Breakfast with the People

Gala Darling

2007-09-13T02:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a picture of someone, and said to yourself, my gosh what I would give to have that sense of style? And then, oh, my, gosh, you discover that she has a fantastic website in which she dishes about how to get an awesome sense of style, as well as give fantastic life advice, hold International Dress Up Days and in general look and sound incredibly cool?

No? You haven't? Well there's always a first for everything! Gala Darling, author of GalaDarling.com and iCiNG is that such person, and I'm thinking you're going to love the answers she gives to the questions I asked. But you'll have to read them to know what they are, won't you?

And on a related note, this interview sounds very nice when read while listening to Natasha Bedingfield's If You're Gonna lyrics. They lyrics fit the mood.

So first off, is Gala Darling you real name?
Yes, it is! That doesn't mean I was born with it, however...

If it is your real name, where does it come from?
The breakdown goes like this: Gala was Salvador Dali's wife [ed note: that's Gala Dali on the left in her wedding photo], & the name means party, celebration, festival, joy. My middle name, Lumière, means 'light' in French. & Darling... well. What can I say about that?

If it's you nickname, how did you decide upon it? Does the Darling portion have anything to do with Peter Pan, and a desire to stay young and fresh?
The name actually came to me in a dream, & as soon as I woke up, I wrote it down & stared at in wonder. I was so delighted. I had wanted to change my name for a really long time, & so I guess I put out the intention for a new one... & it just came to me. Darling has nothing to do with Peter Pan, though I'm glad you brought it to my attention, I never would have made the connection!

When did you realise that putting words onto paper, (or these days, onto a screen) was what you wanted to do with your career?
I think I have known forever. When I was a kid, I used to write long stories, staple them together & illustrate them. I gave them covers too, complete with a bar code. I also used to borrow stacks of books from the library with my father every Saturday, so I have always felt like writing was a worthwhile pursuit, just because I knew how much joy it could bring.

What is your favourite part of being a writer?
Well, my favourite part of writing online is the instant feedback. You really know, straight away, whether what you've written is a hit or a miss. Journalists & poets & novelists may not ever know -- the mediums are so different.

Since you are a writer, you can eloquently put words together, as you've shown us through GalaDarling.com. You know that feeling you get when you are in the arms of someone you love? Describe that the best way you know how to for us.
It's not entirely dissimilar to ice-cream melting delightedly on a happy tongue.

Being self employed is a wonderful mix of things, especially in your particular industry. Can you tell us more about taking that leap of faith in yourself, and into the world of an un-guaranteed income? What's a typical work-day like for you? Starting a business really kicks up a lot of emotional garbage. It raises so many questions about your self-esteem, your worth, your knowledge, not to mention all the stuff about whether you "deserve" to be successful. It's a total minefield. That was the hardest part -- getting myself over the mental hurdles. The rest of it is a walk in the park. A typical workday for me starts at 7am, ends at midnight, & could contain all manner of activities -- fashion shows, shopping, poring over magazines -- though it always includes writing articles & answering piles of email!

When and why did you decide to start iCiNG?
I published my first article on December 16th, 2006, though I had been working on making it look good etc. for about a week beforehand. I started it because I had just moved to Melbourne & knew that I didn't want to work in a shop or in an office ever again. I thought that if I started down that track again, it would be a hard habit to break. So I decided to go into business for myself.

How did you start writing for Cosmopolitan?
They head-hunted me & asked me to write for them! Pretty simple, really! I think that the "secret of my success" (to get a bit Michael J. Fox on it) is that I am obviously dedicated & passionate. People notice things like that!

