Driven By Passion & Purpose

For over 10 years I have owned a fashion company that has had it’s up’s and downs, it has molded me, changed me and I have molded and changed it. We have gone through so much together! To think that my company is separate from me would be completely ignorant – this is a truth that I didn’t completely expect or understand when I became a business owner years ago.

My journey has been one that I would have never expected and one that I am truly, deeply, grateful for. Over 10 years ago I bought a company that had been in business for just over a year but was struggling and needed more. Costco, Nordstrom’s, Wal-Mart, Amazon, wholesale accounts and our e-commerce business were what drove my business for years. I went from 55 employees, to 15, to 2 employees, to 18… we have been through a lot together. However, in all the years that I have owned this company, this is the first time that this company is completely my creation – my ideas, my passion and that excites me more than I can explain.

You see, while most people are driven mainly by making money – I am driven by passion for making an impact and for doing good in this world. So for years, I felt like a paradox with my business. Knowing we needed to make money and that should be our focus, but feeling deep down that I wanted my business to be more.

As I have broken through my own barriers, healed old wounds, gone through personal struggles and failures it has allowed me to get really clear in what I feel my purpose is here on this earth. It is to empower women to be their best selves, to know their worth, their beauty and to remember who they really are. The vehicle in how I get to accomplish this is through clothing, how beautiful is that?

About two years ago I decided, with my team, to embark on a new business model that facilities my passion to empower women. This new business model is a direct sales, party plan model. This model has gotten a lot of bad press in the market because there can be a lot of greed in this industry and a lot of ego. What I feel that people fail to see, or have forgotten, is how powerful this model is for those who truly have a positive approach to it and it’s done with integrity. I feel this is how we are doing it and that we are empowering women to have their own business with minimal overhead and the ability to be at home and make money.

Recently I made a big decision and one that most business owners never do; I changed my company name from modbod to Amanda Joy & Co. This was a change that I knew in my gut was for the best and highest good for my company and all involved. It was one that I couldn’t ignore and I have learned deeply to trust in that and to take leaps of faith. I have never been let down when I trusted my gut.

Last month we started our Spark Tour which is part of our re-branding initiative along with our #selflovemovement. This was our true test to see first-hand if what we have created is received and if it works. This was a big deal and one I was anxious to experience. Women are loving the feel of our clothing, feel drawn to our branding, the meaning behind everything, the affirmations inside each piece and are moved by our #selflovemovement. Seeing this over and over, connecting with women and seeing them connect deeply with what I (and my team) have created is beyond words. Even now as I type this I explain the depths of emotions that flood me when I feel this. 

Everyday I get to wake up to a life of my creation, with a man that I deeply love who is my co-creative partner, to children that I have a deep bond and friendship with, to my employees that I feel honored to create my company with, to my stylists that are growing, learning and spreading love in their own ways, to my customers who feel our difference and feel empowered by what we have created. To say I am honored, grateful and humbled would be an understatement.

Be empowered to live a life of your creation, know you are not limited but are limitless!

UPDATE! This is an older blog post (written in 2018) but had a desire to bring it over to my new page as it is a part of my journey and one I will always be proud of even after I closed my doors.