November 7, 2024 • 22 mins
Discover the journey of Danice Miranda, owner of Little Milky Way and a board-certified lactation consultant, as she transforms personal challenges into a mission of support for breastfeeding families. In our latest episode, Danice opens up about her transition from health science and teaching to creating a nurturing, judgment-free environment for mothers. She shares her own story as a mother of two, revealing the pressures and feelings of inadequacy new mothers often experience when breastfeeding doesn't go as planned. As we peel back the layers of her inspiring journey, Danice's story becomes a testament to the power of community support—highlighted by her phenomenal success in expanding a mom group from just four members to a thriving community of 300.
We also tackle the realities of small business ownership, offering insights into the tools and strategies that can drive entrepreneurial success. From the practicality of financial management to the undeniable importance of networking, we cover all bases. Whether you're naturally introverted or extroverted, Danice discusses how passion can organically enhance customer engagement and business growth. Our conversation underscores the significance of balancing personal life with business demands while nurturing a supportive community for new mothers navigating the postpartum period. Tune in to uncover how building your "village" can lead to both personal and professional triumphs.
Little Milky Way
Danice Miranda
(908) 460-9331
danice.miranda@littlemilkyway.com
littlemilkyway.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, doug Drohan,the owner of the Bergen
Neighbors Media Group, and todayI am pleased to welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Danice Miranda from the Little Milky Way, which she
will explain a little bit, butI'll just give you some little
(00:31):
introduction of Denise.
She's the owner of a lactationconsultancy practice called the
Little Milky Way.
She's a mother of two fromNorthern New Jersey, which is
where I am as well, and she hasa passion for supporting,
educating and bringingcommunities of breastfeeding
families together.
Her professional careerincludes a degree in health
(00:53):
science from Long IslandUniversity and an instructor in
biology and math.
And I'll leave it at that and Ijust want to welcome you,
Denise, to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Thank you so much, Doug, for having me on this
morning.
I'm really excited to be here.
Yeah, I'm excited to welcomeyou, Danice, to the show.
Thank you so much, Doug, forhaving me on this morning.
I'm really excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, I'm excited to have you because this is a bit
of a different business than theones I've typically interviewed
business owners.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat Little Milky Way is, and
then we'll get into why you dowhat you do.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Sure.
So Little Milky Way is a safe,judgment-free support for
families who choose to eitherbreastfeed, bottle feed,
exclusively pump or combinationfeed.
Either one of those is what welove to help parents with.
I am a board-certifiedlactation consultant and we
(01:45):
guide parents through theirpostpartum period.
We empower families throughevidence-based information
through their journey bycreating feeding and sleeping
plans so that it best fits theirneeds as a family, and every
family is different, so we liketo create those plans to make
(02:05):
sure that everyone's gettingsleep, not just the baby Right.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
So I remember when my son was born.
You know you up until the pointthat he's born.
You hear about all the benefitsof mother's milk and how you
should really breastfeed, and Ithink there's a lot of pressure
on the mother to be able tobreastfeed and there's some
frustration if it doesn't gothat smoothly, and maybe some
more than frustration, maybesome feeling of inadequacy that
(02:32):
for some reason I'm unable to dothis, or my baby's rejecting me
, or, you know, there'ssomething wrong.
And now I'm unable to give mybaby the you know, the proper
nourishment that all my doctorsand everyone has said that I
should be.
You know providing my newborn.
Is that something that you helppeople with?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
There is so much pressure whenit comes to breastfeeding and
the way the world is.
There are so many things thatare coming at us with the newest
products and the newest formulaand not enough information on
how we can help our mothers getthrough breastfeeding.
And I always say thatbreastfeeding isn't a black and
(03:11):
white thing.
It isn't.
You do it and you are, and itgoes well, or you can't do it
and that's it Right.
So we have the tools, we havethe knowledge to maneuver
through these tough times andyou can do both.
You can breastfeed and you canbottle feed, if that's what fits
your family.
You can exclusively pump and goback to work and try and
(03:37):
provide your family that way.
Either way, we can get throughbreastfeeding and make sure that
we meet your goals, andeverybody's goals are going to
be different.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Right.
So you, you know you're amother of two, so what was your
kind of impetus to have to startthis business?
You know what?
What was your journey likebringing you to to think one day
you know, I watch a lot ofshark tank, I watch it almost
every night my son.
My son was like dad, can wewatch shark tank my son's day?
I watch a lot of Shark Tank, Iwatch it almost every night.
My son was like Dad, can wewatch Shark Tank?
My son's 11.
I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
And going off topic for a secondShark Tank, one of the great
(04:13):
things to come out of that showin the last 10 years is how many
young kids that they get on theshow that have an idea or a
business that they pitch thatthey were inspired by Shark Tank
.
