to develop the food photography into a business.

3. What is your favorite part of your blog?

Hearing from people, people telling me they actually tried a recipe and like it, makes my day. I also enjoy the creative process of taking food photos.

4. What are you most proud of achieving in your blog?

I needed a blog with more options than free platforms could provide, so I created one myself. I don't know anything about tech/programming/designing but didn't have the resources to outsource it. It was sometimes frustrating and it took a long time, but I learned a lot. It still needs some work but it's beyond my abilities now.

5. What is your work process?

At the moment I don't really have a work process. I think of something to eat, try it out a few times, when I'm satisfied with the recipe I photograph it (preferably during nap time). I have different ideas for props, sometimes I choose them based on mood, season, or colour, prowling around my home seeing what else I can use.

www.almostbananas.net

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Chantelle Gossett, Pampered Chef Consultant

1. Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business. 

Hi! My name is Chantelle Gossett and I went to Ave Maria in 2001, hard to believe it was that long ago.  I am married to my husband Aaron, we have been married 12 years this year, and we have four kids, 3 boys and a girl.  Collin is 10, Kaitlynn is 9, Tyler is 7 and Gavin is 4.  My brother who is 16 also lives with us.  I sell Pampered Chef as a full time job that also allows me to be a full time mom.  Pampered Chef offers high quality kitchen tools to make your time in the kitchen easier and our mission is to keep families together around the table.

2. What spurred you to start your own business and what keeps you going? 

I started my business in 2005, when we had two babies 15 months apart, as a way to continue to stay home with them but also pay for a medical expense our daughter had.  Since then the reasons I sell Pampered Chef have changed but not my love for what I do! When our third child was born, I decided to make this a part time job (about 2 parties a week) this replaced my husbands 2nd income and allowed him to quit his second job.  Previously he had been gone 60-100 hours a week and that wasn't a good fit for our family.  It was also the first year I earned a free trip with my business.  Taking Aaron to Paris for free was an amazing bonus of my job.  Since then we  have never missed a trip and have been able to travel for free to places like Disney World, Toronto, a cruise, Los Cobos and Punta Cana.  This allows us to do something we never would have been able to do until much later in life. I LOVE my job.

3. What is your favorite part of your business? 

My favorite part of my business is two fold. I love teaching people how to prepare quick, healthy meals that save money and everyone in the family enjoys. No matter who you are, people are busy, but they have to eat.  Most people want to be as healthy as they can but they feel stressed for time, so when I show you how to make an amazing meal in under 20 minutes, it helps families eat together more often and helps people to spend more time together and I love that!  I also love helping people get started with their own Pampered Chef business.  This business has changed my life and I have seen it help people get out of debt, pay for their wedding, or even just stock their kitchen with awesome products and cook more, whatever the reason helping people is another great part about what I do.  

4. What are you most proud of achieving in your business?

Last year I was recognized as one of the top 20 consultants in the entire company during our trip to Los Cobos, that was a really special recognition, but the reason I pushed myself so hard was because Aaron had lost his job and I was able to support our family on my income without having to give up my role as a mom, which has always remained my top priority. I think the confidence that this has given me is really what I am most proud of.

5. What is your work process? (i.e. what happens when a customer contacts you)

My work process is different things for different people.  If someone contacts me to book a party or an online show, we set a date, get it set up on my website, and build a wishlist of products they will earn for free. If it is a live event we get together and cook a recipe and a dessert in 20 minutes and everyone gets to join in the fun and try out the tools I bring. Then they get to eat!!

If it is someone who wants to get started with their own Pampered Chef business, my job is to help them get off to the best start possible and then I coach and mentor them as they grow their business.
Thanks for taking the time to learn about me and my business.  If you are interested in learning more please feel free to ask me questions or contact me.


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