Mom-preneur: Adorn

We are back from our trip and of course, I have a billion things to do and came home with a mean cold. Such is life. I have TONS to post so I'll start with this Mom-preneur, Kimberly, who does custom henna body art.

Business Name: Adorn

Where did the name come from?

The name 'Adorn' seemed to me to encapsulate the way I feel when wearing henna - it's a little exotic, dramatic, and really beautiful. There's something about wearing henna body art that makes you not only feel decorated, but feel like you're precious and WORTH being decorated. That's what I wanted to convey with the name. There is something about drawing a henna design on a pregnant mother (whether it's on hands, feet, or belly) that really highlights this sense of celebration and blessing.

How long have you been doing this?:

I began drawing with henna in 2005 when I was pregnant with my second child - I actually bought some henna paste so I could decorate my own belly in celebration. I fell in love with the art form, and I've been playing around with it ever since; drawing on anyone I could get to sit still long enough. In December 2008 I decided I wanted to make this into a business venture, and began offering my henna artwork to students and visitors to Yoga Loka (a yoga studio in south Reno where I teach vinyasa and prenatal yoga classes). I love doing henna of all sorts, but I'm especially excited about the opportunity to bless mamas and babies. I'm hoping that my prenatal yoga connection will lead to the chance to decorate many pregnant bellies.

Explain your business and how you developed the concept behind it:

This endeavor started with my henna hobby, and expanded as I subsequently began experimenting with other media. I am trained as a scientist (I have a Ph.D. in plant ecology) but as the mother of three young children (ages 6, 3, and 1), I decided that the academic world was too family unfriendly and I'm taking a break from academics in order to raise my children. By expanding my hobby into a business I hope to create a situation where my livelihood is not in conflict with my ability to enjoy my life.

I work in three different media to create beautiful and temporary adornment for the skin to provide ephemeral beauty and fun for adults and children alike. They are henna, jagua and glitter.

What makes your business so unique?

I know of only a handful of henna artists and I am the only person I know who also works with jagua and glitter. I offer the opporunity for safe, natural, painless, and temporary body art for people of all ages. I think pregnancy henna is particularly unique - this is one of the few things a pregnant women can do safely to decorate her gorgeous body, and it lasts longer than body paint and has a long and significant history. I am also excited about offering glitter tattoos for children's events. They provide a similar sense of celebration and fun as face-painting, but they last much longer and are beautiful collaborations between myself and the children who choose the designs and colors.

Storefront/website/etsy:?

I am the 'artist in residence' at Yoga Loka in Reno (6135 Lakeside Dr. #121) every Saturday starting at 12:00 PM and walk-ins are welcome. I don't yet have a website or etsy but you can view pictures of my work on flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/18857616@N03), and you can contact me by e-mail at kimberly.allcock@gmail.com.

Struggles/difficulties starting a business:

I think the hardest part has been spreading the word and letting people know what I do. I've never been really good at promoting myself, and obviously starting a business necessarily entails self promotion!

Balancing business and family:

My husband is wonderfully supportive, and watches the kids when I am at my weekly sitting at Yoga Loka or if I'm booked for a special event. I have had clients come over to my home during my kids' naptime, and done private appointments while the babies are sleeping. This is one of the most exciting things about starting this business - it should be possible to create my own schedule to conflict as little as possible with family time. As the weather warms up and people are ready to bare more skin to decorate, I imagine my schedule will fill up, and it will take pre-planning to ensure there is little conflict.

Short and long-term goals:

I envision this remaining a small and intimate business in the long term, with a few clients per month; large enough to be rewarding and interesting, but small enough to allow me to make my family my priority. I would love to see expectant mothers and mothers of newborns become my core clientelle for henna art. I think henna lends itself so well to celebrating the beauty of the body and of birth. I would also love to become better known as an affordable option for kids' birthday celebrations!

Thanks Kimberly!