On Having It All + A Giveaway

I come from a long line of strong-minded business women. My great grandmother was a designer who ran her own dress shop in San Francisco, and my own mother has ran a daycare for over 35 years and counting.

When I was 12, I dreamt of being a fashion designer, making clothing to make women feel as amazing as the models looked on the runway. I started my first business out of my backpack freshman year of high school, re-selling vintage clothes I’d bought from local thrift shops. In my early twenties, I imported jewelry from India and Indonesia in order to re-sell it to local shops, which funded most of my education at UC Berkeley. Just before I met Dave, I started a social network for adolescent girls that fizzled after I was forced to shut down operations as a result of a famous toy company threatening to take legal action as a result of my logo and business name being “within likeness” to one of their products from the 1960’s. 

Fast-forward to February 2011 and Girl With Curves was born – a hobby that organically turned into the business it is today, employing an extended team of 9, including myself and my husband. Two and a half years later I launched my first clothing designs, just 4 months shy of giving birth to my son. A year later I released a stand-alone collection, then partnered with a brand last year to bring more designs to life while pregnant with my daughter. She’s now two months and I’m working on the next chapter of my career which I can’t wait to share!

While running a business alongside being a new mom is very hard and often times overwhelming, I wouldn’t change it for the world. Sure, I’ve failed many times at many things, and my life isn’t anywhere near perfect, but at this point in my life, I define having it all as being able to pursue the dreams I had since the age of 12- including my dream to be a designer and a mom. Whatever your personal definition of having it all consists of, myself and millions of other women are proof that it’s possible!

The notion that women can have it all – doing all the things they dream of, no matter how big or small, is one I wholeheartedly believe in, so when Intuit asked if I’d be interested in partnering to share their giveaway honoring a #GirlOnFire, aka an entrepreneur living their dreams to the fullest, I was honored to!

I’m a #GirlOnFire because I made my own path to build the career I wanted, alongside starting a family, just like my great grandmother and my own mother who showed me it was possible.

Do you know an entrepreneur who’s pursuing their dreams to the fullest? To nominate someone you know, post an image on instagram, tag @Intuit in the picture and share why you think they are a #GirlOnFire. You both could win SXSW tickets and VIP access to all things Intuit! Click here for more information.