How I built Figlia
Figlia came together like pieces of a puzzle: a lifetime of growing up with an alcoholic parent, a lack of desire to drink alcohol because of that, and the hope that one day I would be able to make a living and only have to answer to myself. (AdAge)
When thinking about how this all came together, I give credit to three things: environment, idea & fun.
The year was 2020 and I had just moved from Los Angeles to The Berkshires to spend the rest of the pandemic with my mom. I had originally gone to visit my mom for Mother’s Day and after a week in the country, I couldn’t bear the thought of having to return. There was something so comforting about getting to be mothered by my mother and feeling like I was in a place that made me feel creative again. As I reflect on this time, I realize how important this environment was for me in making one of the biggest decisions of my life: starting a company from scratch.
Now onto the idea. If I’m being honest, it’s not like this thought struck me out of left field. In fact, it was a slow (6 mo) burn. I had come to realize that alcohol no longer served me and that every time I drank alcohol, I’d experience migraines, anxiety and shame. But this mostly had to do with the fact that at 20 years old, I had lost my dad to alcohol after watching him battle with the disease for most of my life. I always knew I had wanted to do something entrepreneurial but it was a matter of finding something that would be meaningful and true to who I was to get me to actually start. And so I decided this would become my “thing.”
These first initial days of starting just felt like I was faking it and in a lot of ways, I was. I purchased a domain, opened up an email account, researched whether I should I have an LLC or an incorporation, where and how I could go about formulating this product and who would be able to bring the brand to life. My inbox was empty, I had no idea what I was doing and no one to ask about how to go about any part of the business.
And amidst all of this, one might find themselves not making the most $, but I will say, it felt crucial to at least be making something. During this time, I was doing some freelance work and living at home, which allowed me to have fun! I can’t tell you how important this is in the process of building. This phase is actually by far the easiest so if you are not simultaneously working another full time job, I suggest you take this time to travel when you can, explore the outdoors or just stay home and learn to appreciate your own backyard. This doesn’t mean you have to spend a ton, it just means to enjoy the moment because once your company becomes real and you launch a product or service into the world, it can become very stressful, very fast. It can also be hard to carve out time for travel or stop to smell the roses when your head is down growing your company!
Lastly, I’ll leave you with three (of many) things that inspired me at the time:
Ohhh yay first post!! So inspiring.
Love this!!!!