So, you know, one of thequestions they usually ask is
why you know to this person thatwants them to invest in them.
Why did you start this business?
(04:34):
And you know what's your goal.
I think you just kind of spoketo that.
But what brought you to likethis journey?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I guess we could say yeah, um, my kids are probably
my biggest inspiration.
Let me tell you like great,like great decision deciding to
have them.
But it wasn't easy and, um,having my first was probably the
hardest hardship that I wentthrough.
(05:04):
And deciding to breastfeed washard and my background in
science and math kind of helpedme, but it didn't help me enough
to navigate throughbreastfeeding.
So my first I breastfed forabout three months and then my
second and I didn't decide to goback to work after that because
she was a heart baby and I wasfive month leave, turned into
(05:28):
are you coming back, denise?
And I was like, uh, no, I can't, this child is crying too much.
And then I got pregnant with mysecond and I said, okay, we had
just moved to South Florida, wehad no family and friends, and I
said I really wanted tobreastfeed, I need friends.
So what I basically did and Isay this all the time is that I
(05:50):
basically put an ad out for amom group, basically asking for
friends who are breastfeeding orwanting to breastfeed, and we
grew from four members in one.
In the first meeting Actuallythe first meeting I had no
members.
The second meeting we had fourand within three months we had
(06:13):
300 members.
Yeah, really grew.
But that goes to show you howmany moms really, really needed
support and all we did was justmeet up on the beach.
We met up in the park and werested and we talked about how,
the hardships that we were goingthrough, what our decisions
were with breastfeeding, and whowas around to help us, who our
village was and that became myvillage.
So then, as that grew, theywere all saying, like, denise,
(06:33):
you really should get intoconsulting and go into
breastfeeding.
And I said, okay, I had mybackgrounds in math and science
and I said, okay, let's- Can Iback up a second?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So you have a background in math and science.
You should really get intobreastfeeding.
Like, is that a career choice?
Yeah, you know what do you wantto be when you grow up?
I want to be a breastfeeder.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
You want to be a breastfeeder?
Yes, that was me.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, that's funny.
Sorry to interrupt but-.
Yeah, up, but um, yeah, youshould get into breast, like I
studied biology and I taughtanatomy and physiology.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Yes, I did not know that the boobs were going to be
my my niche right in the body.
But um it it did and it grewfrom there and with the village
that I had, um, I went tobreastfeeding my son two and a
half years oh, wow, wow Okay.
And that's when I realized Iwas like.
(07:27):
You know, moms really need tounderstand that they need their
team behind them.
They need a support, not justthe immediate family at home,
but they need to know that theyhave professionals out there who
can help them.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
So how did people find out about you?
How did you grow from just asmall to 300?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
So I get a lot of referrals.
I do take some insurance, Ihave a website, I go to a lot of
community affairs events inBergen County and I jump around
a lot.
Sometimes you'll see me in Bye,bye, baby in Paramus.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Oh, all right, Good to know it's still open.
We went there when my son wasborn.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, although I think they're closing again.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Okay, all right, because they were kind of tied
to Bed Bath Beyond right.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I'm on your website and youhave an events page here and it
says PPNJ's Parents Support Expo.
So I guess it's kind of thethings that you that is coming
up in January and that is tohelp moms find their village.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
That is our main goal .
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Right, and then you also have classes like you're
having a class at Plasker FamilyChiropractic which, by the way,
I've met them before Rightthere in Sheridan Avenue, hocus.
So yeah, yeah, you know, I'vebeen in this business for seven
years now, so I've met prettymuch.
Well, you think you've meteverybody, but obviously there's
other people I haven't met andbut yeah, I remember meeting Dr
(09:00):
Plasker and then someone who wasworking out of his office for a
period of time, so that's great.
So, you know, one of the thingsI like to talk to the
entrepreneurs about is what hasthe journey been like for you
Like to say, okay, I have abackground in science and math,
but now I'm going to go off andstart my own kind of lactation
(09:20):
consulting business.
What's that been like in termsof like the roller coaster ride
of starting a business, and whathave you learned?
And are there any like keytakeaways that you could offer
as advice to our listeners, whomight be some business owners
that are just starting out aswell?
Speaker 3 (09:38):
It has been a roller coaster.
My record again is math andscience.
Business was not one of them.
Like putting together my taxesand putting spreadsheets
together at the end of the day.
Let me tell you my husbandstill is on me.
He's like your receipts are allover the place put everything
(09:58):
in one place and I have beenstubborn so I'm like, no, I can
do everything in a spreadsheet.
I'm not going to buy a programlike QuickBooks.