Your sense of style is pretty unique, and clearly solely yours. How did you go about developing it? How long did it take you, and have you always dressed like this? Along with that, do you have any fashion icons?
I've been developing it since I first became aware of fashion, at I guess age 12 or so. I grew up in the back of my mother's clothing boutique, so I have been surrounded by it my entire life. I think a lot of it I just absorbed -- some people know a lot about cooking or cars or child-rearing because of their parents. I learned about style & running businesses (from both of my parents). My look is always evolving, & I often decide on a personal style for a season. I don't know if I really have any style icons -- I certainly don't have anyone I aspire to look like. I very much admire Patricia Field (stylist) & Diana Vreeland (fashion editor). [The picture of the lovely lady to the right is Gala Darling herself.]

Aside from putting together fabulous outfits, and fashion writing, what do you do with your time?
I like to go shopping & eat! I also like to talk to my boyfriend, travel & explore new cities, dance, sing, go for long walks, plot my future & go on strange adventures. I am a huge fan of interactive art & summer in Melbourne is fantastic for that. Oh, I also LOVE taking photographs & documenting my life.

What kind of music do you listen to?
All sorts of things. I love strange, obscure stuff (Legendary Pink Dots, Bola, Bitcrush) & hip-hop (Atmosphere, Talib Kweli, 2pac), as well as Madonna, Michael Jackson, George Michael, Amy Winehouse, Fiona Apple, Prince...

Alright, so you're still pretty young, but looking back on your childhood, what lesson did your parents teach you that you wish you had heeded? Was there ever anything they said to you that you later realised was just to get you to follow their rules?
Not really. My relationship with my parents has always been quite exceptional. I'm an only child & they always treated me like an adult, which meant that they never coerced me into anything & let me make a lot of my own decisions. In return for this freedom, I pretty much always behaved myself. I never had that rebellion/anger thing that a lot of kids go through. I think that was a big relief for them. My parents also never really had a lot of rules. They wouldn't let me wear black lipstick (good call!) & they were big on manners & treating people/things with respect. All of it was pretty reasonable & I could see that. (Not to say that I didn't have moments of angsty teenager rubbish!)

What life lesson have you learned that made you snack you head, and go "Well, duh!"?
One thing I've learned recently is that you should never take anyone's nasty comments to heart. It's ALWAYS about them & their baggage, never about you. Do you think the Dalai Lama sits around bitching about celebrities?!

What do you think is the most valuable lesson running iCiNG has taught you?
Just that it's really important to be positive. People pick up on your emotions & how you're feeling much more than you might initially think.

What would you say to those trying to emulate what you've done?
Firstly, I'd encourage them to bring their own spirit to whatever they want to do. Passion & enthusiasm & touches of your personality will take you a really long way. Secondly, ignore whatever rules or limitations other people try to impose on you. Thirdly, be prepared to rip your personal belief system apart!

Off the top of my head, I can't remember you ever, ever repeating an outfit. I know accomplishing this requires a wardrobe of great basics, but how many clothes do you actually own? How many shoes?
Ha! I repeat separate items, but I don't see much point in wearing the same outfit over & over! I always change things in little ways -- a different scarf or shoes or a belt here or a different cardigan. I have no idea how many pieces of clothing I own, all I know is that my closet & two chests of drawers are bulging. Bad. I also don't own a lot of basics, naughty! I don't know how many pairs of shoes I own either... not that many... Maybe 20? My wardrobe is constantly revolving, I get rid of the stuff I don't wear! [On the left, is an outfit that is actually not Gala Darling's, but her friends. But it was on her website, and I thought the Pucci boots were simply divine! ]

How do you go about goal setting, and achieving?
I set myself new goals all the time. I like to celebrate small steps with cupcakes & fun excursions. I also use EFT a lot.

