I recently had the chance to do a interview with Adrienne Alitowski, author of Clipped: A mom invents a way to hold her life together just as the world falls apart?
Ms. Alitowski’s memoir documents her journey with product invention and launches during the Great Recession. Ms. Alitowski further delves into her personal life, sharing her experience as an actress on Broadway, and how she segued into motherhood. She shares her battles with infertility, becoming a new mom, and then an entrepreneur throughout the book.
How did you balance being a new parent and an entrepreneur?
Balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship was challenging, but I have always been multifaceted and fast-paced, and my business was an extension of motherhood essentially. I was very passionate about solving an issue that I noticed most parents faced at the time. When I ventured into motherhood upon having my first child, I noticed I wasn’t the only parent struggling to keep blankets over my sleeping baby, as I’d seen many parents use binder clips, etc., and that was when I decided I wanted to do something for myself as well as for other parents.
The roots of my career are in acting, so the fast-paced environment and tremendous amount of work that goes into acting and performing taught me how to multitask and achieve my goals simultaneously, which entirely transpired into my business when I launched blankyclip while becoming a new mother.
Navigating motherhood was a challenge itself, but launching a product came with a whole new set of challenges that I hadn’t anticipated experiencing. From loans to product manufacturing, I taught myself how to launch blankyclip while maintaining a positive attitude through the struggles. It was a huge learning experience for me on both fronts, and with that being said, I allowed myself the time to be a mother and business owner at my own pace. I was doing the work and putting in what I needed to be successful in the industry.
I just launched my memoir, Clipped: A mom invents a way to hold her life together just as the world falls apart, which documents my journey with balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship, and I would love for you to check it out as well!
Overall, my love for my children, combined with my drive to start my business, which would help my children and fellow parents, enabled me to keep pushing through the challenges and make my dream business a reality.
What additional challenges did the economy present?
The economy at the time affected everyone. Small businesses, in particular, were heavily impacted. While I did have my reservations about launching blankyclip, I was still passionate about solving a problem in the parenting world and making life just a little easier for new parents. I struggled through financial issues, the economic state was terrible, and developing a product was far more challenging than I might have initially thought. Being resilient and believing in myself and my product truly allowed me to succeed and become successful when launching blankyclip during the Great Recession. The economy at the time was not promising, and this was reflected during my journey with blankyclip as people were spending less, and launching a business seemed to come with its fair share of hurdles. Had I found my business during a different economic period, so much would have been different. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the experience I had launching blankyclip. It taught me so much about being a business owner and navigating challenges out of my control, such as the economy.
How did you deal with stress in your life - whether it's from raising a family or your job?
Dealing with stress is never a straight line. I had a great support system that comprised my friends and family, and they truly did help me get through launching blankyclip and the stress that came with it. My primary stress reliever was learning how to ask for help when I needed it. As an entrepreneur, I wanted to do everything myself, but I quickly realized that it’s important to bounce ideas off of people, be patient, and create room for trial and error, as you would in motherhood. As seen in my book, Clipped, the journey was far from smooth, but the right support system indeed does help in stress management and in making your business dream a reality without compromising your health and wellbeing. Additionally, I learned to push through and ensure that I had educated myself on all options, besides giving up, which at times may have seemed like the easiest option. For example, when I was hit with a bankruptcy claim, I decided to hire an attorney, navigate through the issue, and understand my options before I became unhealthily stressed and in the headspace to give up. This taught me that when all seems lost, you have to keep searching. You cannot afford to give up on yourself because you will always find a better way, but you have to keep looking. I had to learn to be patient and not let stress take over my body, despite how much of it I may have been feeling. I learned to ask for help, share my emotions and find new ways to do the tasks I needed to do.
How was motherhood an advantage to you as you launched your business?
Motherhood was at the forefront of blankyclip. Without motherhood, truthfully, there would not have even been a business idea for me to launch. Motherhood entirely reshaped my perceptions of my professional career, and it motivated me to start this business. I launched blankyclip when I became a new mother because I saw a need for the product in the parenting industry. I would take my son Eli on walks in his stroller with hopes of helping him fall asleep but quickly realized that this was becoming inefficient for both him and me, as his blanket would keep slipping off, which would result in waking him up. I then saw other parents use non-conventional items like a binder clip, and all I could think about was safety issues and how to solve the problem, not only for myself but for everyone else and their children. With that being said, motherhood was not only an advantage to my business but rather the heart and soul of blankyclip. My invention, a baby-safe clip, was made to solve a parenting problem that I had personally dealt with. Plus I had two kids who became my best spokespeople in promotional videos my husband and I created. I have written about that advantage in my new book, Clipped, which I hope you can read to learn more about. It became a Bestseller on Amazon in 11 categories and I’m very proud of it like I am about all my babies.
Adrienne Alitowski Bio
Former actress turned momtrepreneur Adrienne Alitowski has written a memoir-style book called, Clipped: A mom invents a way to hold her life together just as the world falls apart, which recently launched and has rave reviews from Emmy-winning reviewers and more.
Additionally, Adrienne has performed on Broadway and toured with the National Theatre of the Deaf. Her television credits include Will & Grace, Just Shoot Me!, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Beverly Hills, 90210. She produced and co-wrote her one-woman show, Just Tell Them You’re From Scarsdale, which she performed in New York and Los Angeles. The short film she directed, produced, and starred in, Grace, played in film festivals from Sarasota to Santa Cruz. She created, produced, and performed in the celebrity benefit, Glen Mary Glen Rose: Women Do Men, in Los Angeles, which raised funds for breast cancer research and awareness around the lack of diverse roles for women.
As her career choices shifted and she became a new mom, Adrienne invented, patented, and manufactured blankyclips. She sold blankyclips nationally in Buy Buy Baby and in many boutiques across the U.S. and around the world. Her product was recognized as a Top Pick in publications such as Fit Pregnancy and LA Parent Magazine.
Adrienne is a well-rounded individual with many talents, allowing her to establish herself as an entrepreneur, actress, author, and mother. She has a fiery passion for all that she does, and her work ethic is proven through her success.
Ms. Alitowski received her Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northwestern University.
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