I put everything in aspreadsheet and then he has to
sit down and go througheverything, but let me tell you,
get the program this is what myadvice is going to be Get the
program because as you grow, andbefore you know it, like the
(10:21):
growth will come out of nowhere,you know it.
Like the growth will come outof nowhere.
Yeah, you know and you're.
You're going to need thatbackup, you're going to need
something that's just going tobe automatic because you're not
going to have the time to do it,because your time is your
services and you're into yourproducts and growing it that way
.
The next biggest thing I wouldsay is network.
(10:42):
Talk to people.
Be a people person if youweren't, um, I be a part of
groups and be there and soundand create and always provide
good services, because goodservices and making your
customers happy goes such a longway when it comes to referrals.
Your name will get out there ifyou're justation.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So what do you?
Math and science?
I'm going to talkstereotypically.
You wouldn't.
A lot of math and sciencepeople are, you might say, more
introverted than extroverted,right?
What do you say to the businessowner who hears get out there
and network and talk to peopleand is like, oh my God, that's
just not me, I can't do that,you know, I just want to crunch
(11:28):
the numbers.
Or you know, what do you say topeople that might fear that I
have a little trepidation tosaying to that advice of going
out there and going tonetworking groups and you know,
you know events and things likethat.
Do you have any advice?
Or you know?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
spend the money on marketing.
Okay the money into marketing,or have somebody who's going to
do it for you yeah, okay I mean,I, I like marketing is such a
big thing for me.
Um, if it's not me, then I haveto put the money into it for
someone to do it for me.
But you have to put the effortinto it, it's kind of like where
(12:04):
I come in sometimes.
Yes, exactly.
If you can't do it, then havesomebody else do it.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Right, well, it's funny.
But about being introverted?
I don't think I'm.
I was never introverted, but Ihave to say when I worked for
big corporations like Sony Musicor Viacom, networking and going
out there and talking aboutmyself was nothing I was
comfortable with.
But when I started my ownbusiness, it wasn't about
talking about me.
It was more about like learningwhat other people are doing and
(12:35):
truly just being having a goodear and listening and want to
hear what other people are doing.
And then naturally they'll saywell, what do you do?
And I think if you'repassionate enough about why you
started your business, it it?
You don't the introvert.
Introversion that's not reallya word, but you know, the
ability to talk about yourselfisn't really more
self-aggrandizing, it's moreabout oh yeah, this is what I'm
(12:56):
passionate about and I thinkthat's what comes across to
people.
If you truly are passionateabout what you're doing and
driven to make a difference.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
It attracts people because it comes out in your
tone as you're talking.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's amazing.
So you, you have a team, thoughit's not just you.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Yes, I have Michelle Dwyer who covers me sometimes
when I'm not around, so you'lleither see her or my face.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Okay, nice, and she's also a mother of four.
She's a mother of four.
Wow, okay, all right.
So you know you talked aboutkind of what brought you into
this business, kind of thechallenges of your firstborn.
Were there any other, I guess,moments where you felt like it
was you know with your business,uh, where you were almost ready
(13:48):
to give up and say maybe Ishould just go back to you know
a salary job, and you know thisis too hard, I got two kids, I
need steady income.
Did you ever face a moment likethat, or has it always been?
From the moment you decided,yeah, okay.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Yeah, I mean, I feel this business has its waves
right.
We have times where we have abig baby boom.
Yeah, yeah, and then and youcan kind of tell when.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
It's like you have your.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Valentine's Day babies.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Okay, you have your cutdowns where everybody's
indoors and-.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
In the winter.
But either way there is a boomand it goes through waves and I
think to myself like oh gosh,like what do I do next?
What is my next steps for mybusiness?
Do I go back to working a nineto five job, working for like
the hospital or something, or doI go back to teaching?
(14:45):
But running a business is agrind, yeah.
And you stick with it throughthe ends and you just find what
your next step is, and you'realways thinking and strategizing
.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Yeah, that's going back to Shark Tank.
That's what Mark Cuban andDamon Wayans had a Damon Wayans,
what's his name?
Damon Johns had a podcastcalled Rise and Grind, and then
Mark Cuban always asks what'syour grind?
Because if they're talking to abusiness owner that's not
really grinding it out or isn'tfully invested, why would they
want to invest in them ifthey're not fully invested?
(15:22):
And yeah, I think you touched onit earlier that if you're, you
know, truly out there to helppeople and serve them and do
right by your client, then youknow the word of mouth will help
.
I mean, it's not the only way.
You can't just rely on word ofmouth, but you know that you're
doing it from the heart andyou're doing it for the good
reasons.
And if you're educated and youknow and you're educating them,
(15:44):
then you know, hopefully peoplestart to see that.
