This is the 17th small business success story in a weekly series called “10 Questions with” that will feature creative entrepreneurs and small business owners who have incredible stories and advice to share. It’s the perfect series to follow for budding entrepreneurs and creative people who want to know more about other people’s creative processes. Check back here every Wednesday to see who the next small business profile will be. The interview is below the images.
I started cuteheads 4 years ago. Along with my business, I launched a blog using the free embedded blog tool that Shopify provides. My posts were few and far between, and let’s be honest, no one read that blog. I didn’t give it proper time or energy, and the platform was sparse; it didn’t leave much room for customization. I certainly never thought I could make money through blogging.
Cut to last April, I decided that a real blog would be a great way to connect with customers and grow the business. What I didn’t know was that the blog would become a second full-time job and another baby, as important to me as my business. Through blogging, I’ve met some amazing women, especially locally, and one of them is my guest today. Lilly E. Beltran is the lady behind Daily Craving, a gorgeous fashion and lifestyle blog that features her sleek, sophisticated style. We’ve been following each other on Instagram for awhile now, always supporting each other, and just recently had the chance to meet in person.
I’m really excited to share her story with you because as you know, blogs ARE businesses these days, and Lilly’s certainly is. Blogging is a legitimate way to make a living for many, and her story is inspiring for anyone who wants to make money through blogging and start a small business that they’re passionate about.
Small Business Success Story: Lilly E. Beltran, founder of The Golden Polka Dot
Glad to chat with you! First, tell us where we can find you online.
My name is Lilly E. Beltran and I am the writer & created of style blog, Daily Craving. Find me on www.daily-craving.com.
What inspired you to start your own business?
After giving birth to my second son, I found myself a little out of place and missing my job. So I decided to start blogging about what I was most passionate about, fashion, in hopes of connecting with other like minded people and expressing myself through my personal style while at the same time keeping myself busy with something that was just mine.
What inspires your work and what sets you apart from everyone else?
I think what sets me apart from everyone else is my determination to stay true to myself & not go with the current. I find inspiration in so many things, but especially in the excitement for life I see in my children. It’s contagious and makes me want to get up in the morning excited & ready to do what my heart desires.
What is your background and how did you develop the skills to start your business?
Aside from blogging, I have no background in fashion. Unless designing & sewing my own clothes at the age of 10 counts! I took 4 courses of floral design in high school & became a certified florists my junior year. I seriously thought I’d go to Texas A&M and major in floriculture, open my own floral shop/studio and call it a day! But life took it’s course and God had other plans for me.
What has been your biggest success to date?
Hmm, that’s a though question. How do you measure success? There’s been so many small victories that I have celebrated with so much joy. But if I had to choose just one it would be being able to stay dedicated and commited to this blog. Overcoming post partum depression and facing my fears is something I thought would never happen. And all thanks to this blog and the amazing community of boss ladies I’m proud to be a part of.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Trying to balance life as a stay at home mom, wife & entrepreneur!
Describe your typical work day.
After dropping of my oldest at school and having breakfast with my youngest, my work day starts at about 9am every morning. I hit publish for my post that day, reply to emails, engage on social media for at least and hour and then it’s lunch time. I always make sure to have lunch with my youngest and give him my undivided attention for at least an hour. I squeeze in as many house chores as possible and then sit in my office for another hour to reply to the second wave of emails! The rest of the evening is dedicated to my family & after boys are down, around 9ish, I return to my office & work on the next day’s post and reply to all comments on Instagram/FB/Blog. Call it a night at around 11, drift off to sleep ready to repeat all of the above the next day!
Which small businesses are you inspired by?
I am so inspired by so many amazing small businesses and their masterminds, so it’s hard to choose just one. I admire everyone’s determination, hard work & passion. Two local ones that always stand out to me are Willow Crowns & Cuteheads Kids. They seems to have everything under control and the products are just beautiful! Makes me wish I had a daughter every.single.time! LOL A non local one would me Mari Lassa Handbags out of Oregon. She makes the most gorgeous leather bags and the story behind her inspiration is beautiful.
If you could go back to the beginning knowing what you know now, what would you have done differently?
I would’ve taken my time. I feel like in the beginning I rushed everything and tried so badly to make it to the top in a heartbeat. I now know that that’s not the way it works. Patience & hard work are key.
What’s your best advice for someone who wants to start her own creative business?
Be you! Social media can be so distracting and make you doubt yourself time and time again. Stay true to yourself and you will see things start happening organically.
