Posted Under: Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Today we are talking to Molly Robbins, the next guest under the “Our Heroes” series.  Working as a VP of licensing and marketing for an apparel company, Molly started her transition to entrepreneurship when her husband was diagnosed with cancer.  Out of fear that she may not be there if his condition grew worse, she took a leap of faith and started her own company.   After gaining her previous employer as her fist customer, Molly recently launched her own brand currently being tested at Wal-Mart. Let’s talk to her and find out her transition story…

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

MR: My name is Molly Robbins and I was the VP of Licensing & Marketing for All Access Apparel – an apparel manufacturer based out of LA. They manufacture and distribute junior apparel under their esteemed brand.

DD: What made you leave the job? When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

MR: I left my job because my husband was diagnosed with cancer. At that time I was commuting between LA & San Francisco and I was frightened that should the situation with my husband become more severe, I wouldn’t be there for him. Out of fear I took a leap of faith to start my own branding company. Yes, I have always been entrepreneurial. When I was fresh out of college, I started a Tamale company called Molly’s Tamales. Before I shelved the business to pursue my corporate career, I was making up to 3000 Tamales a month. Why you ask? I like taking risks and thrill from the success of my efforts whether they are big or small.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

MR: I spoke to my then employer, All Access Apparel and asked them if they would be my first client. They agreed and Licenzing LLC was born…

Prepare for transition? I really just dove right in. The timing was right for me; I felt I had the expertise and business network in place to go out there and do a good job. I was very clear of what type of Agency I didn’t want to be. I have dealt with some terrible branding agencies…so, having a clear vision of where I wanted to go set me off, in I believe, the right track.

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

MR: If you’re not clear with what you want to do; don’t do it. Being an entrepreneur is a building process and you have to have a ‘good framework’ to build on to get started. Start small (unless you have funding). Use every resource you have available to get things done and remember to ‘pay it forward’; people genuinely like to help other people, so, you have to remember to do the same.

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

MR: We are slow and steady! We have a handful of clients and launched our own brands that are currently being tested at WalMart.

DD: Molly’s story brings up a crucial point – Entrepreneurship is all about vision; it’s the ability to see the bigger picture when others see very little or nothing at all.  Embarking on a business venture without a vision is a recipe for disaster!  If you’re apprehensive about your ideas, may be it’s time to take in more input (movies, trade shows, networking events, talking to people) in order to get a better vision.

Success to all!