Get To Know: Joanna Dombrow, Stack EM! Founder
Guys, we are so excited to be launching our “get to know you” series with one of our incredible mama vendors, Joanna Dombrow from Stack EM!. Her bracelets are SO cute with a super fun and playful vibe. We love adding them to our everyday stacks or pairing them with finer jewellery for an unexpected pop of color. So without further ado, meet Jo.
The deets:
Name: Joanna Dombrow.
Home Base: Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario.
Mama Status: Davis age 7 and Georgia age 5.
Tell us about Stack Em and how you started your business!
My business started out as a personal hobby about a year ago. After trying to source out my enamel beads to make some fun jewelry and having no luck at local bead stores in Toronto, my husband surprised me and got in touch with a manufacturer who produced a variety of different shapes and colours. He had them shipped to me as a surprise. I began making bracelets for myself in my spare time and everyday I was selling them directly off my arms no matter where I went. I then realized this could be something more than a past time and a year later, here we are.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in launching your business?
It’s hard to pick just one! I had so many ideas and didn't know where to start. I was never one for social media, so I would say getting an Instagram account and getting sucked into that world was very overwhelming. Then came Covid-19, just as I was getting ready to partake in all these marketplaces. But, just as we all have, I persevered in other ways.
How do you balance your work and home life – especially now in Covid?
I constantly struggle with work and home life balance, as does every working mom. While my kids were home due to Covid, my business really came to a halt at the beginning. My focus shifted fully to caring for and educating them. After a couple months, realizing this virus wasn't going anywhere quick, I slowly started getting back the desire to create and inspire with my jewelry again. After all, my entire philosophy is jewelry to make you smile and brighten your day, and what better time than now to share this with the world! This was only made possible by my fabulous partner in life, my husband Paul, my rock, who helped by encouraging me and taking on so many responsibilities around the house and with the kids, all while working from home too. Now that my kids are back at school, I realize how precious my time is and make the most of it everyday. My goal was to create my own website, and I am very excited to announce that I will be launching it in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned...
What’s the best thing about being an entrepreneur? What’s the hardest?
The best thing about being an entrepreneur is seeing your dream come to life and knowing that it is unique to you. When you are passionate about what you do, the possibilities are limitless. The hardest: you are your own motivator, and let's be honest, some days I just want to take the day off. Hard to do when you are your only employee.
What do you do to relax after working/ parenting?
After my day is done and my kids are finally sleeping, and I have done even more work, my hubby and I get cozy and watch Netflix.
You have 1 hour alone dedicated to self-care: what do you do?
I take one hour a day to myself almost everyday, and I get some exercise. My workouts are my recharge button. They are my stress releasers, my motivators and my calming factors.