Founder, Design-her Galls, LLC and Gal to Gal Foundation
www.designhergals.com

If there were an award for the “most fun to play around with” Web site for women, Design-her Gals just might win.

In May, Oprah included Design-her Gals on her “O” list and called it “ridiculously addictive.” What’s the hook? At Design-her Gals, you can create stationery (and other stuff) with hip graphics that resemble you and your friends.

It’s fun and for a good cause. Through her for-profit company, founder Jeanne Fitzmaurice aims to increase the limited resources available for women with stage four breast cancer. She donates 10 percent of her revenue to the cause via a non-profit that she also started, the Gal to Gal Foundation.

Meet Jeanne at Ladies Who Launch LIVE events in Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, BC and get highlights of her story below.

Quitting, Then Going Crazy

“I had a successful resort management company for 15 years in Southern California and I waited a lifetime for my son. When my son was born, I realized that the life that I had built and created for pre-Max was not the life that would be compatible with post-Max. So I sold the contracts that I had for our management company and decided to settle into becoming a mom.

“I realized after a while that I had probably managed to build out all of the playgroup programs in our area and re-define the preschool curriculum and every special playgroup event that could be done, and I was going to develop a neurotic child if I didn’t reach out to other avenues of creativeness.”

Re-Creating Herself

“I had a best friend and business associate in my son’s godmother who had been instrumental in helping me to build my other company. She was a talented artist, so I decided I would hitch my wagon to her star this time and create a way for her artistic talents to shine. We determined one of the ways we could do it was to design and develop a line of personalized stationery called Write Expressions.”

The Fairy Princess Effect

“We opened a store in Southern California with customized stationery and marketed it to retail stores around the country. The beauty of the store was that (we were) close in touch with our customers, and it was through that relationship that Design-her Gals was born.

“It all started as an invitation to a fairy princess birthday party for a family who wanted (the invitation) to look like their daughter. So one of my designers and I created one. This went out to 50 of the fairy princess’ girlfriends and then they all wanted invitations of their own. But now it wasn’t a fairy princess anymore, some wanted a roller-skater or a surfer. Then (the girls’) mothers wanted stationery that looked like them. We just kept rolling with what people were asking for.”

Trading Suburbia for Better Scenery

“In May of 2004, I realized that again, the life and lifestyle that we had been living in Southern California really wasn’t going to fit what we had envisioned for our son and family. San Diego was becoming so busy and crowded. I was only getting to know (my son) from the nose up – we had a rear-view-mirror relationship because we were spending so much time driving to and from things on freeways.

“We realized it was time to look at other opportunities that would allow the life we wanted to have for him and ourselves. We made a plan and started to methodically choose locations where we would have balance in life. We finally choose Bend, Oregon as the place to move.”

The Call That Inspired Design-her Gals

“After realizing that now I didn’t have two-and-a-half hours of commutes anymore, I had lots of extra hours and only so much of it could be spent breathing the fresh air of the mountains. One day, I got a call that my one of best friend’s dearest friends, Janis, was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer. My cousin Robin had a couple years prior passed away from stage four breast cancer. I had an epiphany of a moment.

“I literally decided to put these girls (Design-her Gals) to work and contracted with a Web developer to design proprietary technology to allow the gals to evolve into one’s own virtual likeness. My purpose for the Web site is to raise funds for the Gal to Gal Foundation.”

Giveaway Goal

“I’m happy to say we set a goal to raise $100,000 this year. Once we have raised it, we’re going to deliver a check to one of the large, yet to be named, non-profit organizations that have the capacity to establish a stage-four division within their organization. We’re over halfway to our goal for this year. We’re hoping by October to have easily met the goal.”

Greatest Business Challenge

“Balancing cash flow with growth. Just as you think you’re turning the tide, something happens that makes you realize it will be another two weeks before you can write yourself the check, because you have to write them to everyone else first.”

Words of Advice – Be Brave and Be True to Yourself

“I have made many choices in business for the wrong reasons… looking out for others before myself. You’re taught growing up that there are times you may need to compromise what you want to do or how you want to do it because others may be impacted. This may sound like the right thing to do, but it has its consequences. It potentially can side rail your business goals and objectives. Becoming true to your purpose and sticking with that is many times very difficult because of peer pressures, family pressures and social pressures. Trust your instincts. They are more often correct than not.

“Too often, we figure out things to do that (aren’t) necessarily what we want to do.
As easy as that one word seems, there’s a huge bridge there and huge number of steps to take over that bridge. It’s gut-wrenching.

“I learned that a hard way. After I sold my first business… I had a lot of employees who I was concerned about, thinking I needed to take care of them. I walked into a business opportunity that was completely out in left field. It was so ‘not me.’ I realized that I spent a lot of money trying to build the business for all the wrong reasons, and failed at it miserably. Lock into what you do well and what you love most.”

Favorite Ways to De-Stress

“Sometimes I find myself de-stressing with a trashy novel or turning on ‘All My Children’ on the satellite TV at midnight. I would never turn down a good massage. I like walking on the beach, too. Walking near water and the mountains is calming and invigorating at the same time. Since moving to Central Oregon, I am 20 minutes from the ski slope so I have reignited my passion for the sport.”

Recommended Reading

“I enjoyed reading ‘Blink.’ I think we need to trust our instincts a lot more. Whenever that first instinct hits you, tap into that. Ninety-nine percent of the time it will steer you in the right direction.

“I’m a fan of Mary Lou Quinlan’s book, ‘Time Off for Good Behavior: How Hardworking Women Can Take a Break and Change Their Lives.” I’m a fan of taking a break to get back in touch with who you are.”

Staying on Top of Trends, In Touch with Customers

“I spend a lot of time reading magazines, lots and lots of magazines. I have an amazing mother who is 87 years old, has worked her whole life and still does, advising companies on food trends. She is someone I talk to quite a lot.

“I answer e-mails from at least 200 women a day who are asking for things (on my Web site). They tell me what they would like to see, and that’s where I get tons of ideas.Our community makes me look very smart. But in reality, they tell me exactly what to do, and we do it.”