Meet Monica Mclaughlin

 

We were lucky to catch up with Monica Mclaughlin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Monica, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I am an immigrant to this country. I am originally from Oakville, Ontario, Canada, my family became US citizens in 1999. My family on both sides come from a long line of resilient immigrants in Europe. Generations ago, my mom’s side shipwrecked coming over from Britian, on the most beautiful island way up north-east Canada, Les-Ile-De-La-Madeline, considered to be part of the province, Quebec. My mother grew up living a farming rural lifestyle on the absolutely gorgeous small, remote island. The most beautiful cliffs, deep blue water, soft sand like “salt and pepper” my mom always says. Her great great great great grandfather (she thinks) became lobster, snow crab, and scallop fisherman, having most men in the family after him, continuing on the tradition. Special occasion at our house? Theres always delicious sea food!

My father’s side, originally from Sylvania the former Yugoslavia, escaped Europe after World War II where my grandfather was hidden in a ladies basement for 2 weeks, saving him from meeting his death. After he escaped, he was then captured, and held in an internment camp in Italy for two years for being on in the wrong political party, against the communists. When he was free, he moved way up north Quebec, Canada, to live with his aunt, working as a carpenter in a gold mine in a small town.

My parents both moved to Toronto, Canada (the New York City of Canada), and met while working at an IT company.  

Growing up, my parents were always the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of people. Anything we wanted in the world; they encouraged us to work for. If something didn’t work, try again. We were taught to learn from our mistakes and to keep chasing our dreams. We were taught to always treat others with respect, and to conduct our lives with character, and doing the right thing. 

I became an entrepreneur because I learned I had to fight for the life I wanted. I had gone through burnout years before, which shattered my mental health and required me to build myself up again. I even lost my identity through the process. You don’t go through something like that and come out the same on the other side. No matter the heartbreak, I learned life is too short to not have the life you’ve dreamed about. Thats why I want a lavender farm, so that I can find peace, every single day. 

Through the very many lives I have lived in my 34 years, from working in Hospitality Sales for a Hyatt Regency, to planning special events at The Kentucky Castle, to getting my Masters in Applied Sports Psychology, to starting and coaching a college lacrosse team during COVID, and becoming a Main Street Director, turned entrepreneur, each life I have lived has helped me on the road to building 3 businesses: McLaughlin Lavender, McLaughlin Events & Marketing, and McLaughlin Property Rentals. 

Although I am still in the early years of my businesses, the dream of one day owning a lavender farm of our own, hosting events of all kinds among the swaying lavender, feels closer than it ever has before. I have hope, and dreams, and will stop at nothing to make them our reality.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am proud to focus on building our McLaughlin brand, through property rentals and air bnbs, unique events to make lasting memories, and an all-natural botanical lavender product line with sustainability and caring for the earth, in mind. 

Through everything I have been through, I have learned how important it is to be in the moment and do more of what brings you joy. Our end goal is own a lavender farm of our own one day. We are starting the process of looking for grants and funds to buy equipment to increase production and get to an even more natural and sustainable place by sourcing most herbs and flowers from the farm, to starting a farm stand on the farm full of community products to help with the shop local initiative, and growing the business and finding the funding to eventually buy a lavender farm and event venue. 

When you are out in the lavender field harvesting in the dead heat of summer, the buzzing bees flying around you, beautiful butterflies and praying mantises, remind you to breathe, and take it in. Everything is still, and you can find peace. 

In 2022, I married my husband, Will, at the most beautiful Lavender Farm in The Dalles, Oregon, Hoffman Hills Lavender Farm. Our wedding was gorgeous, exactly how we envisioned. We kept in touch with the owner, wanting to learn as much as we can about the lavender, taking care of it, harvesting, and uses. We went to The Dalles many times the next two summers helping harvest the gorgeous lavender and learning more about the farm and what needed to be done.

