Good Neighbor Podcast: Rochester
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of Rochester
Good Neighbor Podcast: Rochester
EP#121: Tickled Pink for Life LLC with Olivia Parks-May
What does it take to transform a pandemic-prompted epiphany into a thriving business? Olivia Parks-May, founder of Tickled Pink for Life LLC, joins us to share her remarkable journey from full-time teacher to successful entrepreneur and author. Olivia reveals how she turned a period of global uncertainty into an opportunity to chase her long-held dreams. Her boutique not only features fashionable items but also serves as a platform for her writing services and books, aimed at empowering women and children to tell their stories.
In our heartfelt conversation, Olivia shatters common myths about starting a business, firmly believing that there's always room for new ideas and that competition can be a source of learning. She also opens up about the intricate balancing act of managing her roles as a wife, mother, and business owner. Olivia’s love for hiking and exploring state parks with her children provides a glimpse into her personal life, adding depth to her narrative. Tune in for an inspiring episode that underscores the importance of following your dreams and growing through the challenges you encounter along the way.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lisa Swiftney.
Speaker 2:Hi everyone and welcome to episode number 121 of our Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have with us Good Neighbor Olivia Parks-May, and she is with Tickled Pink for Life. How are you doing today, olivia?
Speaker 3:I'm doing great. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast.
Speaker 2:Great thanks for agreeing to be a guest. This is going to be so much fun. Yes, I'm excited about it, so tell us about your business.
Speaker 3:Okay, my business is Tickled Pink for Life LLC. I started in 2020. It's an online women and girls boutique, but also a platform where I sell my book services and all of my books. I am an author and writing coach that empowers women and children to write and self-publish their own stories.
Speaker 2:That is amazing. Tell our listeners about your journey. How did you get started?
Speaker 3:So actually for years I had this desire to start a business. At the time my husband was totally on board, but I, you know, between working and school and all of the things and I was teaching at the time, I was a full-time teacher. At the time I just couldn't picture like, okay, how would I do this? And so, fast forward, I kept putting it on the back burner. Life kept happening and I kept putting it on the back burner. And then pandemic happens and everybody's locked in the house and I'm reevaluating my life and going over my goals and, you know, just reassessing what did I do that I said I was going to do. What didn't I do? And so I was like you know what it's now or never. So I just took the dive and started my business.
Speaker 2:That's amazing. I really and I love your business and I love your whole mission and how you help people. Thank you. Can you tell us about any myths or misconceptions that you hear about in your industry?
Speaker 3:Oh my gosh, there is so many, there is so many, there is so many. A lot of people think that if you have a goal or a vision to start a business, that oh, you shouldn't, because somebody else has that idea, somebody else has that business, and so how many t-shirts and hoodies and hat companies do you need? And so a big myth is that there's not enough room in the space, the space is oversaturated, and that's absolutely not true.
Speaker 2:That is a good, good myth to know. Yeah, yeah, and competition is healthy for people.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, absolutely. I think we learn from each other, not in like a negative way, but you know, you get to see other people's story and their journey and you admire them and you also get to learn from them, like, okay, you know what's working for them, what's not working for them and you learn from that. So, yes, I think competition in a healthy way I don't really like that word, but competition in a healthy way is a good thing, right.
Speaker 2:So when you're not working on your business, what do you like to do for fun?
Speaker 3:Oh my, goodness so we were talking a little bit about that earlier. I'm pretty active. I have kids, I have boys and they love to be active. So we love hiking. So we love hiking. Any kind of outdoor hiking opportunity I don't turn down. I actually have like a bucket list of different state parks where you know we've been going to a lot of them but there's still a lot more to go to, just to experience a new hiking ground.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I love to hike in my free time. That's amazing. So, yeah, I love to hike in my free time.
Speaker 3:That's amazing, and I personally can know that your children are very amazing wonderful children.
Speaker 2:You have done a great job with them, thank you. So can you describe for us one hardship or life challenge that you rose above and can now say, because of that challenge, that you're?
Speaker 3:better for it and are stronger? That's a really good question, and this is one of the things that perhaps deter a lot of people from starting their business. Is time management right? So I'm a wife, I'm a mom. When I started my business, I was a caregiver to my mom and, you know, working a full-time job and building a business and finding the time and the time block to do all the things and satisfy all of the pockets of important things in your life is, you know, can be challenging, can be deterrent, but the way that I overcame it I'm a person of faith, so I prayed about it for sure, and then I had family meetings and, you know, just had like full transparency with my family, like, look, I'm going to be there for you guys, but we need to schedule things, we need to communicate things, because I don't want to drop the ball and since I don't have any babies now, everybody's able to play a role, and so the way that I've overcome it is really with teamwork.
Speaker 2:I like that Teamwork Everybody on board knowing what's going on, Absolutely. Teamworkwork keeps the dream work so what is one thing you wish our listeners knew about your business?
Speaker 3:The name, the title of my company, can be off, put in tickled pink for life, and so people may assume that it's everything to do with pink, and it's not. One of the big things about my business is I have a whole writing services that I offer. I offer ghost writing services, I offer book editing services. I'm a writing coach, so I have a monthly coaching program that I offer, and so it's. Yes, I sell some pink apparel and accessories, but it's not all pink. There is apparel and accessories, but there's a lot to do with writing space, publishing, all the things to do with being an author and helping other women to become authors.
Speaker 2:Empowering those women right.
Speaker 3:Yes, 100%. I'm a girl's girl, so yes.
Speaker 2:Great, so our listeners are now intrigued. How can they learn more about you or even contact you?
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness. So lots of ways. I have a monthly newsletter through my business, so they can go to my website, tickled Pink for Life LLC, and sign up for my newsletter. That's one way to stay in the know of where I'm going to be, what's going on with the business, what's going on with me, but also on social media. I'm on Facebook under my name Olivia Parks May, instagram Olivia Parks May, and then there's also the business Instagram page, tickle Pink for Life. I have a YouTube channel. I put out one YouTube video a week and many short videos, so they can definitely follow me there. And on TikTok it's my name, olivia Parks May, followed by the number five. Pinterest, instagram all of the places I'm there.
Speaker 2:Perfect, so I want to thank you very much for taking your time and joining us on our Good Neighbor podcast today. I look forward to seeing much more. In fact, I'm looking up your Instagram page as we speak. I can like that, so thank you so much.
Speaker 3:Olivia. Thank you so much for having me, lisa, it was a pleasure.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, rochester. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on on the show, go to gnprochestercom. That's gnprochestercom, or call 248-988-9640.