And I think that's the biggestdifference for me between
working in corporate america andthen working for yourself is
that when you work for corporateamerica, the, the great things
that you do may not always beseen by your boss or, you know,
by a, a greater group of uh, adepartment of 100, 200 people,
(16:06):
whereas once you one-on-one withyour clients.
They understand what you'redoing and you're I think you're
rewarded more for being thatkind of heart-driven business
owner than if you're working inthe corporate world, where
exposing your feelings may notbe rewarded, if you know what I
mean.
I don't know if you've foundthat as well.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Yeah, there's always room for growth.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, yeah, I can grow.
There's always room for growth.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Right, I can grow.
There's always room for growth,right.
Like in a corporate corporation, there's always going to be an
end to it, or the top wherethat's it.
That's all you make it but thisis my business and I can grow it
as far and go as far as long asI can or I can, you know, as my
kids.
My kids are young now, so a lotof the times I can't, my hours
(16:50):
are limited.
But as they grow then I cangrow it bigger.
But now I can limit my hours totheir needs, you know.
So, it all that's.
That's what I love about itbeing a business.
It is a grind, but it's on myown time, on my own hours, and I
can make it how I need it to beand fit my needs.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yeah, so you mentioned your family and having
time for them.
So what do you when you're notworking?
You guys like to go hiking, youlike to do, you know, road
trips and things like that.
I mean, what is it that if youwant to share, like what you do
outside of?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
We love going to national parks.
That is like I.
I am a really big believer injust getting my kids out there.
I hate the TV and the YouTube.
I'm not going to say I don'tuse it, because right now
they're home from school andthey are on it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Teachers, teachers convention.
Yeah, exactly so, I'm like youcould use your iPadad.
Mommy is on right call sowhat's your favorite?
What's your favorite nationalpark?
Do you have a favorite nationalpark?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
um, we just went to yosemite oh yeah, but I gotta
say zion is our favorite, itstill tops that off, but
yosemite was beautiful.
We went to acadia, that was.
That was like all breathtaking.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Wow, zion.
The thing I loved about Zionwas I don't know if you did it,
but you're hiking on a trail andall of a sudden you're in waist
deep water, walking throughthis Canyon, and yeah, that was
just.
That was amazing.
I actually did a trip where Iwas in Boulder, colorado.
We went to Arches, which wasgreat, then down to Zion and the
(18:36):
Grand Canyon and then up toFour Corners and Durango and
then back up to Boulder.
That was a cool trip, wow.
And then another time I didYosemite, where we camped out
along the river know, washed ourhands and face and brushed our
teeth in the river I think itwas the Mead River.
That was really cool.
(18:56):
So, yeah, I've not taken my sonout West yet, so we're going to
go skiing in the winter, butwe've not done the national park
yet, so definitely got to getout there and do it.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Yeah, I love it.
I really really do.
I mean, my daughter's now 10and she and she's been hiking
with us since we were little.
We backpacked with them throughZion.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Oh, wow so we still have to go back with them
through the Narrows.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
But she's at an age like I don't want to go hiking
and I'm like, yes, she's like, Idon't want to go hiking, yeah,
call it.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Like.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
she's like you know, when they were younger it was a
little bit easier because wewould sing songs and they and
they did a three mile hike atsix and eight, I think.
But now they're a little bitmore verbal.
Yeah, and I'm like you, knowthe beauty that America has to
offer us.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, I know it's a little hotter.
I have to say we're not goingfor a hike, we're going for a
walk.
You know, because if I saylet's take the dog for a hike
over in rockley, because I liveover in eastern part of bergen
county, um, I don't want to gofor a hike, all right, let's
take chase for a walk.
And then all of a sudden we endup in the woods and we're going
uphill and it was a hike.
I just had to say we're takingthe dog yeah, maybe you just
(20:13):
have to word it differently.
I have to work yeah, yeah,although it's a little tough
when you're hopping on a planeand driving into a national park
.
It's tough to disguise that.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
But where are we going?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
this is great, denise .
So if there was like one one umthing you wanted our listeners
to take away from your companyor business, if there was one
thing not to put you on the spot, but what would that be Like?
What do you want them to learnabout your business, or learn
about what you provide, and someadvice to them, maybe.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
I want them to know lactation consultants aren't
just about breastfeeding.
We can help you throughouteverything through your journey.
It is a team effort.
So me, you, whoever is in yourteam, your family, we can all
work together.
It is a village.
(21:07):
I always suggest moms to find avillage and a team behind you,
because for postpartum isn'teasy and you don't really know
until you get there that youneed your friends and you need
your family and you need to findthe people to back you up and
tell you that it's okay, and tonot give you any judgments and
(21:29):
to give you the rightinformation.
Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
That's great.
Well, I and to give you theright information.
Wow, that's great.
That's great.
Well, I want to thank you forbeing a guest on our show, and I
will.
We're going to close it here,but bear with me and I'll talk
to you on the other side.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Okay, thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpbergen.
com.
That's gnpbergen.
com, or call 201-298-8325.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, doug Drohan,the owner of the Bergen
Neighbors Media Group, and todayI am pleased to welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
Danice Miranda from the Little Milky Way, which she
will explain a little bit, butI'll just give you some little
(00:31):
introduction of Denise.
She's the owner of a lactationconsultancy practice called the
Little Milky Way.
She's a mother of two fromNorthern New Jersey, which is
where I am as well, and she hasa passion for supporting,
educating and bringingcommunities of breastfeeding
families together.
Her professional careerincludes a degree in health
(00:53):
science from Long IslandUniversity and an instructor in
biology and math.
And I'll leave it at that and Ijust want to welcome you,
Denise, to the show.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Thank you so much, Doug, for having me on this
morning.
I'm really excited to be here.
Yeah, I'm excited to welcomeyou, Danice, to the show.
Thank you so much, Doug, forhaving me on this morning.
I'm really excited to be here.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, I'm excited to have you because this is a bit
of a different business than theones I've typically interviewed
business owners.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat Little Milky Way is, and
then we'll get into why you dowhat you do.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Sure.
So Little Milky Way is a safe,judgment-free support for
families who choose to eitherbreastfeed, bottle feed,
exclusively pump or combinationfeed.
Either one of those is what welove to help parents with.
I am a board-certifiedlactation consultant and we
(01:45):
guide parents through theirpostpartum period.
We empower families throughevidence-based information
through their journey bycreating feeding and sleeping
plans so that it best fits theirneeds as a family, and every
family is different, so we liketo create those plans to make
(02:05):
sure that everyone's gettingsleep, not just the baby Right.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
So I remember when my son was born.
You know you up until the pointthat he's born.
You hear about all the benefitsof mother's milk and how you
should really breastfeed, and Ithink there's a lot of pressure
on the mother to be able tobreastfeed and there's some
frustration if it doesn't gothat smoothly, and maybe some
more than frustration, maybesome feeling of inadequacy that
(02:32):
for some reason I'm unable to dothis, or my baby's rejecting me
, or, you know, there'ssomething wrong.
And now I'm unable to give mybaby the you know, the proper
nourishment that all my doctorsand everyone has said that I
should be.
You know providing my newborn.
Is that something that you helppeople with?
Speaker 3 (02:50):
Yeah, absolutely.
There is so much pressure whenit comes to breastfeeding and
the way the world is.
There are so many things thatare coming at us with the newest
products and the newest formulaand not enough information on
how we can help our mothers getthrough breastfeeding.
And I always say thatbreastfeeding isn't a black and
(03:11):
white thing.
It isn't.
You do it and you are, and itgoes well, or you can't do it
and that's it Right.
So we have the tools, we havethe knowledge to maneuver
through these tough times andyou can do both.
You can breastfeed and you canbottle feed, if that's what fits
your family.
You can exclusively pump and goback to work and try and
(03:37):
provide your family that way.
Either way, we can get throughbreastfeeding and make sure that
we meet your goals, andeverybody's goals are going to
be different.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Right.
So you, you know you're amother of two, so what was your
kind of impetus to have to startthis business?
You know what?
What was your journey likebringing you to to think one day
you know, I watch a lot ofshark tank, I watch it almost
every night my son.
My son was like dad, can wewatch shark tank my son's day?
I watch a lot of Shark Tank, Iwatch it almost every night.
My son was like Dad, can wewatch Shark Tank?
My son's 11.
I'm like, yeah, absolutely.
And going off topic for a secondShark Tank, one of the great
(04:13):
things to come out of that showin the last 10 years is how many
young kids that they get on theshow that have an idea or a
business that they pitch thatthey were inspired by Shark Tank
.
So, you know, one of thequestions they usually ask is
why you know to this person thatwants them to invest in them.
Why did you start this business?
(04:34):
And you know what's your goal.
I think you just kind of spoketo that.
But what brought you to likethis journey?
Speaker 3 (04:42):
I guess we could say yeah, um, my kids are probably
my biggest inspiration.
Let me tell you like great,like great decision deciding to
have them.
But it wasn't easy and, um,having my first was probably the
hardest hardship that I wentthrough.
(05:04):
And deciding to breastfeed washard and my background in
science and math kind of helpedme, but it didn't help me enough
to navigate throughbreastfeeding.
So my first I breastfed forabout three months and then my
second and I didn't decide to goback to work after that because
she was a heart baby and I wasfive month leave, turned into
(05:28):
are you coming back, denise?