Alright, so you know those super annoying chain mail things that circulate the internet? You know those super annoying questionnaires? Well, let's end them once and for all, and get your answers out there for the world to see. What are your favourite:
Colours? Cotton candy & Schiaparelli pink, violet, & a magical turquoise that makes my spine tingle.
Stores? Patricia Field in NYC!
Animals? I don't feel much of an affinity with any animal, though I love dogs & was born in the year of the pig...
Writing medium? I *heart* the internet.
Vacation spot? Black Rock City, Nevada.
Underwear brand? love to gawk at the Agent Provocateur website, but whenever I am near a store I never have enough time to do it justice. I really like cute, colourful, comfortable underwear -- I own maybe two black pairs of knickers. Bonds (an Australian brand) do incredible stuff, I love it. Though most of my bras have polka-dots on them...
Shoe store? Christian Louboutin on Fifth Avenue, NYC! But really anywhere I can get my high-end shoe fix. The department stores here in Melbourne are pretty good for Manolo Blahnik, Pucci etc. ...
Ice cream? Fry's Turkish Delight ice-cream bars. Delicieux!
TV show? Sex & The City. (I am so predictable.) Though I have a secret love affair with most editions of ____'s Next Top Model.
Website and/or blog? I don't like the word "blog"! So many of us publishing online have such high production values -- images, editing, aesthetic & content -- that I almost feel the word "blog" devalues the whole thing. So, website.
Celebrity? Mary-Kate Olsen! Sarah Jessica Parker is a close second. I like them because they're quirky, stylish, positive & great business-women.
Non-alcoholic drinks? Ginger beer. (Also good for curing nausea!)
Alcoholic drinks? I love cocktails, the more pink the better, but if I'm trying to make it easier on the bartender I order a scotch & dry.
Do Australians actually say g'day mate in casual conversations? They actually do. Only weird old men in short shorts with bright red noses, though -- otherwise, young people sometimes say it in jest.
And finally, finish this sentence: You can't go wrong with...A pair of heels which transform you into a super-vixen!

The full story of this blog.

2007-09-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm currently working on not one, but two interviews, and they're both going to be up by the end of the week. But before then, I thought I'd give you all something to read, and let you in on the full story of how Breakfast with the People came to be:

I was originally writing a very long article that psychoanalysed the world, and the importance of breakfast, and how it all tied into my goal in life and the interviews I was doing. But you know what? That's not like me. I'm not usually like that. Yes, I meditate and contemplate, so I do like the spend time thinking about life in depth, but that is a very personal thing for me, and I do not often share those particular thoughts with others.

So the truth about Breakfast with the People? Well, it was originally supposed to be a television show in which I went to the homes of people who were doing great things, cook breakfast with them in their kitchens, and then through cooking with them, and then through a meal-time conversation, get to know more about them and their daily lives.

I specifically chose daily lives because those magazine "what does life mean to you and what is the mathematical formula for happiness" type interviews are fun, I've always thought that they seem a little stilted to me.

What I wanted was a question and answer session with interesting people. I like open ended questions because they truly allow for the personality of the person answering them to shine through and take the reigns. Some people take open ended questions and run with them, and are fascinating and funny. Other people like to be very to the point and answer what they were asked. Both methods are equally legitimate, but in the end, I wanted their answers alone, and I wanted them to be their own.

And so, that's what I set out to do. I find interesting people on the interweb, and ask them open ended questions to get to know a little more about them. Of course, there are standard questions I ask in every interview. What has life taught you? What advice from your parents do you wish you had heeded? You've seen them if you read the blog regularly.

By asking these kinds of questions, I hope to inspire people to be a little more than they are now, or to learn a new skill, or to compliment one more person each day, or to remember to say I love you, or treat themselves well, or finally leave the job they hate. In short, I try to help inspire people to achieve their goals by interviewing others who are doing so as well!

Jamie Harrop

2007-08-26T07:49:00.001-07:00

The next Breakfast with the People interview is with a wonderful teen entrepreneur named Jamie Harrop. So far, I've rewritten his introduction about four times, trying to capture and summarize the essence of a young man who started his journey in the business world at age 14, merged his first business at age 17, then pulled a Bill Gates and dropped out of his Alevels to began running his web development business full time and has been for the past 3 years. Oh look- I just did. Well there you go!

