Emily Henry - Blogger, D.C. Pioneer Woman

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your blog.
 I was one of a small number of final freshmen admitted to Ave Maria College before the closure of the Michigan campus. Since we were the last freshmen class, we were endearingly referred to as freshmen even throughout our sophomore year. Upon its closure, I transferred to Hillsdale College where I finished my B.A. in Classical Studies. Since then, I moved to the Washington D.C. area, where I work as a nanny by day and an online Latin instructor by night. I have been blogging for over a year, writing short stories. My newest venture is D.C. Pioneer Woman, a blog in which I enjoy sharing innovative ways to do things with small town values in the big city.

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

There isn't a time that I can recall in which I wasn't fascinated by books and words. Growing up, I was inspired by the stories written by Louisa May Alcott (Little Women), L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), and Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House on the Prairie). I wanted to be like them (even if some of their characters were fictitious). I dreamed of emulating both the authors' and their characters' achievements, having high hopes of becoming a writer. I realized, what better way to start gaining experience writing than within the medium of blogging?

As to what keeps me going: wanting to bring both joy and creative ideas to my readers. I don't want this blog to be all about me or some façade of perfection. Instead, I want it to be a place of delight and inspiration for my readers. I want them to walk away feeling excited about life. It is my hope to provide a very honest, down to earth blog for people filled with all kinds of fun reading, including tips on food, fashion, travel, fitness, organization, and cleaning.

3.  What is your favorite part of your blog? 
Since my blog is very new, I think I would have to say my favorite part is the excitement and freshness of it all. I hope it will be a fun place to share ideas and to encourage one another in our ambitions to live life to the fullest and with purposefulness.

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your blog 
I think the fact that I have actually started this blog is an achievement for me. I am most grateful to my friend Carol who listened attentively to my ideas and encouraged me to go for it. Honestly, I owe the start of this blog to her.

5.  What is your work process? 

 am not sure I have anything definitive set in place as of yet. I do know, however, that in order to think clearly and creatively, I need to be in a place where I feel at ease (coffee shop, couch, comfy chair, outdoors in a beautiful setting, etc.) and generally sipping something, like a latte, tea, or water. I need to be fully present and focused on the moment. I also have a favorite Pandora station that I have listened to since college that helps me get into my creative groove.

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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Dagny Syversen - Blogger, Whisked Away

1.  Tell us about yourself, connection to Ave and your business/blog/venture.
My name is Dagny Syversen and I like to blog about my baking/cooking/eating adventures. http://whiskedaway2.blogspot.com/ 

I am a lifelong baker and sugar addict. As the second oldest of seven children I am often found in the kitchen making cookies for my crew. After receiving a BA in Literature and then going on to work in Education for a few years I realized my true calling was in the kitchen. I received my Baking and Pastry Certificate and went on to work at a Cookie Bakery in Houston. My approach to food is to use natural ingredients, make everything from scratch, and bring as much creativity to the plate as possible!!  I then realized that my true calling was to have a job that actually paid the bills and let me have free weekends and nights - so I left the baking business and now work as the Marketing/Events Coordinator at an oil and gas company in Houston.  In my non existent free time I bake and blog!

2.  What spurred you to start your own business/blog/venture and what keeps you going?
I always loved trying new recipes and decided to get organized about it.  I also tend to loose my recipes, and my blog helps me keep track of my favorite recipes and also makes it easy to share them with my friends.

3.  What is your favorite part of your business/blog/venture? 
The favorite part about my blog is when I hear someone I haven't even met tell me they love my recipes...or when I hear friends and family recommend my blog as a recipe source - makes me happy : )

4.  What are you most proud of achieving in your business/blog/venture? 
I am most proud of the fact that I haven't quit on my blog - started it in 2009 and am still posting!  I go through phases where I post a lot, or I don't post at all...but I haven't given up yet, and I always have a pile of recipes I need to post on my blog.

5.  What is your work process? 
Currently I am not selling my cookies, but hope to again in the future.  My posting process is this:  Try a recipe.  If I like it - I try to research the history of some of the ingredients, take pictures, and tell a funny story to go with my recipe.  I only post recipes I have tried and liked!  If I don't like how something turned out I won't post it!