And I was like, uh, no, I can't, this child is crying too much.
And then I got pregnant with mysecond and I said, okay, we had
just moved to South Florida, wehad no family and friends, and I
said I really wanted tobreastfeed, I need friends.
So what I basically did and Isay this all the time is that I
(05:50):
basically put an ad out for amom group, basically asking for
friends who are breastfeeding orwanting to breastfeed, and we
grew from four members in one.
In the first meeting Actuallythe first meeting I had no
members.
The second meeting we had fourand within three months we had
(06:13):
300 members.
Yeah, really grew.
But that goes to show you howmany moms really, really needed
support and all we did was justmeet up on the beach.
We met up in the park and werested and we talked about how,
the hardships that we were goingthrough, what our decisions
were with breastfeeding, and whowas around to help us, who our
village was and that became myvillage.
So then, as that grew, theywere all saying, like, denise,
(06:33):
you really should get intoconsulting and go into
breastfeeding.
And I said, okay, I had mybackgrounds in math and science
and I said, okay, let's- Can Iback up a second?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
So you have a background in math and science.
You should really get intobreastfeeding.
Like, is that a career choice?
Yeah, you know what do you wantto be when you grow up?
I want to be a breastfeeder.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
You want to be a breastfeeder?
Yes, that was me.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
Yeah, that's funny.
Sorry to interrupt but-.
Yeah, up, but um, yeah, youshould get into breast, like I
studied biology and I taughtanatomy and physiology.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Yes, I did not know that the boobs were going to be
my my niche right in the body.
But um it it did and it grewfrom there and with the village
that I had, um, I went tobreastfeeding my son two and a
half years oh, wow, wow Okay.
And that's when I realized Iwas like.
(07:27):
You know, moms really need tounderstand that they need their
team behind them.
They need a support, not justthe immediate family at home,
but they need to know that theyhave professionals out there who
can help them.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
So how did people find out about you?
How did you grow from just asmall to 300?
Speaker 3 (07:47):
So I get a lot of referrals.
I do take some insurance, Ihave a website, I go to a lot of
community affairs events inBergen County and I jump around
a lot.
Sometimes you'll see me in Bye,bye, baby in Paramus.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Oh, all right, Good to know it's still open.
We went there when my son wasborn.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Yeah, although I think they're closing again.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Okay, all right, because they were kind of tied
to Bed Bath Beyond right.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:19):
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So I'm on your website and youhave an events page here and it
says PPNJ's Parents Support Expo.
So I guess it's kind of thethings that you that is coming
up in January and that is tohelp moms find their village.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
That is our main goal .
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Right, and then you also have classes like you're
having a class at Plasker FamilyChiropractic which, by the way,
I've met them before Rightthere in Sheridan Avenue, hocus.
So yeah, yeah, you know, I'vebeen in this business for seven
years now, so I've met prettymuch.
Well, you think you've meteverybody, but obviously there's
other people I haven't met andbut yeah, I remember meeting Dr
(09:00):
Plasker and then someone who wasworking out of his office for a
period of time, so that's great.
So, you know, one of the thingsI like to talk to the
entrepreneurs about is what hasthe journey been like for you
Like to say, okay, I have abackground in science and math,
but now I'm going to go off andstart my own kind of lactation
(09:20):
consulting business.
What's that been like in termsof like the roller coaster ride
of starting a business, and whathave you learned?
And are there any like keytakeaways that you could offer
as advice to our listeners, whomight be some business owners
that are just starting out aswell?
Speaker 3 (09:38):
It has been a roller coaster.
My record again is math andscience.
Business was not one of them.
Like putting together my taxesand putting spreadsheets
together at the end of the day.
Let me tell you my husbandstill is on me.
He's like your receipts are allover the place put everything
(09:58):
in one place and I have beenstubborn so I'm like, no, I can
do everything in a spreadsheet.
I'm not going to buy a programlike QuickBooks.
I put everything in aspreadsheet and then he has to
sit down and go througheverything, but let me tell you,
get the program this is what myadvice is going to be Get the
program because as you grow, andbefore you know it, like the
(10:21):
growth will come out of nowhere,you know it.
Like the growth will come outof nowhere.
Yeah, you know and you're.
You're going to need thatbackup, you're going to need
something that's just going tobe automatic because you're not
going to have the time to do it,because your time is your
services and you're into yourproducts and growing it that way
.
The next biggest thing I wouldsay is network.
(10:42):
Talk to people.
Be a people person if youweren't, um, I be a part of
groups and be there and soundand create and always provide
good services, because goodservices and making your
customers happy goes such a longway when it comes to referrals.
