Have a love for shoes? What woman doesn't! What about a pair that is not only designed just for you but is also affordable? Almost sounds too good to be true, that is until you see it for yourself at Eidia Lush.Eidia Lush specializes in shoes "designed by you", giving you the ability to customize your perfect shoe maing choices such as round or pointed toe, to selecting which pattern suits you best!
MITC was able to talk with Nicole about her inspiration on Eidia Lush as well as how she maintains working on her site, a dayjob and being a mother!
MITC: So, what inspired you to start Eidia Lush and what does the name mean?
Nicole: Unique clothing and creative women inspired me to start this. I've always been in to putting my own personal twist on the clothing I wear and I wanted every woman to have the same opportunity to do this to their own shoes. I wanted it to be easy for women to showcase their personality through their shoe design.
An "Eidia Lush" is a woman who thrives off of individuality and truly embraces who she is as a person. She's not afraid to be different. Her uniqueness is naturally shown through her style. I got the initial idea after reading an entry in Urban Dictionary for the word "Eidia".
MITC: What does your typical work day look like?
Nicole:Haha...You're going to think I'm crazy.
It varies, but here's what it's been lately:
6:45am - Wake up to my son, Zayden jumping in bed saying "Good morning mommy!" Sometimes I help my husband get him ready to take to daycare...but sometimes if I'm feeling extra lazy or tired, I'll just lay around and let my husband do it...hehe.
7:00am - They're out the door and I quickly check my email, Twitter, FB, etc.
7:15am - Jump in the shower and start my daily "getting ready routine"..which usually revolves around which new EL prototype shoes I'm going to wear for the day and how I'll really call attention to them...free marketing ;)
8:30am (or at least it should be...usually it ends up being closer to 8:45) - Out the door to catch the blue line to work.
9:00am - I'm a Interactive Designer by day, so during this time I'm focused on that job...of course with many interval Eidia Lush brainstorming sessions and email checks.
12:00pm - When I'll usually take my lunch and run my mommy errands as well as any for the business (call daycare to check on Zayden, ship shoes, check on the cobblers and the current orders in our design studio, etc)
1:00pm - Back to my corporate day job.
5:00pm - Hop back on the blue line home to meet my babies (the little guy and my hubby). I'm fortunate to have my husband usually drop off Zayden and pick him up from daycare. We usually spend the next 3 1/2 hours eating dinner, goofing around together, or watching Batman or Transformers (his two favorite at the moment).
8:30pm - Put my son to bed after much begging from him to stay awake longer.
8:40pm - Start working on Eidia Lush work. Currently we're working on our E.L. Couture Collection, so that involves searching for new shoe styles, high end embellishments, and the perfect fabrics. I also work with my developer for any new releases on the site during this time. I do all the design myself right now for www.eidialush.com, so for any new ideas I will be creating the visual designs to pass off to him. You can almost always find me on Twitter and FB at night as well.
Somewhere around 1:00am - Roll into bed.
MITC: Wow! How do you manage to fit it all in?
Well, I almost don't. I have never been so busy before in my life, but what keeps me motivated and positive is that light at the end of the tunnel. I know my family and I have to sacrifice time with each other now in order to get the chance to spend more time with each other later when my husband and I can both quit our day jobs and focus full time on Eidia Lush.
I truly savor every weekend we have together and every evening after work. Time management is the hardest part in all of this...I still haven't quite mastered it. It helps to have my husband keep me grounded and tell me when he thinks we are in need of some quality couple and/or family time.
I try and multi-task while I'm at my day job - like run all my errands on my lunch time instead of afterword or weekends. Another big time saver is that we try to grocery shop on the weekends and get food stocked up for the week that's quick and easy to make after work.
MITC: So what do you do as stress relief?
Nicole: The best de-stresser is just hanging with my family. We'll go to the park or watch a movie. Simple stuff. When I'm not really slammed with a new release or project for the site, instead of staying up late, I will get up extra early to work out or go for a long walk before work.
MITC: So, Nicole, what is your advice for other moms who are trying to start their own business/website?
Nicole: Don't think it can't be done! Don't talk yourself into thinking you're already too busy! I'm not going to lie, it's hard. There will be lots of sacrifice in the beginning. The hardest part though is just getting started. If you have a really good idea for a business, just start by sketching, doodling, and jotting down your thoughts around it. The rest will happen with the determination and motivation that builds up naturally. It helps to have at least one supporter to confide in, bounce ideas off of, and tell you how great it will be.
Some more tactical advice:
* I've found the best time to work creatively on something is after my son has gone to bed and I can concentrate fully without distractions. Most magic happens then :)
* Sounds kinda crazy, but my family and I took a vacation right before the website launched to de-stress and mentally prepare to work our butts off afterwards. I highly recommend doing the same.
* Quickly establish your company though www.Legalzoom.com. You'll save tons of money in the long run and it's very easy. After you get your Tax ID#, you'll get discounts everywhere you go and can start writing EVERYTHING off for taxes.
* Build your presence in the social media world. It will keep you up-to-date with the current trends and ideas related to your business topic. As a mom, we almost have to actively keep up to date and "in the know" because of our busy child-focused lifestyles.
