Women’s History Month – Rochelle McLean
What's your name and your business?
My name is Rochelle McLean and I am a childbirth/lactation educator as well as owner of Babies in Bloom, a baby boutique, in Downtown Vista.
What inspired you to become a business owner?
Because I am an educator, childbirth education, lactation educator, the whole concept of Babies in Bloom was founded on education. I was inspired to become a business owner out of necessity. When I first got my lactation credential, I was seeing patients out of my home, in a spare bedroom of our home. I found that a lot of parents were asking, where can I get this kind of breast pump? or where can I get this baby carrier? And so I started carrying just little amounts of product to my home. That didn't last very long. I needed a much bigger hour for that. So we moved into a small office and gradually over the last 18 years, we've grown and grown into the space that we're in today.
What challenges have you faced as a woman-owned business?
So when I first started Babies in Bloom 18 years ago, baby stores were actually still dominated by men. We would go to a yearly conference where you do all your purchasing and buying, and a lot of times it was men who had these baby stores for 20-30 years. So it was new and upcoming to see more women owned businesses in the baby space. Some of the challenges that I have found is just getting a seat at the table. It can be kind of just from people overlooking you. When we would go to the bank to discuss a loan, if my husband was with me, I always found that the bankers would talk to my husband and I was like 'Hey, it's my business, over here talk to me.' So people just don't realize that sometimes a woman can do these things themselves. So it's really exciting to have seen the changes that have happened in the last 20 years and how much more seriously we're taken as women business owners today.
What advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs?
For other women out there who are debating on opening a business. One thing that I constantly preach to other people is the importance of community over competition. I don't want to say all women, but I feel like a lot of women tend to feel like 'oh, I have to do this for me' and have a hard time sharing. We have found that some of our best growth has come from working with often times female providers, other therapists, occupational therapists, other gear manufacturers, just all of the width of other people who are serving the same people. I think together you grow a lot faster and you grow a lot further when working with other people instead of trying to do it by yourself. So don't be afraid of reaching out and working with someone else. There are plenty of moms and babies in my case, or whatever your niche is for your business. There's plent of other fish. So you don't have to fight for the three fish, everybody working together you get a lot more done.
Where can we find Babies in Bloom?
Babies in Bloom can be found at 127 Main Street in Downtown Vista. We're also available online at www.babies-in-bloom.com. We have an online store as well, so you don't have to come down to the store. We have many online classes, so we try to serve people all over, not just the city and the county, but wherever their needs are.