S7 E18: NO Means Next Opportunity with Gabby Goodwin

WinHers United

Resilience is necessary to persevere in life and entrepreneurship!

Gabby Goodwin is an inventor, mentor, speaker, and the Co-Founder of Confidence. Gabby became a kidpreneur at only 7 years old via her invention Gabby Bow. Gabby is super amazing and has received numerous accolades since becoming an entrepreneur such as being named the 2015 South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the 2018 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year, and the 2019 SpeakerCon Teen Speaker of the Year. Over the last seven years entrepreneurship has increased Gabby’s confidence and taught her to be determined and resilient.

During this episode of WinHers United the podcast Gabby encourages us to believe that NO Means Next Opportunity.

Have you allowed yourself to be defeated by rejection and redirection, or do you believe that no means next opportunity?

Episode Highlights

(3:47) Gabby tells us more about what she does and her business

(6:03) Gabby discusses how critical thinking and feedback helped her create Gabby Bows

(9:35) Gabby shares how honored she is to have parents that sacrificed for and believed in her dream

(11:33) Gabby tells us about her experience losing the 2017 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year Award, then returning in 2018 and winning the 2018 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year Award

(16:14) Gabby discusses how she balances all the moving pieces of her life

(19:09) Gabby shares about her how entrepreneurship helped her overcome her struggles with confidence

(24:46) Gabby offers advice for growing your brand and business via social media, and gives us homework

(29:08) Gabby shares strategy for how you can come up with social media hashtags to expand your reach

(32:29) Gabby talks about her experience being a guest on The Real

(36:27) Gabby has goals! Find out what’s next for her company Confidence

(41:02) Gabby offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to believe in yourself and keep pushing

(42:08) Gabby tells us that she would not change anything about her journey because it has helped to grow her determination, resilience, and confidence

Interview Quotes

“Tears are the nutrients to dreams, like sunlight is the nutrients to plants.” – Gabby Goodwin

“Go after your dreams even if you heard a lot of rejection, and no’s!” – Gabby Goodwin

“If you have a dream, if you have anything that you want to achieve you can do it! I didn’t even qualify for Teenpreneur of the Year, I was eleven.” – Gabby Goodwin

Gabby’s Bio

Thirteen-year-old Gabby is the CEO of Confidence. At the age of seven, she and her mom Rozalynn invented GaBBY Bows, the first and patented Double-Face Double-Snap Barrette to save families time, money and frustration. Solving the age-old problem of disappearing hair barrettes, GaBBY Bows are engineered to prevent hair slippage.

Their patented barrettes, plant-based girls’ natural hair product line - that reduces detangling time and tears and maintains moisture for days - remove dread from the styling process so moms, dads and girls can cherish this precious time together.

The company launched and began selling barrettes through its online store at gabbybows.com in February 2014. The mother-daughter duo has since filled online orders to all 50 states in the U.S. and in twelve countries. GaBBY Bows are also carried in select Target, retail and beauty supply stores in the US, Canada and South Africa.

Gabby and Rozalynn launched the Mommy and Me Entrepreneurship Academy in November 2018. More than 50 Girl Bosses and their mothers from 16 states have enrolled for mentoring and started their own businesses under the Confidence brand.

The children’s book Gabby Invents the Perfect Hair Bow chronicles Gabby’s entrepreneurial journey.

Their story has been featured on The Real, Aspire TV, NPR How I Built This and The Today Show, and in Forbes, Kiplinger Magazine, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Free Enterprise Magazine, JET.com, Essence.com, Madamnoire, AOL and Now This.

Gabby was named a 2015 South Carolina Young Entrepreneur of the Year, the youngest to ever receive this award. The company was named a 2016 SCORE and Sam’s Club American Small Business Champion and the 2016 SCORE Foundation Outstanding Diverse Business of the Year. Gabby was also named the 2018 Black Enterprise Teenpreneur of the Year and the 2019 SpeakerCon Teen Speaker of the Year.

Gabby is engaged in all aspects of the business, from inventory to speaking at schools and business conferences and helping with sales taxes to writing thank you notes to every customer who orders products online. She also hosts the GaBBY Play Date to teach girls in children’s shelters about entrepreneurship.

The “A” student loves to read and dance. Her favorite subjects are science, math and language arts. Gabby, Rozalynn and their father/husband Comedian Mike Goodwin and little brother/son Michael live in Columbia, SC.

Find out more about Confidence and Gabby Bows: http://gabbybows.com

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As always "Be Empowered and Empower On" - Nicole Walker