We recently connected with Courtney Torain and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Courtney , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I come from a family of self driven and successful entrepreneurs dating back to my grandparents. If I had to pick one person that I got my work ethic from, it would be my dad. Growing up, I always admired my father’s work ethic – his self discipline and drive to do whatever it took to not only provide for his family, but to also reach and accomplish his goals he set for himself.
As I grew older, my passion for caring for others lead me to obtaining a degree in nursing. Throughout my time in nursing school and in my nursing career, the same work ethic and principles I seen in my dad, I brought into my career; work hard, perfect your craft, never stop learning, keep trying harder, and never give up.
When I created The Destined Mom, LLC, those same principles followed. Every day, I show up in one way or another, whether seen or unseen. I’m constantly looking to try an improve different areas of the business and customer experience, working hard to create a brand and community that every mother can relate with and feel seen, empowered, loved, and supported regardless of where they may be in their motherhood journey.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
It was after our battle with infertility and successfully conceiving our son that I knew, without doubt, I wanted to create an apparel brand for women and mothers alike to celebrate in the highs, lows, chaos, and love all surrounding motherhood regardless of where you may be in your motherhood journey.
To me, The Destined Mom, LLC has and will always be more than whats seen on the surface which is “just shirts”; it’s memories being created, its moms supporting moms, its community, a sisterhood of mothers that just “get it”, it’s love, a representation of the journey each person is on, its family, and most importantly, it’s a brand that focuses on encouraging every mom and making them feel love, seen, heard, and valued.
To further our efforts on building a community, we recently started our own. foundation, A Mother’s Village. Just like it takes a village to raise a child, we believe that mothers need villages too! Throughout the year we take portions of our sales and put towards our foundation so that at different times throughout the year we can give back to moms and families in need. For example, this year we took portions from sales and connected with some of our small business friends to create gift bags for moms and families that could use a little extra cheer this holiday season.
We also hosted our first ever canned food drive this year in efforts of giving back to our community both near and far. Rather than only taking donations from those local to us, we reached out to the TDM community and asked that they also donate to their local non-profits, shelters, food banks, etc. We had a great turnout and are looking forward to hosting more events like this in the years to come.
Hands down, my most favorite part of this business is connecting with other women/moms both local and non-local; moms i would have never met before or crossed paths with had it not been for TDM. Women from all over that I’ve never even met, I now consider more like family. Some of my customers have been with me since nearly the beginning, and I’ll see their name pop up in my order queue as I look over the orders for the day and I’ll stop and think “Omg, I remember when they first ordered from me and their little one was wearing a size 12mo onesie and here they are ordering a size 4T now” and I’ll just smile a big smile. I absolutely love my TDM mamas, and if theres one thing I want them to know, it’s that I am so very thankful for each and every one of them!
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?
Always be willing to learn. In business and in life in general, theres always something to be learned. I think in todays world everyone wants things quick and want to put in the least amount of work and effort possible, yet still make lots of money and easy at that. I think it’s important to note that nothing worth having comes easy, and nothing of value comes from it just being handed to you.
Just start. Be afraid and do it anyway. Nothing will be 100% perfect. Looking back, I think about the time I wasted on wanting things to be “perfect” before I launched, or how I put things off simply because I was “afraid” of failing or what others might think, and man…. if I could get that time back lol! Nothing will ever be 100% perfect, and as you grow you’ll think of ways to make things better. I look back at where I started vs where I am at now, and the growth is just crazy.
Comparison is the thief of all joy. In a world where social media is heavily used and often times shows only the positive, and majestic looking photos, I think it’s important for not only those that are just now embarking on their journey, but also for those that have been in business to remember the importance of not comparing yourself and your business to others. Everyones journey looks different and everyones “winning” season comes at different times. I think it’s important to be genuinely happy for others, appreciate where you are and always work hard to continue building your brand.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always looking to grow TDM as a brand and community. If you or someone you know may be interested in collaborating with us, we would love to speak with you/them. Please reach out to our marketing team at marketing@thedestinedmom.com to inquire and receive more details. Right now, our focus is on women/families that love the brand, obviously, but also share in some of our core values.
We also like to collaborate with other small businesses in various ways, one of them being that we offer our products at wholesale via our wholesale program. If interested, please email us at wholesale@thedestinedmom.com to inquire and receive further details about our program.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thedestinedmom.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thedestinedmom
- Facebook: facebook.com/thedestinedmom
Image Credits
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