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Nancy Redd welcomes special guest Vada Love Thomas to this episode of Mompreneurs. Thomas talks about her unique journey as a business manager for her husband (songwriter Theron Thomas) and, today, her experience as a baby boutique owner.
The multifaceted businesswoman shares that she and her husband are the true definitions of making a comeback. Her musical spouse earned a lot of money early in their relationship but, due to poor financial planning, lost it just as quickly.
Thomas even remembers having their debit card declined when trying to buy a car seat at Babies R Us when she was pregnant. Redd asks her guest how she and her partner have been able to get through tough times like the Babies R Us incident.
“We just always believed in each other…my husband is like one of the hardest working people that I have ever met in life, and he always says I am one of the smartest people, so with a team like that, we can’t do anything but win. So we just poured into each other,” stated the mompreneur.
Still, Thomas admitted those earlier days of financial mishaps made her realize that she needed to take over managing the finances for her husband, so she became his business manager. She handles everything from payroll to investments for her Grammy-winning lyricist partner.
More recently, the businesswoman has veered off into doing her own thing with her baby boutique, A January Love. Thomas named the shop in honor of her father, who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic (her maiden name is Love, and her father was born in January). The store owner’s dad played an integral role in her start of the business, having left his daughter inheritance money that she used to open the boutique.
“My father knew me better than most people…if my father left me something…I’m about to do everything I can to make it worth it,” says Thomas.
For other aspiring boutique owners, the A January Love founder shares the ins and outs of owning a clothing store, from how to calculate return on investment to how to charm vendors so buyers get their best products.
“What do you say to mothers who are…trying to grapple with ‘I need something for me, too’?” asks the Mompreneurs host.
“Every day, you just have to remind your kids that you love them,” answers Thomas. “I make my kids part of my journey…I no longer build my life around my kids. My kids have to build their life around me. I bring them to work.”
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