Note: This article was originally posted on CanvasRebel.com on March 7th, 2024.  

Mini, appreciate you joining us today. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

“Honey, just try it”, was a frequent response from my risk-averse parents throughout my life. Mom and dad, children of post-Korean war, had limited opportunities so they encouraged us to try anything and everything we were interested in, regardless of the challenges including lack of resources … somehow, they figured out a way.

Their approach and attitude to our future gave me the attitude, perhaps philosophy, of “let’s try and see what happens”. This is what I thought when I applied for a study abroad scholarship at age 16, when I quit my first job (2 years out of college and in debt because I was miserable), when I chose to join the Peace Corps instead of going to grad school so many other “when”.

I’m pretty sure I took “honey, just try it” to a whole different level than my parents had intended.

I had been feeling like wanting to “do something on my own” after years in the corporate world, so I just tried it, and 4 years later, Everyday Sabbatical was launched. No regrets.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As a kid growing up in rural Virginia, I lived a bigger life than I ever imagined. Since that time, I’ve moved almost every three years, and now consider myself an expert mover. My favorite quote is from a friend’s dad: “Sounds like you finally stopped moving. That is called ‘staying,’ or in your case, ‘pausing.’” I’ve lived in seven cities on four continents and have traveled to 48 states (North Dakota and Nebraska being the exceptions). I’ve been to places I only thought existed in National Geographic: Patagonia, Easter Island, Burning Man, Petra, Portugal, and Nepal. Life isn’t just about travel, but I’m glad I have the experiences and the memories that come from it. (They’re great for daydreaming-while-quarantining.)

Starting a business is the last “big” item on the bucket list. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long, long time. After many years in the corporate world, I wanted to see what I could do on my own. I’m quite enjoying it. I hope I have the chance to grow Everyday Sabbatical and implement more of my ideas. I told myself I’d only do the business if I enjoyed the days regardless of results – and I really, really am. How lucky am I?

EDS arose from a personal need. In 2012, I was working 14 hours a day, dragging myself home, changing into “comfy but not for public” clothes to fall asleep on the sofa. One day, I looked at myself and thought “ugh, rough”. I wanted to buy something that was cute and comfy (enough to fall asleep) but presentable (to run errands or pick up takeout). I looked and looked but didn’t find anything that worked – so I saw a gap in the market and the idea for Everyday Sabbatical was born.

Everyday Sabbatical clothing is designed to let women cross off everything from their to-do lists with confidence, comfort, and style. These are items that you can count on: To fit comfortably and move with you no matter what’s on your daily agenda. To mix-and-match effortlessly with accessories you already love. To remind women that their amazing bodies, no matter how they might change with time, give them the gift of being able to kick ass every day.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

It’s relatively “easy” to sew ONE piece of clothing for a fashion show but it’s a completely different world to design and manufacture clothing. One can read and research about the process but until you actually go through the excruciating tasks, you can’t imagine all the things that can go wrong.

I literally have 25+ samples of the Dress because that was the first piece in the collection. We designed and sewed many samples with different fabrics in a size 6 until it was the right design, movement and fit. The most critical phase to manufacture clothing is to take the sample pattern, digitize and create all the other sizes from the sample. This phase is called marking and grading. Keti and I have been fired from 2 different graders because we were too demanding on fit accuracy.

It was worth it becauseI love how the clothes fit. Even now, years after the initial production, when I put an EDS piece on, I think “it’s such a great fit”. I’m super proud of the designs and clothing fit and that we didn’t cut corners.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

I self-funded from savings from my corporate jobs. Self-funding was important to me because I knew that I didn’t want the stress of asking friends/family for money and I didn’t want anyone else to have a say in the design or business.

When I started, I didn’t have a set amount but I was constantly checking in with my feelings about the investment and spend.
Manufacturing a capsule collection is capital intensive, especially since I paid everyone in the process for their time and skills, bought the fabric and manufactured everything in Denver.

The “fashion” business is full of people who try to capitalize on free labor because they are “cool” and in “fashion”. I think it’s super shady. I paid everyone fairly, including my interns, and no one could advise me otherwise. Thank goodness.

CanvasRebel Nominations

We loved working with CanvasRebel and nominated Keti McKenna: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-keti-mckenna/

Know someone who deserves some recognition? Nominate here or we will gladly nominate you. Just ask! https://canvasinterviews.com/recommendations