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Moms in Business: Emily Jaime
Over the past couple years, we've done a series called "Women in Business" where we interviewed small business boss ladies about their business, goals for the future, and advice for other women. Last year we brought it back for a special mom edition and today we're sharing a peek into the life of YIREH founder/designer Emily and her advice for other moms in business.
What was your first job?
I started working as soon as I was legally allowed to (fourteen and a half!) and my first job was at Subway! I worked there all through high school with my two best friends and it was honestly so much fun.
How did you start your business?
I started making and selling jewelry after high school to fund my travels. When I received a scholarship to study abroad anywhere in the world for college I chose Indonesia because it was my favorite country. While I was there I decided I wanted to invest in making a product to then turn into a business! Soon after I met a family of seamstresses and partnered with them to make Yireh's first product, the Pantai Short, and when I brought everything back to Hawai'i it all sold out within a few months! So from there I began working with ethical manufacturers and just continued to create and organically grow the brand into what it is today!
How does Paisley inspire you?
Paisley inspires me to focus on what really matters. I feel like before she was born I gave my attention to too many things, and now that she is here I have a greater awareness of where I want to spend my time.
In regards to motherhood, what are you confident in? What are you insecure about?
This is such a loaded question! But in short, I feel that I am confident in the fact that I will parent different than a lot of other mothers and that is ok. We are all on different journeys and what is right for me and my family may not be right for someone else's family and there is nothing wrong with that. I would say that I have insecurities around not making any big mistakes without being aware, that will scar Paisley or follow her into adulthood. Childhood is such a formative time I just hope I can give her the best memories!
What has been your favorite motherhood moment so far?
My favorite motherhood moments are getting to see my daughter come alive at the beach! She screams, runs around, explores, digs, and just has so much fun! Seeing her curiosity lights up my world!
What advice do you have for new mothers who are entrepreneurs?
Allow yourself time to take a break and be kind to yourself. I really beat myself up those first few months for not being able to mentally or physically do much. But in hindsight, it ended up not being that big of a deal, I wish I allowed myself time to take a break.
How do you structure your days and balance getting work done while taking care of a baby?
It's been a rollercoaster ride figuring out what works for our family. For the first year we didn't have any help so my husband and I switched off days. I worked full 10 hour days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and he worked full days on Tuesday Thursday and Saturday. This year we finally hired some help and have designated hours for both of us to work, and then designated hours for us to be together as a family. But if I'm being honest it isn't always clean cut. Sometimes we work weekends and some days we take complete breaks. We kind of just go off of the rhythm of what our family needs in each season.
Learn more about YIREH's beginning here. You can find Emily on Instagram at @emilyjaime.
