"America's Most Promising Companies"
BABES IN HART: Molly Fienning
Molly Fienning does it all. She's the mother of two whip-smart boys (see her Instagram!), co-founder of Babiators (a serial entrepreneur... she has countless projects and ideas up her sleeve) and is active on many boards and committees in Charleston.
She's at every party looking totally chic - or often throws fun parties in her beautiful home on the Battery, as featured in Vogue. I'm always thrilled to see her in my earrings. Molly's stylish looks features the Long Black Topknots and the Berry Four Drop Darlings.
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Sr. Salisbury, the headmistress of my all-girls Catholic school in NYC, was
a powerhouse of a woman (and nun). My final year there, she told me, "Never
take a job for the money. Do what you love, and success will follow." I
love those words, and I've always heeded them.
What does ‘success’ mean to you? How do you define it?
My personal definition of success is a combination of feeling happy,
personally fulfilled, loving and loved.
What are your character traits you are most proud of?
The ability to love deeply, an unending quest for adventures, an optimistic
desire to continually persevere.
In moments of self-doubt, how do you build yourself back up?
First, I call a friend or family member, whom I know is a great
cheerleader, and speak both authentically and vulnerably about how I'm feeling. Second, I read a poem or two by Nayyirah Waheed. This one usually helps:
the invitation:
respond to rejection. by being more you. whenever you are
hurt. and may want to contract. disappear. shrink. dim. fold. hide. as a
reaction to any form of rejection. i gently invite you to try this :
expand. be more you. not less you. expand. — rest. relax. deeper inside the
very thing that is being ridiculed or rejected. folks reject you because of
the color of your skin. rest. in the color of your skin. find more colors
in your skin. folks feel some type of way about your sexuality. non
sexuality. non gender. gender. your faith. your expressions. your language.
your clothes. your hair. your laughter. your romantic inclinations towards
them. your fears. your failures. rest deeper in all these things. rest
deeply in you. — honoring your greatest authenticity only serves to make
your authenticity. your existence. your body. soul. mind. healthier.
brighter. stronger. — being your most self. only makes you a life. that is
alive. only makes you precisely. accurately. breathtakingly. yourself. —
nayyirah waheed
What’s your favorite part about your job/business?
No two days are ever the same at Babiators. As an entrepreneur/business
owner, I play a wide range of roles, so there is also always more to learn
and new things to try. Seven years into the company, I'm still challenged
by my work and excited to show up.
What called you to your line of work? Do you remember when you first
learned about it?
I'm an entrepreneur by nature. I love innovating and charting off well-tred
courses. I will likely make a few different companies in my life, but no
matter what, I'll need to have the freedom to create/lead/prioritize that
entrepreneurship offers.
The inspiration behind Babiators in particular was my husband, an aviator
for the Marine Corps. When we created the term Babiators for "baby
aviators", I giggled and knew we had something special. Today, we've sold
over 1.5 million pairs of shades and have been named one of America's Most
Promising Companies by Forbes Magazine.
What quotation/motto inspires you to be your best self?
I'll return to Nayyirah Waheed, as I find her words pretty transformative.
In addition to her both above, I also love this one:
*do not choose the lesser life *
*do you hear me.*
*do you hear me *
*choose the life that is. yours.*
*the life that is seducing your lungs. *
*that is dripping down your chin.*
What’s your no-fail go-to when you need to get out of a creative rut?
The SFD or "shitty first draft" method (coined by Brene Brown). My personal
experience is that if I just get something/anything out on paper, I can
return refreshed later and improve it. I always find editing/tweaking
easier and more creatively inspiring than making the first iteration of
something.
Name a fear or professional worry that keeps you up at night.
Most political decisions being made right now scare me / keep me up at
night.
**Photos by Lindsay Shorter. **