I loved doing this interview. All through out, Jamie was very nice which I'm ashamed to say really surprised me. When I was 14, a Romanian friend of mine told me to not be insulted by Europeans, especially the British because they are naturally blunt and rude people. Ever since, I've always been on my best behavior around anyone who sounds like Simon Cowell. Looking back on this piece of advice that my friend gave me, I now realise that she was specifically talking about Simon Cowell, and not British people as a whole. In that case,here's Jamie's interview, which was nothing like talking to Simon post American Idol audition.

-Where were you born, and where do you live?

I was born a five hour drive from where I lived. I was actually born in London, although at the time I lived five hours north, in West Yorkshire, UK. That's not too far from Manchester (The Manchester where David Beckham played most of his soccer). West Yorkshire is where I still live, although that will be changing soon, I'm sure.

-How did you start in the business world and get bitten by those evil/clever enterprising vampires?

Unlike a lot of other young entrepreneurs, I had nobody around me who was already bitten. I was the first vampire, it seems.

One summer a friend and I were bored, and he showed me some very basic Web site development skills that he had learnt at school. At that moment I became hooked on Web development, and soon that passion crossed over to being an entrepreneur. A couple of years of designing Web sites as a hobby saw me start my own freelancing business. It was at that time I decided I would never work under a boss.

- Merging your business with another is quite the task, especially when you're younger. Why did you decide to do this, what did the merger entail?

I met my now two business partners online via some Web development help forums. A couple years after we met, in November 2005, we formed the International Web Developers Network (IWDN), a Web site with an aim of bringing the Web's professionals together in one place.

It was soon after forming IWDN that we realised we worked very well together and all three of us had our own skill sets. So, we merged, and life has been great since.

As for why I did this... well, it simply made sense. We all had three different skill sets which would work with each other. We had three different client bases that we could merge together to form one very strong client base. We live in three different locations (Ohio, North East England, and West Yorkshire, England) so we had three locations of potential clients that we could target. Everything about the merger made sense.

-On your website, you say you dropped out of your Alevels to further your venture. First, what are Alevels? Second, how did you come to this decision? Third, how did your parents feel about this? And lastly, what would you say to others who are not planning on continuing their traditional education (as there are many other ways to learn outside of school, right?)

A-Levels are the exams we take if you choose to stay in education after high school. We do two years education leading up to our A-Levels, and the results you achieve in your A-Levels are then used to decide whether you qualify for a university place. I dropped out at the end of my first A-Level year.

To be honest, it wasn't a hard decision for me to make. I hated high school and the A-Level period. I'm not the type of person who likes being sat in a classroom, learning from a white board or a book. There are some people who just don't fit the form of education you get in school, and I was very much one of those people. I prefer a hands on approach, teaching myself.

I coped with it throughout high school and for most of the first year of my A-Levels, then things got very hard as our first year exams approached, and that was the time when I merged my business so things were very busy on the entrepreneur front. There was never any doubt in my mind. Dropping out was my only option, and it was the best decision I have ever made.

My parents didn't take it too well at the start. At the time, they didn't really know that self employment was the only thing on my mind. I was very determined to make my decision stick, because I knew it was best.

Most of my friends at school and my teachers knew nothing about my entrepreneur skills, so when I dropped out they assumed I was the drop out who couldn't take the heat of higher education. Of course, I had an evil grin on my face when they all saw my half page newspaper story and they heard me live on BBC radio!

What would I say to others in the same position? Calculated risks are risks worth taking. My risk was very calculated. There is no way I would have dropped out of education if I didn't have what I thought (and was right in thinking) was a solid business that I was about to start with two fantastic business partners. No matter how much I hated school, I would not have dropped out if all I was dropping out for was a half baked business idea or a job at Burger King.

-Alright, I'm going to make an educated guess, from your blog, and vlog that you work out of a home office. How is it set up in relation to your energy and work flow? How did you decorate it?

Ya know, I actually work from my dining room. Yup, the very same room we eat in is the room where our computer is. So, it's in no way, shape or form designed as an office. We have a desk which contains everything, including my filing cabinet, fax machine and shredder, but apart from that, the rest of the room is a normal blue colour with a dining table. The video blogs have been recorded with me sat at my dining table.