Tell us YOUR small business success story! For a chance to be featured, email info {at} cuteheads [dot] com & tell us about your business.
I love reading about other people’s journeys and success stories. It’s great to get advice from others, and by hearing real stories, success seems more attainable. I absolutely ADORE her pictures!!
I love learning about other bloggers!! I love that blogging is allowing so many moms to be home wiht their kids.
I love hearing about other women that are tackling their dreams and still maintaining a family life. This is so inspiring. After having my son I thought I had to give up so much, but it is really about learning to balance and letting go of the commitments that I don’t really need or want in my life.
I think that designing and sewing your own clothing at the age of 10 gives you an awesome background in fashion! 🙂 I always love to read these great success stories and getting a glimpse behind the scenes.
Thanks for sharing that wonderful interview with Lilly! Wow! She started designing & sewing at the age of 10!!! So impressive! And four courses of floral design in high school? Lilly definitely has the creative streak in her!
I love what she said about how everything takes time and hard work. It’s so true – starting a business or blog or any new venture takes hard work and dedication. Success doesn’t happen overnight!
I always love learning about other bloggers and how they got started and what their strategies are. Especially as someone who is a new mom, it’s great to see what their days look like with blogging and kids and just life in general. So glad you do this series and introduce your readers to other bloggers!
I love reading about other bloggers in the fashion niche and learning how they work their biz! So inspiring to me!
Her blog is so cool and she has a great fashion sense. She’s a very inspiring person and I love her advice.
I love seeing all the interviews with small business owners. I also love fashion and it sounds like I should definitely check out her blog!
I love her advice about letting go on social media, and things will develop organically. It can be a big let down when you work really hard on an amazing project and get a minimal response on instagram, for example, so it’s great to hear someone successful say that it doesn’t matter that much!
How inspiring, I really love getting a glimpse at the process of successful women. Balance is seriously one of the hardest things to achieve!
Your day sounds like a busy one and you sound like you managing it well. I will definitely be checking out your blog
So inspiring, I love seeing women empower one another! You can still be stylish and savvy while raising children and managing the everyday craziness of being a Mom!
I LOVE hearing/reading about success stories like this! Staying true to yourself is SO IMPORTANT <3
I love it when motherhood makes us entreoreneurs! I am going to follow her closely and support her
What an inspiring story! Thanks to the Internet, many moms are given the chance to work from home.
I’m not much into fashion myself anymore especially since I retired in 2006 due to back issues and developed Spinal Stenosis. I use to be though because I had to go to court almost every day. You see, I was a paralegal and dealt with a lot of people etc. etc. very boring story. So I’ll leave the fashion to my daughters and my granddaughters. What a neat blog here though. My daughter is a blogger I’ll have to pass this along.
Love reading how others started to make money from blogging. That is something I’m still working on.
It is fun reading your story. I never imagined that I could make money blogging. Plus, your domain/content is like a piece of real estate.
I love hearing about other people’s success stories. It’s so inspiring and motivational as I work towards owning my own business 🙂
Designing and making my own clothes would be super convenient for me. I love how she talked about small victories. She is super talented and I hope she inspires more people with her designs and work.
This is such a great post with such encouraging and inspiring words!! I too am a stay at home mom, and I’m slowly turning my blog into a business although I struggle with trying to find the time to balance it all and to stop comparing myself to those that are much more successful. After all, we all start somewhere.
Thanks for the uplifting words!! I’m going to check out the rest of your success stories 🙂
XO Kass
I love learning about other bloggers and their successes! I love that she mentioned about taking her time! I can definitely relate to that because I have been slowly but surely working on building my blog over time. And I think there is a ton of pressure to have it all figured out by day one!
I totally want to be a florist too lol! Great interview!
I love hearing more about fellow bloggers. Especially ones I don’t follow or know about so I can actually check out their work. I’ve found so many great blogs this way. This was great!
What a great idea! I always love to hear from fellow bloggers, especially those who I haven’t discovered yet! Thank you so much for sharing, I really enjoyed the read! xo, Suz | http://www.suzannespiegoski.com
So glad to know her, she’s pretty. I also like her personality and her small business, she’s absolutely awesome.
This was a great interview, I love learning about other bloggers. She’s super pretty!
Southern Soul
Really great interview. It’s inspiring as a blogger to hear other bloggers’ stories. I love her style!
xo,
Kristie
Kristie’s Reverie
I love this! I love finding out the “back story” on bloggers and business owners and learning about their creative process. Such a fun interview!