From Loft Spaces to a Global Brand:
My Journey as a Mom Entrepreneur
If you had told me years ago that I’d be running a thriving business while homeschooling four kids, I probably would have laughed. And then I would have looked around at the laundry piles, the half-eaten snacks left on the counter, and the Lego minefield in the living room and laughed even harder. This journey hasn’t been easy. It’s been filled with long nights, tight budgets, and plenty of moments where we wondered if we were making the right choices. But looking back, every hard season, every risk, and every sacrifice led us to where we are today.
I grew up moving around, spending my childhood in California, Washington State, and North Carolina. It was in North Carolina at just 14 years old that I met Bradley, my best friend and the person who would stand beside me through every chapter of life. A few years later, we packed up and moved to Colorado, where we got married in the breathtaking Black Forest. That’s where we built our life together, working hard and raising our four children.
Like many families, we were deep in the cycle of working the 9-5, just trying to make ends meet. Bradley worked full-time, and I was a stay-at-home mom, juggling kids, homeschooling, and attempting side hustles like selling on Etsy. I figured, how hard could it be? Spoiler alert: It was hard. Between shipping delays, trying to take perfect product photos while a toddler screamed in the background, and embroidering 500 Christmas stockings into the night, let’s just say Etsy was not my ticket to financial freedom. The struggle to keep up with bills, groceries, and life in general was real. We weren’t unhappy, but we knew we wanted something more, something that would give us both time with our kids and the financial freedom to build the life we dreamed of.
After 12 years in Colorado, we started feeling the pull to leave and start fresh. We had no idea what that would look like, but we took a leap of faith and moved to Texas, determined to chase a bigger dream.
That dream was Maple + Lark.
It didn’t happen overnight. In the beginning, we packed and shipped orders from the lofts of our rental home, trying to keep up with demand while homeschooling four kids. Yes, an organization brand was born in a home where chaos reigned supreme. There were boxes everywhere, packing supplies stacked in corners, and a 50/50 chance that if you opened a closet, a pile of baskets would come crashing down. We were working all hours of the day and night, balancing customer service, product development, and order fulfillment with everyday life. The business was growing, but so was the pressure. It was exhausting trying to manage it all in such a small space.
After a year of barely keeping up, we knew it was time to expand. We took another leap and bought a small farm, finally giving Maple + Lark a dedicated space to operate. We built our first warehouse on that farm, shipping orders out all over the world. Within two years, we expanded the warehouse twice just to keep up with the growing demand.
Despite the fact that we run an organization brand, our home is still, well… a home. There are dishes in the sink, socks that never seem to have a match, and kids who believe every surface is a snack station. We don’t live in a Pinterest-perfect world, and that’s exactly why we created Maple + Lark in the first place. Moms don’t need more pressure to be perfect. They need tools that make the mess manageable.
Now, as we step into another season of change, I want to share more than just the highlight reel. This journey has been tough. Balancing motherhood, homeschooling, and running a business has tested me in ways I never expected. But I also know firsthand what it takes to build something from the ground up, even when the odds feel stacked against you.
This space is for the moms juggling a million things, the ones trying to create order in the chaos, and the dreamers who want more but don’t know where to start. I’ll be sharing the real side of this journey, what’s worked, what’s been hard, and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. Plus, I’ll be giving you practical organization tips to help make home life a little easier.
If you’re looking for honest insight, helpful tips, and a reminder that you’re not alone in the chaos, you’re in the right place. Let’s talk about the real work behind the dream, because the truth is, even the best organization systems can’t stop kids from leaving their socks in the fridge.
Hugs,
Chelsey