Meet Innovative Woman Dawn Kasper Gibel, founder and CEO of Inspired by Dawn which designs stylish, unique and practical solutions for women at every stage of life.
1. How/why did you begin your business?
After a career spent building and shaping brands for others I wanted to do it myself by creating a modern, stylish brand for women of all stages – from pregnancy, to parenthood and beyond – that delivers stylishly functional solutions to make women’s lives easier. There was a gap in the marketplace for functional products that had a modern sense of style built into them. That’s why the Style Rx pill box case became Inspired by Dawn’s launch product. It best reflected the brand and the types of solutions we’re focused on bringing to market.
2. What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?
Translating a hands-on, experiential product such as the Style Rx in a digital world has been an ongoing challenge. Time and again, wholesale buyers and end-user consumers who may be wary of trying a new product that they just discover online, have found that they fall in love with it when they can touch and feel it. They appreciate the quality, the vibrant colors, the unique designs and are sold. But conveying this tactile experience through online marketing and social media has proved challenging. To address this challenge we’ve leveraged media and bloggers reviews, customer feedback / social proof and more lifestyle photography with zoom capabilities.
3. How do you define SUCCESS?
Success is the freedom to grow and nurture the important elements of my life – my business, customers and family.
4. If there was one thing you wish you knew before you began your business, what would that be?
You have to get comfortable with ambiguity in order to be an entrepreneur. There’s no one to tell you when you’ve hit the right answer. It’s up to you to determine. So much early on is trial and error, and lots of trusting your gut. You need to understand – more than anything – who your customers are and what needs they want answered.
5. What makes you an innovative woman?
Innovation is about charting your own path and looking beyond the well-defined one. By this definition I think most any entrepreneur is innovative. There’s no formula for the right way to launch and grow a business. And there’s certainly no well-defined way to combine it with raising a family. Everyday is a new day with a new set of opportunities and challenges, and I attempt to strategically navigate them all and stay true to the Inspired by Dawn brand, our customers and my family.
To find out more about Dawn visit InspiredbyDawn.com or connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.