I do have a great view of the garden with the pond at the bottom, which is always nice for a little motivation.

Now, I also have a laptop which I usually use. I'm not using it right now because I left my power cable in Chicago earlier this month when I was at a Web hosting convention. However, when I am using it, I roam all around the house. From the garden to the dining room to the lounge. My whole home is an office. :-)

-What's a typical work day for you? Do you get enough sleep/exercise/proper food? (Entrepreneurs after all, are notorious for skimping on all of these things when working.)

I absolutely love my sleep. Nothing gets between me and 10 hours sleep each night.

Generally, I wake up at 8:40am and I'm at the computer by 9:10am. I work until 12:30pm, take lunch, and pick up work again at around 1:30pm, then work until about 9pm (taking short breaks between that time). I then watch a couple hours of TV before hitting the hay at 11pm. I'll sometimes have meetings, or I'll take a morning off to throw some balls at the bowling alley.

When I first bought my laptop, I used to be working until 3am in the morning while laid in bed but I've got out of that habit. I may get more work done in the short term, but eventually that lack of sleep catches up with me.

Because I work most weekends, I finish the week having worked somewhere around 75-85 hours. That's about average for most entrepreneurs, as far as I know. Of course, work is play, play is work. As a result, that 85 hours seems like no more than five hours.

- What life lesson have you learned that has made you smack you head and go, "well duh!"?

Where do I start? I've learned so much, mainly through my travel. I suppose I've learned to be very open minded about unusual cultures and people, and I learned that England really is a horrible place to live in proportion to the rest of the Western world. Of course, I also know that life is never as bad as it seems, and we should always look at the positive.

-What lessons did your parents/guardian tell you as a young one that you wish you had payed a little more attention to?

I'm sure there were many, but because I didn't pay much attention, I can't remember them. Woops!

I suppose one of the key things my parents taught me, albeit indirectly, was to appreciate different cultures, races, and mind sets of other people. They did this through travel. We almost always took a holiday each year, sometimes to a different country but often we spent a week in our tent in the South of England. I met hundreds of people from all over the world and saw lots of new and interesting things. Many of the places we went to were very rural, so my brother and I could go exploring by ourselves on our bikes without the fear of traffic. As 9 year old detectives, we never did find the dead body we were looking for, but we certainly found a lot of other interesting things.

-How exciting was all the publicity you got from the newspapers, and TV when the media started to get wind of you? Can you tell us a little more about that experience?

As with most things I do, I was quite laid back. It never really hit me that I was talking for ten minutes on live BBC radio. It was just another meeting to me. Having said that, looking back at it, it was a great time. I remember walking in to the BBC reception and they had the radio on. "Coming up in a few minutes is an 18 year old entrepreneur from Halifax. I wonder if he'll be wearing a pin striped suit". Those were the first words I heard, and for a moment there I actually realised I was being talked about to thousands of people across my county.

For me, the highlight of that period of media was the newspaper article. It was a half page spread, and was an absolutely fantastic article about me and my business that the editor had created. Everybody I knew saw the article, and many friends who I hadn't seen since junior school came out and contacted me. Very cool, for sure. :-)

- How does an entrepreneur such as yourself take some down time?

I'm a big fan of the quote, "Work Hard. Play Harder". I spend a lot of my weekends away camping (I'm a Scout leader, so camping is very much a part of my life). Earlier this month I spent 11 nights in America, staying in Ohio with my business partner, three nights in Chicago at a convention on Navy Pier, and one night in Sandusky before flying through the air at 120mph at Cedar Point. Yesterday, I booked seven nights on the Greek island of Corfu for next month, and as I said earlier, I spend far too much time at the bowling alley.

Scouting takes up quite a lot of my time. I've been involved in Scouting for 14 years, and I'm now a Scout leader, running an adventurous programme for 14-18 year olds. It's fantastic fun and incorporates a lot of down time, which is always good to get rid of the stress that work revolves around sometimes.

