Posted Under: Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Today under the “Our Heroes” series we interview Annette Pelliccio, a former elementary school teacher. Wanting the flexibility to stay at home with her children, Annette looked to the organic lifestyle for a new career opportunity. She now helps other at-home moms the ability to grow a business while also raising a family. Let’s see what Annette has to say…

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

AP: My name is Annette Pelliccio. I was an elementary school teacher and reading specialist for the public school system.

DD: What made you leave the job?

AP: After I had my first daughter I wanted to stay at home to raise her. Once I had my second daughter and it was time for me to start contributing to the household finances again, I had a big decision to make.

DD: When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

AP: It was when I started looking at what I wanted in a career as a mom. I wanted the flexibility to be at home with my children but I also wanted something that would challenge me and allow me to use my creativity through my passion. Gardening and organic living are both big parts of our family life so I began searching for how I could incorporate those into my career. When I found nothing, I knew I had to develop and grow a company myself that would allow myself as well as other at-home moms the ability to grow a business while raising a family.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail?

AP: Maternity leave is a great stepping stone to leaving a job.

DD: How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

AP: This was more difficult. With no background in business, horticulture or chemistry, I had to take a leap of faith and ask for lots of advice and experience from others who did it successfully.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

AP: Establish an Advisory Board right away. This is made up of about 4-5 professionals who can help you as you build your business plan. They will present you with challenges and help brainstorm what you need to put in place to get a solid start. I could not have built a company that now manufactures an entire line of organic garden products with distributors throughout the US and Canada without the help of people who have experience with building a business and what it takes to succeed.

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

AP: As a single mom with 2 incredible daughters who are my biggest supporters, I cannot imagine life without them and my company. I wake up every day with the gratitude and peace that I am doing what I love and what is making differences for the futures of many women just like me.

DD: That’s Annette Pelliccio, CEO and Founder of The Happy Gardener. Annette’s story highlights the very essence of entrepreneurship.  Instead of allowing herself to fall into a epic battle between the 9 to 5 work schedule and raising her family, she realized that opportunities are just around the corner, it’s a matter of making the move and finding the one. I second her recommendation for establishing an advisory board to facilitate the startup process and ease the learning curve.

Success to all!