We’re looking forward to introducing you to Bri Hepworth. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Bri, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now, a normal day consists of balancing work life with mom life. I partially homeschool my kids- that means they go to school twice a week with their teacher, and on the other three days they do work at home. It’s been the best way for us to still travel as a family without them missing school. So I wake up, work out, and get started on school work with the kids. While they’re doing work, I try to do a little social media work or answer emails, but it is usually interrupted and cut short with kids’ school needs. In between activities on their home days, I try to make it to the storage unit where we keep our inventory to fill orders or restock product. The afternoons are usually filled with kids sports, dance, and juggling multiple schedules. I make dinner, and we do stories and bedtime with the kids. After all that, it’s time to work! At night I’m usually working on Mini Voyager until I go to sleep or work on the back end side of the business. It’s exhausting but it’s rewarding.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Bri! I created the company Mini Voyager. We sell customized activity kits for kids to help keep them entertained on the go. The kits are filled with tried-and-true toys that help keep kids engaged and entertained for longer. They’re a great screen break for kids. I started the company after taking lots of cross-country flights with my kids by myself, and feeling so stressed about how I was going to keep them entertained for long periods of time on flights. Over time, I’ve perfected the toys that we bring and found the best toys that keep kids entertained for longer. I wanted to share that with other families who were looking for screen time alternatives, and Mini Voyager was born!
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I used to believe that everything had to be perfect in order to be considered “good” or worthy of sharing. I think that held me back for a long time. I was always incredibly hard on myself as a kid, and always tried to do what others wanted me to do or be who others wanted me to be. As I’ve become a mom and a business owner, I’ve come to realize that you can’t do it all, and nothing will ever be perfect. I’ve learned to find beauty in the imperfections, and I’ve stopped letting that hold me back from trying things in business or just “going for it” when it comes to business decisions. Sometimes it leads to hard lessons learned, and sometimes it leads to success. But not doing something because it isn’t perfect won’t get you anywhere, and I’ve definitely learned to let that go.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There’s been many times in running this business when I’ve felt discouraged. When orders are slow, when I’m feeling like I’m not getting as much engagement on my social media posts on our business’ instagram, when I feel worn out from business decisions, it can feel like too much. The biggest thing I’ve learned is that owning a business is like a rollercoaster. There’s so many ups and downs, and you can’t just bail when there’s a slump, you’ve just got to keep your head down and continue working. Things will turn around.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie in the travel industry, and especially in the family-travel industry, is that all your trips need to be to big, luxurious places, and that it’s impossible to do these trips without spending a ton of money. We have a family of 6 and we try to take 3-4 big trips a year. But there’s so many ways that you can save in order to make it affordable. We sacrifice on some things in order to spend on others. And as a big family, that really helps make it possible for us to travel so much. For example, we prioritize experiences over where we stay (usually), so we might try to find a more affordable option for housing and splurge on the experience we do. We also try to save by spending less on breakfast and lunch (cereal and pb&j) so that we can spend more on a nice meal at dinner. Food costs at a restaurant for 6 people for 3 meals a day really adds up fast, so there’s ways that we try to save so that we can experience more of the world as a family. You just have to prioritize what is important to you.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: When do you feel most at peace?
I feel most at peace when I’m with my family, when we are doing something we love together and just spending time together. There’s so many things that you can be pushing for in life, and as a business owner there’s always bigger and better goals to achieve. But finding the little moments of quiet and togetherness with my family are just a reset for me and bring me so much joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://minivoyager.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/minivoyager_/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/shopminivoyager
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@minivoyager_
Image Credits
n/a (all photos owned by Mini Voyager)
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