Your name will get out there ifyou're justation.
Speaker 2 (11:04):
So what do you?
Math and science?
I'm going to talkstereotypically.
You wouldn't.
A lot of math and sciencepeople are, you might say, more
introverted than extroverted,right?
What do you say to the businessowner who hears get out there
and network and talk to peopleand is like, oh my God, that's
just not me, I can't do that,you know, I just want to crunch
(11:28):
the numbers.
Or you know, what do you say topeople that might fear that I
have a little trepidation tosaying to that advice of going
out there and going tonetworking groups and you know,
you know events and things likethat.
Do you have any advice?
Or you know?
Speaker 3 (11:39):
spend the money on marketing.
Okay the money into marketing,or have somebody who's going to
do it for you yeah, okay I mean,I, I like marketing is such a
big thing for me.
Um, if it's not me, then I haveto put the money into it for
someone to do it for me.
But you have to put the effortinto it, it's kind of like where
(12:04):
I come in sometimes.
Yes, exactly.
If you can't do it, then havesomebody else do it.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
Right, well, it's funny.
But about being introverted?
I don't think I'm.
I was never introverted, but Ihave to say when I worked for
big corporations like Sony Musicor Viacom, networking and going
out there and talking aboutmyself was nothing I was
comfortable with.
But when I started my ownbusiness, it wasn't about
talking about me.
It was more about like learningwhat other people are doing and
(12:35):
truly just being having a goodear and listening and want to
hear what other people are doing.
And then naturally they'll saywell, what do you do?
And I think if you'repassionate enough about why you
started your business, it it?
You don't the introvert.
Introversion that's not reallya word, but you know, the
ability to talk about yourselfisn't really more
self-aggrandizing, it's moreabout oh yeah, this is what I'm
(12:56):
passionate about and I thinkthat's what comes across to
people.
If you truly are passionateabout what you're doing and
driven to make a difference.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
It attracts people because it comes out in your
tone as you're talking.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah, yeah, that's, that's amazing.
So you, you have a team, thoughit's not just you.
Speaker 3 (13:15):
Yes, I have Michelle Dwyer who covers me sometimes
when I'm not around, so you'lleither see her or my face.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Okay, nice, and she's also a mother of four.
She's a mother of four.
Wow, okay, all right.
So you know you talked aboutkind of what brought you into
this business, kind of thechallenges of your firstborn.
Were there any other, I guess,moments where you felt like it
was you know with your business,uh, where you were almost ready
(13:48):
to give up and say maybe Ishould just go back to you know
a salary job, and you know thisis too hard, I got two kids, I
need steady income.
Did you ever face a moment likethat, or has it always been?
From the moment you decided,yeah, okay.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
Yeah, I mean, I feel this business has its waves
right.
We have times where we have abig baby boom.
Yeah, yeah, and then and youcan kind of tell when.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
It's like you have your.
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Valentine's Day babies.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Okay, you have your cutdowns where everybody's
indoors and-.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
In the winter.
But either way there is a boomand it goes through waves and I
think to myself like oh gosh,like what do I do next?
What is my next steps for mybusiness?
Do I go back to working a nineto five job, working for like
the hospital or something, or doI go back to teaching?
(14:45):
But running a business is agrind, yeah.
And you stick with it throughthe ends and you just find what
your next step is, and you'realways thinking and strategizing
.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
Yeah, that's going back to Shark Tank.
That's what Mark Cuban andDamon Wayans had a Damon Wayans,
what's his name?
Damon Johns had a podcastcalled Rise and Grind, and then
Mark Cuban always asks what'syour grind?
Because if they're talking to abusiness owner that's not
really grinding it out or isn'tfully invested, why would they
want to invest in them ifthey're not fully invested?
(15:22):
And yeah, I think you touched onit earlier that if you're, you
know, truly out there to helppeople and serve them and do
right by your client, then youknow the word of mouth will help
.
I mean, it's not the only way.
You can't just rely on word ofmouth, but you know that you're
doing it from the heart andyou're doing it for the good
reasons.
And if you're educated and youknow and you're educating them,
(15:44):
then you know, hopefully peoplestart to see that.
And I think that's the biggestdifference for me between
working in corporate america andthen working for yourself is
that when you work for corporateamerica, the, the great things
that you do may not always beseen by your boss or, you know,
by a, a greater group of uh, adepartment of 100, 200 people,
(16:06):
whereas once you one-on-one withyour clients.
They understand what you'redoing and you're I think you're
rewarded more for being thatkind of heart-driven business
owner than if you're working inthe corporate world, where
exposing your feelings may notbe rewarded, if you know what I
mean.
I don't know if you've foundthat as well.
