PortaPocket Notebook

April 07, 2021

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A Simple Request

If you ever get a gift package in the mail...

whether you expected it or not...

it'd be sooooo awesome if you took a moment to contact the sender(s) and let them know you received it (and a few words of what you thought about it are always welcome).

That's all.

xo,
portapocket.com

March 03, 2021

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Women Who Inspire Us: Tara Bruley (CEO of Be Prepared. Period)

Smart women make the world go round! Today's feature spotlights Tara Bruley, a mom and business founder who hails from the Seattle area and one who strives to make womanhood just a little easier for us females on the planet :)

What were the main reasons you created your business, Be Prepared. Period. ?

The idea of Be Prepared. Period all started with the challenge I had as a parent of a tween daughter. As my daughter quickly approached puberty, I wanted to make sure she was educated about her body and the changes to come in a positive and empowering way. I knew I wanted a better experience for her than what I got back in sixth grade that left me feeling embarrassed and grossed out. Unfortunately, I came up empty handed in my search, so I began piecing things together myself. Long story short, this effort resulted in the creation of the Be Prepared 1^st Period Kit and the launch of BePreparedPeriod.com.

What have you found to be the biggest challenge as a business owner?

I would say learning to wear so many hats. There are so many facets to running a successful business you end up learning many new skills. Whether you outsource or hire others to do the various work there is always a period (no pun intended) that you do a fair amount of learning for yourself so you can properly manage things. Learning these skills and then choosing whether or not to delegate based on time and budget can be quite a challenge.

Do you have a motto or words to live by that encourage you on your mission?

I really like the quote by Albert Einstein, “You never fail until you stop trying.” There are so many things in life you will fail at, and as a business owner the opportunities increase significantly. Focusing on the goals I set out to achieve allows me to see the many failures along the way as steppingstones on the path to success. This perspective lets me celebrate the wins and learn from the mistakes.

Has being a mom informed your business decisions? And if so, how?

Since Be Prepared. Period started from a challenge I had as a mom, it absolutely has impacted my business decisions. As a mom of a tween I got to experience firsthand the challenges both a parent and child has during this time of life. Being a mom and talking with other moms is actually how BePreparedPeriod.com exploded to not just be a site for girls and their parents but for those of all ages. In the early days, I talked with a lot of moms experiencing the same challenges I had. Through those conversations I quickly learned that far too many women experience menstrual issues well into adulthood. Always wanting to do what I can to help, I promptly began to work with health professionals to develop resources to help with these concerns as well. As a result, I’m proud to say BePreparedPeriod.com is a full throttle platform that helps those from puberty to menopause!

What's the one best piece of advice you'd offer to other women who may be thinking of starting their own venture?

Find something you are passionate about and never quit! Having something you are passionate about will give you the strength to endure when things are challenging. Running your own business can be quite a rollercoaster ride, there are days you are flying high and days you feel low. The ups and downs can sometimes make it hard to chart your true success. I like to keep an achievement jar on my desk to jot down my “wins” so when I have low day I can look back and see the many things I’ve accomplished.

Please share your favorite business success moment to inspire others to reach for their dreams :))

I would say my favorite success moment came when developing our own line of affordable, organic, biodegradable pads and tampons. Believing budget should never come before someone’s health developing an affordable product for the market was really important to me. Growing to this point was a huge accomplishment. I’ve always been someone that sets large goals but getting to the point where you can go into mass production where you are arranging shipping containers of product to be delivered is a pretty awesome feeling.

Well, we think you're pretty awesome too, Tara. Thanks so much for your insights and sharing with us! Now go and check out her site to see how Be Prepared. Period. can help!

xox from us all at
portapocket.com

March 01, 2021

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Caring is Contagious: Let's Keep Gyros Planet Going!

The Chicago Tribune's Heidi Stevens has been chronicling the odyssey of some good hearted restaurant owners here in the Chicago suburbs. Erika Castro & Pablo Sanchez have worked so hard to beneft others by provding over 25,000+ free meals to people who are hungry during this pandemic. Their caring spirits are shining examples for us all. They inspire us too, so let's all do what we can to help out this wonderful family-owned small business :))

Get a FREE Caring is Contagious Tshirt while supporting the mission of these big-hearted folks... We're gifting 15% of all product sales in March from our portapocket.com webite to Gyros Planet when you order $10+ of any goodies and use code GYROSP...good thru 3/31/21.

Simply make sure to add the Tshirt to your cart before check out.

Let's all get through this thing together, and help each other as we go along...

Cheers to YOU!

February 02, 2021

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Men need functional pockets too!

Ever go to the gym and see guys taking their keys & cellphones out of
their workout pants (or shorts) pockets and leaving their stuff on the
equipment or the floor?

I was curious why they do this, so I asked a few. Here's what they said:

"I hate it when my keys jab into me while I'm working out..."

"My cellphone gets in the way when I'm doing this exercise"

"It's uncomfortable to have my stuff in my pocket, and it falls out anyway."

So, there it is. I honestly thought the advent of COVID would lessen these habits
given the added risk of picking up germs by leaving stuff lying on questionable
surfaces... but nope! The situation seems to be as prevalent as ever.

Go figure. ;)

xo, portapocket.com

February 01, 2021

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The History of Pockets....

Last Sunday, news correspondent Faith Salie had a segment on CBS This Morning about the 500+year history of pockets, a subject of course near and dear to our hearts.

Take a peek!

❤️,
portapocket.com

January 29, 2021

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Caring is Contagious: Bernie Sanders Meme w/Mittens Makes Money for Charity

No matter your political stripes, I think we all can appreciate when someone pokes fun at themselves and benefits others while doing it. To the tune of over 1.8 million dollars.

Go Bernie!

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bernie-sanders-mittens-and-memes-help-raise-1-8m-for-charity

❤️!

p.s. thanks to @SethAbramson on twitter for this image. ..I hope you don't mind, kind sir.

xox, @PortaPocketGal

December 07, 2020

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Caring is Contagious: Help for Gyros Planet (thank you Heidi Stevens!)

These are some simply awesome human beings.

When a crisis arises, that is the time when we can see the true character of our fellow humans. Some folks have show to be first class diamonds and deserve our appreciaton. We'd heard about this little restaurant in Evanston IL from a column that Chicago Tribune writer Heidi Stevens had written about recently in her column the Balancing Act.

Erika Castro and Pablo Sanchez have been giving so much for their community despite feeling the struggle themselves. If you're in their area, stop by and enjoy their offerings, or drop by this page to share good tidings from afar.

xo