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Wendy Bird, Gifts That Lift


Name: Wendy Bird

Hometown: California

Current Residence (City, State): Lehi, Utah

Education: 2 yr BYU, 1 yr- UofU for CES certification to teach seminary

Professional Background (brief, please): 5 years running a 501c3 non-profit, Pearls with a Purpose Foundation, and two for-profit entities, My Princess Pearls and Gifts That Lift.

What you wanted to be when you grew up: a teacher or a truck driver, I liked to drive and travel, and I love children

What you are: a multi-tasking, brain-racking, running-on-empty, completely-hysterical 40-year old with a passion and a cause

Brief Summary of your Start Up: Began as a direct selling opportunity that turned humanitarian when living conditions were discovered in the area where the pearls were sourced. Non-profit began with the intent to help build and create self reliance through education, donations and training.

Company Website? www.myprincesspearls.com, www.giftsthatlift.net (movie) and www.pearlswithapurpose.org (foundation)

What inspired you? Humanitarian opportunity (the need) and God, and all those voices in my head…they wouldn’t shut up!! JK!!

How long have you been in business? 5 years, 7 weeks, 5 days and 14 hours

How did you fund it? BOOTSTRAPPING BABY! Plus we have worked with investors, SBA, credit cards and even tax returns!

Do you have a Fairy Godmother (or Mentor)? Thousands, I am blessed with many in my corner.

Do you belong to any Business Organization or Networking Groups? Hundreds, Corporate Alliance, Salt Lake Chamber, NAWBO, UWABC, Lehi and American Fork Chamber, Lehi Rotary Club, Exchange Club and various other groups.

Current Business Challenge? Systems, reliable/trustworthy employees, time management, and cloning.

What are you doing about it? Burning the midnight oil, wearing 37 hats, running 90 mph, praying for a miracle and implementing lots of strategies. Plus I talk to lots of people to keep the brain waves flowing. I believe in the principle of having hundreds of people giving me ten percent of their time/efforts vs. one person giving me 100% of their time/efforts.

Favorite motivational quote: “Just Do It”

Family? One amazing husband, 3 fantastic boys (17, 14, 10) and 2 splendid daughters (16, 8) and a male and female AKC Fawn Pugs named Jocko and Jacie.

If so, how do you balance family and business? I put my family first, regardless. The rest just falls into place.

Favorite book? Any current business book that offers solutions to current problems I am experiencing. I have read hundreds and each one I have coursed through has offered me my ‘ah-ha’ for how to solve a dilemna. Then I tell everyone about it in case they are looking for the same solution…I am a great promoter! I also glean a lot of remarkable information from random magazine articles in Connect, Utah Business Magazine, and then of course googling on the web.

What do you do to relax? Ironically, I feel most relaxed when things are ‘checked-off’ the to do list, so to relax, I get busy. When I find myself getting the most stressed, (usually in California traffic) I turn on a great song from a MOC CD and I become the best air drummer on the steering wheel this side of the Mississippi. Now that’s relaxing.

What do you want to change most about your world? My personal world? I would change my rarely existing self-care program. My business world? I would change how others perceive things in unknown situations and the World world? I would pursue education, service and self reliance in disadvantaged countries.

What are you most proud of? The unconditional love, patience, and acceptance of my family to allow me to pursue this path, in spite of it’s rockiness.

What advice would you like to offer other Start Up Princesses? You never know what you think you know and when you find out what you didn’t know it turns out that you needed to know it sooner, so talk less, listen more, and implement quickly.

Favorite Magic Wand (tool/resource)? Any new electronic gadgetry that speeds up communication effectiveness and processing. (Skype, blackberry, blogging, and so on. ) On a human level, it is anyone that allows me to turn to them in a crisis and they actually magically make a needed miracle happen. Many times this is my husband!

If you could design a tiara, what precious stones would you use? Giant 24mm pearls in Tahitian, Pink, White and Golden South Salt seas.

Would you be interested in being a Fairy Godmother to another woman entrepreneur? (I am working on a secure system to do this, any ideas?) No ideas, but I’m a willing mentor

What business subjects would you feel comfortable mentoring in? Relationship building, enthusiasm and passion, foundations.

Would you be interested in going to lunch with other women entrepreneurs for a “networking tea party”? oh yea sure, but only if it WAS NOT at a restaurant, but at their home and we all brought favorite recipes. I really miss cooking/baking since I’m always too busy to do it.

If you are out of Utah County, would you be willing to be a facilitator of such an event? Sure.

  Startup Princess is an international network committed to empowering Women Entrepreneurs by offering resources for women in business to support, mentor, collaborate, learn from, and inspire one another. In 2006, after struggling to raise funding for an initial startup business venture, Kelly King Anderson recognized an important market niche existed for reliable resources educating women desiring to start and grow successful businesses, thus Startup Princess was developed.

Successful women entrepreneurs understand that for every business venture, they are in charge of creating, organizing, developing, managing, and assuming all the risks associated with their enterprise. That can seem quite intimidating but as other women business owners will tell you, it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it! Success is within your grasp and Startup Princess is here to help.

First, join as a member of Startup Princess and start building a solid foundation. Membership entitles you to a listing in the Startup Princess Online Directory where we list women owned businesses. You’ll also access exclusive content like articles, videos, and audio straight from your email inbox. Coupled with feature interviews, discounts on events, networking connections, and press opportunities, your Startup Princess membership will give any woman entrepreneur a great start for her business!

Then, take advantage of Touchpoint, our annual business conference for women entrepreneurs. Practical planning meets sky-high inspiration at this high-impact event for women business owners to network and develop their approach to business with wisdom and creative direction from other women entrepreneurs across the country.

Need a little help taking your business to the next step? Wish you had a fairy godmother like Cinderella offering you a helping hand? Now you can! Startup Princess is the home of Fairy Godmother Consulting, volunteer mentors sharing tips and insights to bless the lives of other women entrepreneurs.

Startup Princess can offer many benefits to women in business from future women business owners to successful women entrepreneurs. Please call or fill out our contact form with questions, concerns, or general interest and let us help you by giving you full access to everything Startup Princess has to offer!