Hello, Gorgeous! Today’s post is the third edition of a new mini series called #BlushBoss. I love to get to know the readers of Blush & Camo and through talking to many of you I quickly found out all of you are a total #BlushBosses! You are driven, follow your goals, and know how to #sidehustle like no ones business. You have dreams and aren’t afraid to work hard towards them. Each of you inspire me everyday and so this series is a celebration of  strong women who dared to follow their dream and make it a reality. I hope this mini series gives you a little inspiration to continue to go after your goals and never give up!

In this #BlushBoss series I’ve teamed up with CEO’s of amazing companies, asked them to share insight on their business, and give Blush & Camo readers insight as to what it takes to be your own boss.

Today’s #BlushBoss is Amy, the CEO of the extremely popular hoodie brand Evy’s Tree (that I’m constantly raving about on my blog)! If you are looking for amazing style and comfort in one sweatshirt you can thank Amy for combining these two elements into one high quality sweatshirt! She is beyond talented and I can’t wait for you to read her interview below!

#BlushBoss: Amy from Evy’s Tree

Name: Amy Miraflor

Age: 39

Current Title/Company: Owner/Designer of Evy’s Tree

Past Education: BA in Religion from Pacific Union College, CA Multiple Subject Teaching Credential w/ CLAD

What was your first job out of college? Substitute teacher for elementary school

What inspired you to start your own company Evy’s Tree? My kids. I had two babies and desperately needed to go back to work, but didn’t want to leave them in daycare so was trying to figure out what to do. I had embellished some hoodies for a family vacation and got a lot of compliments, put up a paypal link on my blog, sold a bunch and felt like maybe I could get a little extra cash so started an etsy shop. It was all very organic and really fell in my lap..I consider it a God thing.

What advice would you give to Blush Babe readers thinking about starting their own business? Do your research and make sure you can even make money off your product/business. Create a group of mentors and ask a lot of questions, and follow their advice. Typically they won’t all say the same thing, but they will have a thread that’s the same and go with that. Be willing to take risks, but don’t be stupid about it…calculate the worst case scenario and make sure you are comfortable with it before you jump.

What was your biggest fear in starting your own business? The same fear that I have today and that drives me still: sinking. Daily I would wake up thinking I wouldn’t make and that drove me to make sure that I did.

Take Blush Babe readers through your journey of developing your own hoodie company. How did you ensure Evy’s Tree was a success?  

My journey is probably like everyone else’s… a lot of hard work, sweat and lots and lots of tears {and prayers}. I was hand making hoodies and listing on them etsy for about a year and a half when I realized I just couldn’t keep doing this if I wanted to make money. I was still in the red every month and I couldn’t design and create how I’d like by just embellishing simple American Apparel blanks with fabric I found in LA’s garment district.

My Dad encouraged me to mass produce, so I sought out manufacturers that would work with me. It was so very difficult to find ones that were willing to take on a teacher who had no design background. I didn’t know how to create a tech pack, spec out a hoodie, choose pantone colors….all of these things were like a foreign language to me and the factories had very little patience.

I finally found a Peruvian factory that would work with me. While they had tremendous patience and created beautiful fabrics, I was frustrated with my design options and the turn around time. Finally, I partnered with Sharon Young Inc., a private label company that provided me with CAD artists, pattern makers, production managers….now we were on a roll. After partnering with them, Evy’s Tree hit $4 million in sales and continues to grow.

I’m not sure I did anything special to ensure success of our brand, I just never gave up. And there were {and still are} lots of moments when I’d like to throw in the towel. But starting something from the ground up is never easy and never guaranteed. Even still, my business could flop, and that realization drives to me to make sure it doesn’t.

I also can’t emphasize enough the importance of prayer and faith. Whenever I felt like giving up I always told God He could have my business, and if He wanted me to continue that He would make a clear path and direction for me. And He always has. So I will keep going until He tells me to stop.

What were some of the biggest challenges and greatest rewards you faced while starting your business? 

The biggest challenge was definitely lack of knowledge. I never went to business or design school, and I had to learn everything on my own. There were lots and lots of failures and frustrations. The greatest reward was probably photographing my first mass produced line. I couldn’t believe it all come together and every photo just made me so happy.

What does a typical day look like for you?

5:45 AM- Wake up, read a Bible study, look at my calendar

6:30 AM – Hot Power Yoga

7:45 AM- Make lunches, get the kids in the car

8:00 AM Post my first social media post, then shower

9 or 9:30 AM Arrive at the warehouse

9:30 AM-12 PM  Staff meetings, design check up, production meetings, financial check ins, social media posts and follow up

12 PM Lunch at my desk

12:30-2:30 Much of the same from before lunch

2:40 PM Leave to pick up my kids

3 PM Horseback riding, ballet, track or parkor for one of the kids. Every day there is an after school activity for one of them

4:30 PM Make dinner {we do our best to eat whole foods and not eat out, however about once a week we order pizza and salads to keep the kids happy ;)}

5:30 PM Eat

6:30 PM Homework and showers

7:30 PM Kids bedtime and prayers

8:30 PM Brandon and I watch a movie, clean the kitchen, do laundry, or sit and catch up on our day

10 -10:30 PM bedtime

Give Blush Babe readers an idea of what goes into designing a hoodie for Evy’s Tree…

Our hoodies always start with one idea we like and then we build out from there…we like this body, or these sleeves, or this hood, etc. We use lots of words and physical examples of hoodies we have done in the past and build from those. We use color pictures to tell a story, and then our CAD artist sketches them and we decide whether or not we like what we have, then it goes to the factory for a prototype to see if what we designed can be executed.

If we like it, we pay for the purchase order, and the factory continues with making fabric in the colors we choose, sends fit samples, and then finally a photo shoot sample and top of production size run for approval.

What is the best moment of your career to date?

When we hit $1million in sales and actually had a healthy bottom line. I took my profit and loss up to my parents house and presented it to them. We all cried. They have been our supporters since the beginning, watched us struggle and try to make ends meet…. and my dad has given me hours and hours of business advice. It was a great to reach that milestone and have them witness it.

What advice would you give your 22-year- old self? 

Go to business school! Ha! Honestly, I don’t believe I would tell her anything, I think my path was perfect and I love how God guided my life. I think if I had to say something I would just tell her to believe in yourself, don’t be afraid to keep doing things that don’t make sense because they all work out in the end.

Amy is a total #BlushBoss…

What is your best entrepreneur advice? Never get too comfortable, be ok with change, as it happens frequently in the entrepreneur’s life.

You wish you knew how to…  Make my mom’s apple pie better. I have tried for years and I can never make it taste like hers.

What is your favorite way to unwind? putting the kids to bed and watching a movie

If you could have brunch with three women who would they be? Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Laura Bush, Aerin Lauder

Thank you SO much for stopping by Blush & Camo!

xx Julianna