Of course, as a 19 year old, I'm not against the odd beer (or ten) every now and again. At least once every couple of weeks you'll find me throwing some moves in a nightclub with far too much beer inside me.

-What advice would you give to those who are trying to emulate your success?

Find a passion. Find a problem within that thing you're passionate about. Then find a solution to that problem and sell it. It's absolutely pointless starting a business if you're not passionate about the industry you're in because you simply won't get up in a morning.

Owning a business should be fun, but the only way it's going to be fun is if you're passionate about the product or service that you're selling.

-What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs in general?

Go with where you're heart takes you. Don't go with where your parents or teachers tell you to do.

Being a leader, as opposed to a follower, is very much a part of being an entrepreneur. Make your own decisions, and most of all, live life for today and like it's your last. If at the end of each day you can say to yourself, "If this day were my last, I would be happy to have spent it doing what I did today", then that's fantastic.

Also, don't forget that you're not alone. There are thousands of other young entrepreneurs, some maybe younger than you. There are plenty of people to bounce ideas off and network with who are in the same position as you. Find those people. You'll be all the better for it.

-What's next for you? Business, and life wise?

Business wise, I have a few things planned. I'm not willing to say much, but suffice it to say that most of my business ventures over the next 12-24 months will be online, but eventually I want to extend my business career to offline ventures, dealing in the entertainment sector (laser tag arenas, paint balling etc).

Of course, I intend to continue blogging, and hopefully I'll develop a solid base of readers over the next 12 months.

In life, I'll be moving house soon. The plan right now is to move to South West England, for a little sun, sea, sand and surf. After that, I may end up living abroad.

Nothings set in stone right now, but I am considering signing up for a charity adventure challenge, namely white water rafting in Africa for charity. That will be next year or the year after.

All right! Well, you know those super annoying chain mail letter you get asking you to fill you a million questions? Well, I've got an abridged version for you here. What are your favorite:

colours? Can't say I really have one, but if I were to name one, I would say green.

movies? Shawshank Redemption. The Usual Suspects. Training Day.
By far my favourite motivational movie is 'Terry', the story of Terry Fox, the 21 year old who set out to run across Canada with one artificial leg, in a bid to raise awareness of cancer research. If only I could find this movie on DVD. [Ed. note: being from Canada, I am very aware of this film, and even over here I have yet to have seen it on DVD!]

actors/actresses? Hard to say, but Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington are probably up near the top.

vacation spots? This is easy. Kandersteg, Switzerland. It's a small village that contains the worlds only permanent Scout campsite. At it's peak, the population of the village doubles with 1,400 Scouts from around the world staying there. I went in 2000 and it was the best time of my life. I went in 2006, and it was the second best time of my life. :-)

ice cream flavours? I'm a plain vanilla guy.

clothing brands? Whatever fits and looks good. You will almost always see me wearing a pair of Skechers sneakers though.

dot com business? The first one that springs to mind has to be the Million Dollar Home Page. It wasn't anything special. It was just a simple idea that made a lot of money!

time of day? Even though I love my sleep, I find that when I do stay awake in to the early hours, I get a lot of work done. So, I'll have to say the early hours of the morning.

animal? Dolphin. So free and fun. Just like me! haha.

Finish this scentence: You can't go wrong with... Pizza and chips.

You see my people...

2007-08-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

You see my people, when it comes to getting people to actually getting people to agree to interviews for the blog, things can get a little difficult. Some bloggers are nearly impossible to contact. Which is why I have not had to resort to shamelessness. Below, I have written a blog entry in white text. It consists of random babbling, in which I try to use every single word I know of associated with Out.com's Stylelist blog in hope of getting the attention of it's writer. I would love to interview him. Alas, it seems he has not taken a page out of my blogging book, and set up a separate Google Gmail, just for his blog. Which is sad, as I would really like to interview him, the writer of the Out.com Stylelist. Stylelist, stylelist, stylelist. There. Now, i will begin the Google trigger post below, only I will make it white, so ya'll can't the the level I will stoop to to get my faithful readers an inspiring person to learn about.

