Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Calderon & Jenna Dail of The Busy Bee.
Hi Shannon and Jenna, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hi! Thank you so much for the opportunity to share our story! We like to say our journey began the day Jenna was born because that was the day we officially met. That was the day we became sisters and lifelong friends. Growing up, we had the privilege to witness our grandfather build a successful business with his three sons, which ultimately inspired us to start one of our own. The irony is we never imagined we’d ever own a “real” business together, let alone get to work side by side doing what we love. We put “real” in quotations because as kids, we had started several businesses designed to serve our family, who was always so supportive of everything we did. However, it wasn’t until after we had gone our separate ways, studied at different colleges, moved to opposite coasts, and then found ourselves back in our hometown did we realize we wanted something more. We wanted to build a business that supported our lifestyles and served our families and our creative desires alike. As we came to this realization, we tossed around several ideas that would help us build our dream business. Simultaneously, we were planning Shannon’s upcoming wedding, which led us to our inevitable lightbulb moment. Planning and designing weddings was a viable business model that would allow us to utilize our unique skillsets while fulfilling our creative nature. Within a couple of months, that dream became a reality and we hit the ground running.
Our goal for the first year was to coordinate ten local weddings. Those weddings would provide the hands-on experience we were lacking in order to create an unparalleled experience for our couples. After announcing the launch of our business and strategically networking to build brand recognition, we found ourselves with twenty-five weddings on the books! As the company grew that year and beyond, we evolved into a full-service planning and design boutique that serviced a limited number of wedding clients each year. We were living out our dream! However, as the years went on, we both began to feel pulled to go in a different direction. We couldn’t explain exactly what or why, but we were both longing for a change. Those feelings and that business soon evolved into a blog as well as a portfolio of branding services we provided for fellow small business owners.
Upon launch, the blog focused on multiple aspects of a busy woman’s life, including motherhood, entrepreneurship, and hosting and entertaining. And just as we were finding a rhythm, we both learned we were pregnant and due just two days apart! When the babies were born, the plan was to take a twelve-week maternity leave, but those twelve weeks came and went in the blink of an eye. So, without hesitation, we extended our leave for another three months. As we were nearing the end of those six months, we were both feeling a similar pull on our heartstrings and became motivated to blog again, but this time we would do it all differently. As we were re-launching the blog, we found ourselves headed to an in-person event we were co-hosting and laughed when we asked ourselves, “what do we tell people when they ask us what we do?!”
After a five-minute meeting of the minds and not much time to prepare before the first guest arrived, we decided in that moment that we would focus on hosting and entertaining. What happened after that felt more natural than anything we had ever done before. We were living out our childhood all over again and began sharing about the art of hosting, something our grandmothers had been teaching us our entire lives.
And as we began sharing more of our hearts, we began asking deeper questions. Why does all of this matter? Why do we invite others into our homes, and what is the true purpose of hosting and entertaining? You see, during all of those years of building a business, becoming wives, and creating our safe havens at home, we found ourselves feeling disconnected from loved ones and longing to make deeper connections with family and friends. We found ourselves overwhelmed by the thought of inviting others into our homes when our calendar already felt so full. We soon learned that the excuses we were making about not having enough time or energy or know-how to host a thoughtful gathering were the very things holding us back from living a fulfilled life and feeling connected. We were waiting for the perfect time to have what we wanted when we could have had it all along. After coming to that realization and shifting our mindset, we have since made it our mission to provide busy women the tools to invite others into their homes and to be present and imperfect in order to build deeper connections.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
What we’ve come to realize as entrepreneurs is it’s never a smooth road, and that’s just a part of the journey. Our biggest struggle has always been and continues to be undervaluing what we have to offer. As a creative entrepreneur, there is a tendency to sell yourself short because you are passionate about the services you provide and the people you serve. We do this work because we believe in the mission, and we believe human connection is the key to living a fulfilled life. Because we love what we do, we have found it challenging at times to say “no” or to charge our worth. Now that we have a better understanding of our true value, we have designed our services in a way that only allow for opportunities that serves our community while also sustaining a profitable business model.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We are two multifaceted women who long for human connection. We both lead busy lives balancing motherhood, entrepreneurship, marriage, friendships, and the daily grind. We know what it’s like to feel disconnected from those we love because our calendars are full and the house is a mess and we simply cannot imagine inviting anyone in only to realize we don’t actually have it all together. However, we also know those are the lies and excuses we tell ourselves and the very things holding us back from building deeper connections with family and friends. The Busy Bee provides busy women the tools to invite loved ones into their homes in order to build deeper connections with those who matter. We help simplify the art of hosting, so women who are balancing it all can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with loved ones. We are helping overwhelmed women transform into present and connected ones.
What are your plans for the future?
For the last few years, The Busy Bee has been a trusted resource in the form of a blog for busy women to rely on for simple ways to host and entertain. Our proven practices are better known as #HostfulHacks. Furthermore, it has been an educational and inspirational publication that shares how to host and entertain with ease so overwhelmed women can spend more time with loved ones. While The Busy Bee will continue to be a reliable source when it comes to the art of gathering, it will begin to focus on mindset shifts to transform women into present and connected hostesses. Additionally, we recently announced the expansion of our business and have been sharing the behind-the-scenes of our journey with our community on social media and via email. Our shop, APIARY, will launch Spring Summer 2021 and provides sophisticated yet approachable hosting and entertaining homeware essentials to allow busy women to create meaningful moments while spending quality time with loved ones. With that, we are looking forward to being a part of the transformations that will take place this year and beyond while helping family and friends to feel more connected at home. We are looking forward to helping others choose present and imperfect, embrace the mess around them, and focus on those who matter most.
Pricing:
- The Hostful Hack Handbook $12.95
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@thebusybee.co
- Website: https://thebusybee.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebusybee.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebusybeeinc
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/thebusybeeco/
- Other: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5e17d2dce1cd2d0027b70256
Image Credits
The Busy Bee Fall Tablescape Entertaining, The Busy Bee Outdoor Entertaining, The Busy Bee Galentine’s Day Tablescape, The Busy Bee Fall Tablescape, The Busy Bee Friendsgiving Tablescape – Lacey Irving Photography
All other photos – The Busy Bee
