Today I had the honor of interviewing Sasha Graham of Sasha B. Designs. Sasha was on the fast track-building a wonderful career in the world of corporate America, but when she had her son, nothing about corporate America could compare to the needs of her son. Would she choose to stay home and fulfill the much needed role of mother? Or would she continue climbing that corporate ladder while juggling family and home? The choice was obvious; she would choose to stay home. But that competitive bug took hold and she learned that with a little hard work, a little creativity, and the support of her family she could have her cake and eat it too. Discover how Sasha does it all...

How did you get into the breastfeeding cover business?

Following the birth of my son I was a little shy about nursing in public, so I went looking for a pretty nursing cover. When I didn't find one I liked I went to the fabric store and bought the softest, coziest fabric I could find and made one myself. Before long other moms started asking where they could get one, too. Next thing I knew, I was making nursing covers for family, friends and friends of friends.

When I left my job, as an executive at the Walt Disney Studios, I took those "Will you make one for me?" questions into consideration and decided to take the opportunity to start my own business-to do something that would benefit moms while allowing me the opportunity to care for my son full-time. The entire process has felt like a dream come true.

What has been your biggest struggle finding customers and how did you overcome that struggle?

There are two recommendations that give first-time business owners based upon my own experience:

1. It doesn't matter how many people you have coming to your website if they are the wrong people. I would rather have fifteen people visit my website a day if each of them bought something, than have 500 visit who don't buy anything.

Do the research to determine who your target audience is and then reach out to that audience, in their own environments.

2. Treat your customers the way you want to be treated. Don't be afraid of the personal touch. Doing business on the Internet can feel incredibly impersonal, so be sure to let your customers know that there is a human being at the other end of their transaction. It makes them feel a lot better about coming back and sending their friends your way.

If you could share just one tip with our readers about the value of persistence, what would it be?

There were times as I worked toward the launch of my business that I was plagued with insecurity. Then one day my husband brought me a quote he found on a Starbucks® cup, of all places.

I typed it up and taped it to the bottom of my computer screen so I could refer to it every time I started to doubt that my business would be a success.

The quote reads:

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating-in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life." -- Anne Morriss

Visit her at: http://sashabdesigns.com/

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