I am about to create a post the will hopefully pop up if the writer of the blog, Stylelist ever Google's his stylish self. Style, men, gay men, Stylelist, Out.com, New York, fashions, Tom For, Fashion designers. You see, I've been lemming after an interview with the writer of Stylelist, because although I'm not a man, nor a gay man, or gay men, or even fully gay, (only partly gay, because the Out.com Stylist made me gay,) because I love Out.com, I read the Stylelist everyday. His blog is in my Google feed reader. I love gay men, in a non sex, sexual, sexy way. Stylelist. I love the Stylelist, and I'm sure if I got to talk to him, I would love the writer of the Stylelist who writes to Out.com style blog on fashion. Because gay men love fashion, and fashion loves gay men. Although, that would be a stereotype (style list) against gay men. Straight men (a.k.a. metrosexuals,metrosexyals) , and bisexual men, and transsexual men, and transgender men, and asexual men, and men who do not want to label their sexuality, love fashion as well. As as an aspiring fashion designer, I also love all men in the LGBTQQQA community. Actually, I like to call it the acronym community, as I sadly, often forget an leave out certain parts of the acronym, and then feel bad for causing more invisibility to the different sexuality. Especially the asexuals, as some people claim it is not a sexuality at all, which is wrong. A sexual men have a sexuality of being attracted to no one. And I think that counts in the acronym community, to there. LGTB. WRITER OF THE STYLELIST BLOG, IF YOU FIND THIS POST TROUGH GOOGLE THROUGH MY EXCESSIVE USE OF HOT WORDS, PLEASE EMAIL ME SO WE CAN SET UP AN INTERVIEW WITH YOU. I LOVE YOUR BLOG, AND THEY WAY YOU ARE ABLE TO BE SO FEARLESSLY OUT THERE. IT INSPIRED ME!! Style

Alright, the randomness has ended. I am now going to go post a comment on his blog, in hopes that he will check out my site, see the sorta pathetic message, and email me at ayomide3 at gmail dot com. Word. Style http://blogs.out.com/style

[Editor's note: I just Googled the Stylelist, and nothing came up. Boo. I guess I now just have to hope that he's diligent about reading his comments!.]

Debbie Chialtas

2007-08-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

So, now you all know what Breakfast with the People is all about. But, who exactly are the people we're going to be interviewing? Well, first up is a wonderfully friendly person named Debbie Chialtas. She is the owner and founder of Soapylove, a line of gorgeous, handmade soaps that I probably would have tired to eat had I not known any better. Take a look at this:

and this:

Talent? I think so! And I got the opportunity to find out a little bit more about her wonderful world of creativity:
What’s your name and primary location? Debbie Chialtas, in San Diego, California.

Where were you born? I was born in New York, but my family moved here when I was 2, so I consider myself a Californian.

Looking back on your childhood, what lesson(s) did your parents teach you that you wish you had paid attention to earlier? How to cook!! I'm terrible!

What valuable and all important lesson(s)did life teach you, that made you smack your head and go, “Well, duh”? To be myself, and not worry about trying to be what I thought people expected. This was definitely a junior high thing - to just be a good person and let things fall into place naturally.

What kind of personality would you say you have? At the moment, completely erratic and unpredictable!
I'm 6 months pregnant, so hormones are seriously messing with my head. But normally I'm pretty mellow and happy, and definitely a home body. I'm married and have a 2 year old son, and home is where I like to be.

What do you think fuels your greatest moments? Getting out of my home environment for sure. I think travelling is super important and helps reboot my perspective. I look forward to being more mobile when my kids are older.

Your worst? Intoxication! Need I say more?! :)

What inspired you to start Soapylove? Actually, it's funny you ask. My first pregnancy and crazy hormones inspired Soapylove (one word). I got obsessed with making body products, then discovered glycerin soap and went totally crazy. I decided to try selling some stuff, and it really took off!

