How did you come up with your business concept? What inspired you to start your own business?
My business was started as a result of my husband's love. He pinned a butterfly for me as a gift. After I framed it and received feedback, we opted to try selling the frames at Denton Community Market.
Wall of framed insects pinned by Pinned Ptera.
What’s your background? Could you tell us how each of these disciplines emerge in your work?
I have a BA in Psychology from UNT and an MBA from TWU. I've worked since the age of 16, starting in the service industry and working my way up into the corporate world once I started college. I had to put myself through school and acquired quite a bit of grit and determination to meet my goals.
What led you to take your work from an idea to pursuing it as a business?
Frankly, I was tired of working for other people and wanted to balance my life as a new mother.
What’s your favorite thing about your workspace?
The people! Stoke has been an amazing forcefield of talented people I've grown to adore and network with for future projects.
Butterfly being pinned and framed by Morgan Loften of Pinned Ptera
Do you have a personal and/or professional motto or mantra that you call upon during tough times? What is it and what does it mean to you? I can do anything I put my mind to. I remind myself that everyone has to put their pants on the same way and that the playing field is more level than it appears to be.
How do you pick back up on moving your business forward when perhaps feeling uninspired?
I definitely go through burn-out phases, but typically feel rejuvenated during the busy season when I'm given a lot of verbal validation of my work and how much it impacts people emotionally.
Lamp designed by Pinned Ptera
What have you gained so far from being a part of the AccelerateHER cohort?
STRUCTURE! I was operating a little too long by the seat of my pants and received a wake-up call that I needed to re-organize with our growth, and scale. Stoke not only reminded me of that but fed me the resources I needed to achieve it.
Name a woman or gender expansive individual, past or present, whom you admire or look up to. Why?
I admire my grandmother, Haley Range. She founded her own business in 1990 and her strengths became a mirror for my own path.