In our latest “Ask A Founder,” where we tap into the great minds of female entrepreneurs, we chat with Selfmade alum Angela Fraser of Berlyns Pet Bakery. For the past two years, thousands of women have experienced our Selfmade virtual business coaching program, led by Brit + Co founder Brit Morin and sponsored by Office Depot OfficeMax. Fraser shares how Selfmade gave her the guidance to start her pet treat business, the brainchild of her 11-year-old daughter, by helping her gather data, create a brand, and perfect the art of the elevator pitch.
- How would you describe your brand in five words? Passionate, devoted, reliable, joyful, and nurturing.
- What was your aha moment before starting Berlyns? When my 11-year-old daughter asked if she could use her love for animals to make treats from home to give back to the community. She is on the spectrum, and this is a great opportunity for her to start at a young age to learn how to adapt to life skills, while working with her passion for animals.
- What were you doing before you started this business? I had been working for with a major online retailer as a Learning Ambassador. I would train new hires, managers, retrains, and travel to new startup locations. I felt it was time to learn how to do something else that would be a better fit for my daughter's schedule. During this time my daughter asked if we could start a dog treat business. I honestly had no idea where to begin. When I applied to Selfmade, I told myself, "When I get approved for the Office Depot OfficeMax scholarship, I will not return to work and I will work on starting a business."
- What’s one thing you wish you knew as an entrepreneur? It is a rewarding journey but it is not easy. There are so many options and I am so grateful that I had a great community in Selfmade to help us start.
- What makes your brand unique? At Berlyns Pet Bakery, we believe in the value of organic pet treats and take great pride with our choices in creating our products. We also hope to lead by building a community for other young female entrepreneurs to start learning life skills early to bring dreams to a reality. We hope to provide another outlet for children on the spectrum so they can share what they love with the community by giving back.
- What is the most powerful thing you do in your day? Laughing.
- How do you stay focused? Pomodoro Time Management changed how I can accomplish things to become more productive. Learning to be productive is not about how many tasks you complete in a day. It is about clearing distractions while accomplishing tasks. Managing time by blocking them into sessions, with breaks in between, will reset your mental state to be able to accomplish the tasks in a more productive way.
- What is your go-to productivity hack? Creating templates in Canva.
- What do you do on your breaks? I love to doodle ideas for art prints and paintings. I made a promise to myself to work on self-care this year so I may find that I am reading or decluttering some space in the house.
- What is your favorite desk essential? Post-it Notes.
- Fill in the blank: The idea of giving back to the community while making a future for my daughter by fulfilling her dreams gives me all the feels.
- What has receiving the Office Depot OfficeMax scholarship to Selfmade done to help you grow your business? The scholarship provided awareness within myself. We started by understanding Break the Good Girl Myth by Majo Molfino. It's written for women by understanding our areas of self-sabotage to overcome those obstacles so that we can succeed on our journey as an entrepreneur. We then created our vision board where we hope to be in the near future. This is on my wall.
I was able to collect user research on the problems associated with this type of product and how our brand would be the solution. I was able to take that data and create our brand voice. We covered design basics for websites and legal aspects that we need to consider based on our niche. We also created a cost analysis for our brand. I am working on the art of pitching to others for our business. I needed the support of this community that gave positive energy along the way to start and keep going no matter what. Great achievements will come, and we will learn along the way. We learn from our mistakes, and that is a key to success. Let go of perfection! - What do you do to officially *end* your workday? I love to binge T.V. series. However, at the end of the workday, I spend time with the family. I’m also studying to learn more about UX in immersive technology such as VR/AR/XR. I would like to gain more awareness for our business. I want to create immersive experiences for children on the spectrum toward learning life skills
- How have Office Depot OfficeMax services/products helped you accomplish more in your business? Office Depot OfficeMax has helped me go from an idea to a real startup with clarity. Not only have I received a scholarship, I get discounts toward products needed for our business, and I also was selected to pitch our business toward a placement for startup funding. I did not place but I did receive another $500 dollars to apply to our business. All this was truly a great experience and we are honored that we got this opportunity.
- What does the word “selfmade” mean to you? Selfmade means building awareness while learning from other entrepreneurs who are eager to take an idea and turn it into a business. Selfmade can help you! The women in this community are truly eager to help you succeed, and they know what it is like to start from an idea while growing into a multi-million dollar business.
Thanks Angela! Want to take on a personal mission to help others? Let Office Depot OfficeMax give you the confidence you need with a suite of business services & solutions to help you put your best foot forward. Make a good first impression with business cards & build the business pitch of your dreams with custom presentations. With Office Depot OfficeMax you’ll find the tools to reach your community with confidence.
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