How Gabby Goodwin Built Confidence Through Entrepreneurship

Photo by: Gabby Goodwin

Our Girl Gang Love series was created to highlight the achievements of girls with awesome initiatives and share how they are inspiring girls around the world. During our search, we were captivated by the story of Gabrielle “Gabby” Goodwin and how the release of the first patented and non-slip double-snap barrette led to the launch of her company Confidence. We were inspired by Gabby’s persistence and how she’s using what she learned to help other girls around the world feel confident and start their own businesses. We connected with Gabby to discover how she started her business, what she’s learned about entrepreneurship, and how she’s encouraging other girls to be confident.

How did you come up with the idea of GaBBy Bows and Confidence by GaBBy Goodwin?

We came up with the idea after my mom would spend time doing my hair in the mornings and pick me up after school with my bows gone and hair all over the place. She went on Twitter to rant about her problems and our pastor jumped into the conversation and said, “Sounds like a market you need to break into.” My mom told me. I was about five years old. I didn’t know what entrepreneurship was, but I wanted to inspire people and I thought this was a way to do that. I nagged my mom to create this barrette and two years later, we started when I was seven years old and we have been in business for seven years.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

What I enjoy the most about entrepreneurship is speaking and traveling places. I get to fulfill my dream of inspiring people by traveling to different states and speaking to the young and old. That also allows me to see different places while I meet new friends.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

The accomplishment I am most proud of is being able to help girls believe, love, and feel confident in themselves because they see a girl who looks just like them doing great things. That's why I started nagging my mom about this idea in the first place. Having the opportunity to do just that is something I cherish.

 

Has becoming a young entrepreneur improved your confidence? If yes, how?

Being a young entrepreneur has absolutely improved my confidence. When I started at seven, I was really shy and uncomfortable talking to people I didn’t know. But as I started to speak and talk to customers more, I started to get more comfortable with talking, and started to know my voice has power.

How did you motivate yourself to continue with GaBBy Bows when your ideas were rejected? What did you learn from those obstacles and challenges?

I motivate myself by realizing that rejection doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Being in business has not only helped me grow in my confidence, but it has also helped me become a lot more resilient, and that has helped me to realize hearing "no" is ok. In life, you will hear rejection so many times, but you don't have to get worked up about every single no.

 

     Photo by: Gabby Goodwin

What advice do you have for other young girls with dreams of starting their own business or initiatives?

The advice I have for other young girls is to always believe in yourself because if you don't, no one else will. I will also say a quote I came up with that “NO is just an abbreviation for Next Opportunity,” so no matter how many no's you get, just know that “no” doesn't mean you have to stop.

What is a motivational/inspirational quote or saying that you live by?

A quote I live by is something my youth pastor says, which is, "Attack the day." Everyone says that life is precious and it is, so do as much as you can every day.

Here at Girl Gang Strong, we encourage girls to practice self love and self care. What ways do you practice self love or self care?

I practice self care by giving time to myself. I do a good amount of work all the time, but giving myself breaks in between and just playing or looking at videos makes a difference in my days. Physical activity is also a way I practice self care. Dancing or working out makes me feel good.

 

To learn more about Gabby, visit gabbybows.com and follow her on social media @gabbybows.