Nicole: Unique clothing and creative women inspired me to start this. I've always been in to putting my own personal twist on the clothing I wear and I wanted every woman to have the same opportunity to do this to their own shoes. I wanted it to be easy for women to showcase their personality through their shoe design.
An "Eidia Lush" is a woman who thrives off of individuality and truly embraces who she is as a person. She's not afraid to be different. Her uniqueness is naturally shown through her style. I got the initial idea after reading an entry in Urban Dictionary for the word "Eidia".
MITC: What does your typical work day look like?Nicole:Haha...You're going to think I'm crazy.
It varies, but here's what it's been lately:
6:45am - Wake up to my son, Zayden jumping in bed saying "Good morning mommy!" Sometimes I help my husband get him ready to take to daycare...but sometimes if I'm feeling extra lazy or tired, I'll just lay around and let my husband do it...hehe.
7:00am - They're out the door and I quickly check my email, Twitter, FB, etc.
7:15am - Jump in the shower and start my daily "getting ready routine"..which usually revolves around which new EL prototype shoes I'm going to wear for the day and how I'll really call attention to them...free marketing ;)
8:30am (or at least it should be...usually it ends up being closer to 8:45) - Out the door to catch the blue line to work.
9:00am - I'm a Interactive Designer by day, so during this time I'm focused on that job...of course with many interval Eidia Lush brainstorming sessions and email checks.
12:00pm - When I'll usually take my lunch and run my mommy errands as well as any for the business (call daycare to check on Zayden, ship shoes, check on the cobblers and the current orders in our design studio, etc)
1:00pm - Back to my corporate day job.
5:00pm - Hop back on the blue line home to meet my babies (the little guy and my hubby). I'm fortunate to have my husband usually drop off Zayden and pick him up from daycare. We usually spend the next 3 1/2 hours eating dinner, goofing around together, or watching Batman or Transformers (his two favorite at the moment).
8:30pm - Put my son to bed after much begging from him to stay awake longer.
8:40pm - Start working on Eidia Lush work. Currently we're working on our E.L. Couture Collection, so that involves searching for new shoe styles, high end embellishments, and the perfect fabrics. I also work with my developer for any new releases on the site during this time. I do all the design myself right now for www.eidialush.com, so for any new ideas I will be creating the visual designs to pass off to him. You can almost always find me on Twitter and FB at night as well.
Somewhere around 1:00am - Roll into bed.
MITC: Wow! How do you manage to fit it all in?
Well, I almost don't. I have never been so busy before in my life, but what keeps me motivated and positive is that light at the end of the tunnel. I know my family and I have to sacrifice time with each other now in order to get the chance to spend more time with each other later when my husband and I can both quit our day jobs and focus full time on Eidia Lush.
I truly savor every weekend we have together and every evening after work. Time management is the hardest part in all of this...I still haven't quite mastered it. It helps to have my husband keep me grounded and tell me when he thinks we are in need of some quality couple and/or family time.
I try and multi-task while I'm at my day job - like run all my errands on my lunch time instead of afterword or weekends. Another big time saver is that we try to grocery shop on the weekends and get food stocked up for the week that's quick and easy to make after work.
MITC: So what do you do as stress relief?
Nicole: The best de-stresser is just hanging with my family. We'll go to the park or watch a movie. Simple stuff. When I'm not really slammed with a new release or project for the site, instead of staying up late, I will get up extra early to work out or go for a long walk before work.
MITC: So, Nicole, what is your advice for other moms who are trying to start their own business/website?
Nicole: Don't think it can't be done! Don't talk yourself into thinking you're already too busy! I'm not going to lie, it's hard. There will be lots of sacrifice in the beginning. The hardest part though is just getting started. If you have a really good idea for a business, just start by sketching, doodling, and jotting down your thoughts around it. The rest will happen with the determination and motivation that builds up naturally. It helps to have at least one supporter to confide in, bounce ideas off of, and tell you how great it will be.
Some more tactical advice:
* I've found the best time to work creatively on something is after my son has gone to bed and I can concentrate fully without distractions. Most magic happens then :)
* Sounds kinda crazy, but my family and I took a vacation right before the website launched to de-stress and mentally prepare to work our butts off afterwards. I highly recommend doing the same.
* Quickly establish your company though www.Legalzoom.com. You'll save tons of money in the long run and it's very easy. After you get your Tax ID#, you'll get discounts everywhere you go and can start writing EVERYTHING off for taxes.
* Build your presence in the social media world. It will keep you up-to-date with the current trends and ideas related to your business topic. As a mom, we almost have to actively keep up to date and "in the know" because of our busy child-focused lifestyles.
Start customizing your perfect pump at Eidia Lush!!
I bought the Groupon for Eidia Lush and ordered my shoes over the summer. After waiting about a month, I got an email apologizing for the delay. After another month, I asked about my shoes and got a generic response about how their very talented shoe cobblers are making them and they'd ship in 2 weeks. After another month, I got the same response except this time, my shoes would ship in a week. It has been nearly 6 months now and after numerous requests for a refund, I've gotten absolutely no response from them. Ladies, do NOT do business with this company. They are fraudulent and will just take your money and give you a run-around. Buyer beware.
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