Interview with Aimee from Treasured Birthdays
When we started this site, one of our biggest goals was to help other moms start their own businesses so they could be in control of their time and still bring in money to support their families.
Aimee Wingard is doing just that. She owns and runs Treasured Birthdays, a unique online store for all things birthday. She has five sons and this store, which helps other moms throw great parties, allows Aimee to spend time with her boys, on her own terms and bring in money for her family.
I was able to talk to Aimee on the phone about her store. We had a great time chatting, and I learned a lot about her. At the end of this article I've featured some great birthday cake kits, cupcake rings and tins. Check them out!
My interview with Aimee is below...
Sarah: Is there anything you want to tell me about the business that you really love?
Aimee: Well, it's the fulfillment of a dream. But it's one I didn't really know I had. I always wanted to be a mother, that's all I ever wanted to be. And in today's world, it's not really possible to "just" be a mother because it takes so much for a family to survive.
The reality of surviving on one income and being able to do everything you want to do is just not there any more like it was. So to be able to find something that I have a passion about and that I'm good at, and that still allows me to be with my children, feels like a fulfillment of a dream that I didn't really know I had.
Sarah: I feel the exact same way.
Aimee: Yeah, it's hard. When you're a little girl thinking you want to grow up and be a mom, you don't think about the cost of formula or diapers, and you don't think about how little the insurance covers on the doctor's bill. I mean, doing all of that on one income is really hard.
Sarah: Absolutely. It's really tough these days. We're all feeling it. So for you, you wanted to do this and be home at the same time. What had you pick birthdays?
Aimee: Well, years ago, before children, you know "BC," I took a cake decorating class on a whim. And I loved it. I was very interested in doing anything crafty all my life, so I really loved this. And the woman who was instructing the class asked me if I would be interested in teaching a cake decorating class.
And from that moment on, I became a cake-decorating instructor and I feel in love with the idea of creating birthday cakes. I loved taking this mound of frosting and any normal sheet cake and turning it into something that would make a child giggle with delight.
Then when I had my own children and I really truly understood the joy of celebrating a birthday and what that really means. Until you celebrate the birth of your own child, I don't think you can really get the true experience of celebrating a birthday. So when I had my own children and I was really excited about their milestones, and what they had accomplished, and celebrating the memories of their birth, I just fell in love with the idea of anything birthday and would go out of my way to create the most unique invitation, or a really neat party game, or what would be the most off the wall party. Treasured birthdays was really created out of that.
Sarah: So you had all these great ideas, and you had the unique ideas and you loved the cake decorating — how did that turn into a business?
Aimee: I felt like I spent hour upon hour searching and looking for the resources for my parties. So I'd go to one store and it wouldn't have everything I needed, and then I'd go to a second store and it wouldn’t have everything either. And of course 11 years ago, the internet wasn't what it is now, so I just felt like I was pulling my hair out and wasting precious time with my children trying to create that special party. But by the time I had the party created, I was exhausted.
So I decided we needed a one-stop shop for everything. And if that meant I had to do it, then that's that. And I did it.
Sarah: So did you start with a website? Did you talk toy our neighbors about it? Did you start with flyers? What was your first step?...(cont)