Speaker 3 (16:25):
Yeah, there's always room for growth.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
Yeah, yeah, I can grow.
There's always room for growth.
Speaker 3 (16:30):
Right, I can grow.
There's always room for growth,right.
Like in a corporate corporation, there's always going to be an
end to it, or the top wherethat's it.
That's all you make it but thisis my business and I can grow it
as far and go as far as long asI can or I can, you know, as my
kids.
My kids are young now, so a lotof the times I can't, my hours
(16:50):
are limited.
But as they grow then I cangrow it bigger.
But now I can limit my hours totheir needs, you know.
So, it all that's.
That's what I love about itbeing a business.
It is a grind, but it's on myown time, on my own hours, and I
can make it how I need it to beand fit my needs.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Yeah, so you mentioned your family and having
time for them.
So what do you when you're notworking?
You guys like to go hiking, youlike to do, you know, road
trips and things like that.
I mean, what is it that if youwant to share, like what you do
outside of?
Speaker 3 (17:24):
We love going to national parks.
That is like I.
I am a really big believer injust getting my kids out there.
I hate the TV and the YouTube.
I'm not going to say I don'tuse it, because right now
they're home from school andthey are on it.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Teachers, teachers convention.
Yeah, exactly so, I'm like youcould use your iPadad.
Mommy is on right call sowhat's your favorite?
What's your favorite nationalpark?
Do you have a favorite nationalpark?
Speaker 3 (17:57):
um, we just went to yosemite oh yeah, but I gotta
say zion is our favorite, itstill tops that off, but
yosemite was beautiful.
We went to acadia, that was.
That was like all breathtaking.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
Wow, zion.
The thing I loved about Zionwas I don't know if you did it,
but you're hiking on a trail andall of a sudden you're in waist
deep water, walking throughthis Canyon, and yeah, that was
just.
That was amazing.
I actually did a trip where Iwas in Boulder, colorado.
We went to Arches, which wasgreat, then down to Zion and the
(18:36):
Grand Canyon and then up toFour Corners and Durango and
then back up to Boulder.
That was a cool trip, wow.
And then another time I didYosemite, where we camped out
along the river know, washed ourhands and face and brushed our
teeth in the river I think itwas the Mead River.
That was really cool.
(18:56):
So, yeah, I've not taken my sonout West yet, so we're going to
go skiing in the winter, butwe've not done the national park
yet, so definitely got to getout there and do it.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
Yeah, I love it.
I really really do.
I mean, my daughter's now 10and she and she's been hiking
with us since we were little.
We backpacked with them throughZion.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Oh, wow so we still have to go back with them
through the Narrows.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
But she's at an age like I don't want to go hiking
and I'm like, yes, she's like, Idon't want to go hiking, yeah,
call it.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Like.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
she's like you know, when they were younger it was a
little bit easier because wewould sing songs and they and
they did a three mile hike atsix and eight, I think.
But now they're a little bitmore verbal.
Yeah, and I'm like you, knowthe beauty that America has to
offer us.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
Yeah, I know it's a little hotter.
I have to say we're not goingfor a hike, we're going for a
walk.
You know, because if I saylet's take the dog for a hike
over in rockley, because I liveover in eastern part of bergen
county, um, I don't want to gofor a hike, all right, let's
take chase for a walk.
And then all of a sudden we endup in the woods and we're going
uphill and it was a hike.
I just had to say we're takingthe dog yeah, maybe you just
(20:13):
have to word it differently.
I have to work yeah, yeah,although it's a little tough
when you're hopping on a planeand driving into a national park
.
It's tough to disguise that.
Speaker 3 (20:22):
But where are we going?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
this is great, denise .
So if there was like one one umthing you wanted our listeners
to take away from your companyor business, if there was one
thing not to put you on the spot, but what would that be Like?
What do you want them to learnabout your business, or learn
about what you provide, and someadvice to them, maybe.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
I want them to know lactation consultants aren't
just about breastfeeding.
We can help you throughouteverything through your journey.
It is a team effort.
So me, you, whoever is in yourteam, your family, we can all
work together.
It is a village.
(21:07):
I always suggest moms to find avillage and a team behind you,
because for postpartum isn'teasy and you don't really know
until you get there that youneed your friends and you need
your family and you need to findthe people to back you up and
tell you that it's okay, and tonot give you any judgments and
(21:29):
to give you the rightinformation.
Wow, that's great.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
That's great.
Well, I and to give you theright information.
Wow, that's great.
That's great.
Well, I want to thank you forbeing a guest on our show, and I
will.
We're going to close it here,but bear with me and I'll talk
to you on the other side.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Okay, thank you.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to theGood Neighbor Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnpbergen.
com.
That's gnpbergen.
com, or call 201-298-8325.
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