Hectic and challenging can describe the day of nearly every
entrepreneur. We recently caught up with two busy, homebased, Los
Angeles-area entrepreneurs and business partners--Caroline Packman
and Lisa Cohen, both 37--to check out how they organize their time
and entrepreneurial duties.
Dividing their responsibilities by day of the week seems to work
well for the minds behind Pack Happy, a designer and manufacturer
of chic bags that separate packed items in suitcases. The friends,
who met in Los Angeles when Packman worked in fashion and Cohen was
a lawyer, started the company in 2001 with dreams of making cute
fabric packing bags for items like lingerie, shoes and dirty
laundry. "We were both frequent travelers, and we were using
baggies and [plastic] bags to pack," says Packman. Today,
their products are available online (www.packhappy.com);
at high-end retailers like Fred Segal in Santa Monica, California;
and in specialty boutiques nationwide. Last year, the company,
which projects sales of nearly half a million dollars for 2005,
launched its Baby Happy line of baby products including bibs,
blankets and towels.
The pair divides duties according to each person's talents.
Packman handles PR, for instance, while Cohen sees to the books.
Occasionally, a huge order throws a wrench into the works. "It
[feels] like there is no possible way that everything is going to
get done and get done well--and somehow, you just do it," says
Packman. A garden-variety week for Packman and Cohen shakes out
like this:
Content Continues Below
Monday: The pair visits the local factory that
manufactures the Pack Happy line and consults with seamstresses on
bag design elements like embroidery colors. The early afternoon
sees them traveling to various local vendors to pick up things like
beads, fabric and cord. "It's usually 3 o'clock before
we eat lunch," says Packman. "And then we usually grab it
and eat it in the car on the way to a sales appointment."
Tuesday: Cohen does bookkeeping from home, while Packman
works on press kits and pitching story ideas to press reps. In the
afternoon, the partners meet to go over different projects in the
works--like the private-label bags the company creates for specific
clients.
Wednesday: Packman attends a baby class in the morning
with her young daughter, while Cohen "holds the reins,"
says Packman. Cohen often hits the factory in the afternoon while
Packman makes calls from her home office.
Thursday: Packman and Cohen meet with the graphic artist
to evaluate packaging ideas. And since the partners package all
orders themselves, they usually reserve a big block of time on this
day to do that.
Friday: The pair ends the week with a healthy bonding
activity. "In the morning, we do yoga together," says
Packman. "It's something we started about three years
ago--it's our favorite time of the week. It gives us both a
chance to kind of unwind and come together." After yoga and
lunch, Packman and Cohen head back to their respective home offices
and tackle any end-of-the-week business.