I started McLaughlin Lavender in June 2023, after starting to look at land to start a farm of our own one day, and the bank asking to see numbers from the lavender products I was going to make. I started the very next day with the support of my husband, close friends, and the help of La Grande Farmers Market being the best supporters of small businesses, allowing us to have an incubator space to learn, and grow! 

In November of 2024, we moved out to the farm to take on more responsibilities, including tending to the farm and the lavender, helping promote the farm and wedding/event venue, as well as building up our brand, McLaughlin Lavender, and McLaughlin Events. What a joy it is to see the rows of lavender out the window, feeling like you can breathe in the beautiful countryside. It has been especially wonderful seeing all the different seasons, as we only were on the farm previously in the summer. The farm is gorgeous no matter the season, if you’re in the area, come visit!

We are looking forward to U-Pick events, wine tastings, dance classes, yoga classes and more starting in May at the Farm. This is such a special place, we are excited to bring some fun events to The Dalles, and a way to bring the community together through unique experiences.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Most impactful for me, are the relationships I have made along the way. 

Having worked at the Chamber of Commerce and as a Main Street Director, it is so very important to support our small businesses and shop as local as we can for our community, economy and environments sake. I loved meeting and chatting with the business owners, hearing their stories, their struggles, and seeing how we could them succeed. I absolutely loved putting on events like the monthly Sip Shop, bringing Women in Business to La Grande, Touch-A-Truck, many vendor events that I still host to this day, and more!

Through those job experiences I got to know the most wonderful, helpful small business owners, always eager to help with advice and brainstorming. Each one of us has our strengths, when we work together, we all can benefit. As one of my small business besties always says, “A rising tide lifts all ships”. 

One of my favorite memories is looking around the room at the first Women in Business event, one of my favorite events to date that I have started and planned, and seeing the laughter, connection, and friendship happening all around me. That is how it always should be. Starting a business is no easy task, it helps to have a tribe!

Check out your local Main Street, Chamber of Commerce, and economic development for training, don’t be scared to ask for help. Each small business owner was new at some point. 

I think the most important advice I can give, is to be true to yourself, and not give up. Things are going to be hard, that is part of the game of life. Having a business that is true to you who you are, using other businesses as inspiration, but making it your own with your own ideas and branding. Dream of what you really want your life, and your business, to look like and go for it. 

Take a break when you need to, fix your ponytail, and try again. My Sports Psychology professor always told me, “Focus on the things you can control”. 

I am an over thinker and worry about most things all the time. It helps to take a step back and look at the things I can change, such as effort, heart, focus, grit, doing the next right thing, how I talk to myself, what I eat, how I handle and process my stress, planning, strategy, etc. 

Don’t be scared to dream. Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot do something, and most of all, keep supportive, and also grounding people, around you. Remember to enjoy the journey, part of the fun is growing, getting better, making a mistake, then trying again. 

Without all those other lives I have lived, I never would have made it here. I always trusted I would end up right where I need to be, and know that I needed every experience, every heart break, to teach me along the way. 

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

Like many other business owners, I am struggling with doing it all. 

Funding to buy a copper or stainless steel still to distill our own essential oils from the lavender and other flowers and herbs from the farm, funding to buy the farm one day, building the businesses, getting connected in a new community, building a new client base, while keeping our current client base and our Little Lavender Boutique part of the Market Place Underground Boutiques in La Grande, Oregon stocked, and having the energy and building the systems in place to do it all. 

I have learned to rely on my other experiences in past jobs to help me put systems in place, and to work with joy. I’m not going to love every part of what needs to happen to be a small business owner, not to mention 3 small businesses, but I am dedicated to growth and learning to make my dream a reality. I am also learning to hire out if necessary for bookkeeping, business coaching, strategy, etc.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Abby Stonebreaker Photography
Lady Grif Food – Product Photographer
Whiskey Creek Marketing & Multimedia
McLaughlin Events & Marketing

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