The life of an entrepreneur is a busy, and often difficult one. How do you balance work with play? Play? What's that? I work full time and manage Soapylove, so getting in fun time is difficult. But I would say that the weekends are my opportunity to spend some good quality time with my son and husband.We do family stuff like go to parks, the beach, or whatever else! There's a lot to do in San Diego.

I know you’re also a mom. What effect does this role in your life have on your role as a business woman? Oh my gosh - almost everything. If I wasn't a mom, I might take a bigger risk and quit my day job, but there are mouths to feed and I need to act responsibly!

What was the best business book you’ve ever read, and why? Business book... hmm. I think I skimmed over how to make soap crafting into a business, but it was not the strategy I wanted to adopt. I have really just been basing my business decisions on past experience and trial-and-error.What are you reading right now? Nothing much, unfortunately. Time is precious and I usually spend it with my son and husband when I'm not working.

You are a woman in the crafts business,which as we all know, is dominated by women. So,one would think that there would be lesser discrimination against businesswomen in the arts & crafts. Is this true? Ooh... hard to say. If anything there is a bias against men in this business, so women get preferential treatment.

How do you deal with discrimination in general? I would like to deal with it by getting out of the corporate world, where it's so prevalent it's just accepted.

What has been your biggest roadblock to success, and how did you overcome it? (In business, or in life?) Handling the demand. I approached 3 companies to outsource some of my soap production and all fell through, but my amazing helper (an independent contractor and awesome soap artist) has
really stepped up to the plate and is helping me fill the growing orders for my soaps even better than many of the big companies could have, with more ambition and quality than I could have ever hoped for!

What has been your greatest moment of success?(In business or in life?) Ooh - I think being an Etsy featured artist.[Etsy is an online comminuty that allows and connects people to buy and sell handmade goods. Whole businesses have been launched off the site.] That felt like my big "welcome to the big leagues" initiation. As a glycerin soap crafter, which is often considered very substandard, I think it is a big accomplishment to get recognition from a community like Etsy which has so many varied and talented artists.

How do you relax at the end of the day? Hit the couch and turn on the TV! I love watching cooking shows, especially "Ace of Cakes" on Food Network.

What is the/your key to happiness? Having love at home for sure. I have an amazing loving husband, who I've been with since I was 17, and our relationship is the foundation for any other accomplishment in my life. Having a child together (soon 2!) really galvanizes that bond.

If you could whisper one piece of advice into the ears of the world, and have them listen and follow it, what would it be? Please stop judging others and finding ways to feel superior. This only divides us all and creates tension. If we can all just relax and stop making "moral" judgements about each other, we could have a much better time!

Any tips for anyone considering the soap business? Have an image or item that makes you stand out. There are so many people making soap that there's a lot of
competition.

Any tips for anyone considering going into fashion design? Be well rounded, know how to sew, be open to lots of different positions in the apparel business, and learn
how to not take criticism personally.

Favourite colour? - Today, neon pink!

Ice cream? - Today, pistachio!

Vacation spot? - Kauai!!

Soap maker? - No one in particular. I admire so many!

Fashion designer? - No one in particular either. I'm kind of burnt out on fashion actually.

Finish this sentence: You can’t go wrong with... sitting on a beautiful beach breathing in
the fresh air.

You can see more of Debbie Chialtas's wonderful creations at http://www.soapylove.com/

Bienvenu!

2007-08-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It energises you, and sets you up for success by giving you the all important fuel you will need for your day. As do life lessons, taught by people who have already learned them. Breakfast with the People is the blog that aspires to bring you those life lesson to inspire and energise you, through a series of interviews with all sorts of people with something to offer. Interviews will be added as often as they are done. My recommendation: sign up for our RSS feed, and you will be notified as soon as they're up!

My name, by the way, is Ayomide. It's pronounced I-oh-me-day. Remember that.