How it all began…
Our story begins on October 31, 2003. I was working at Sonic on West Lindsey Street in Norman as the Morning Manager. My shift was always 5am to 1pm. I cannot express how much I LOVED this shift. I’ve always been a morning person. For example, it’s Saturday morning when I have the freedom to sleep in, but at 5:39am my body & brain says time to get up and be productive. So here I am, telling you our story. This particular morning on Halloween back in 2003, I was still up early, but I asked my manager & buddy, Pete, if he would open the store that day so I could do my hair. It sounds silly but as it was Halloween, I had to come dressed in my very predictable devil costume. Picture Elizabeth Hurley in Bedazzled. Cute black shirt, red & black skirt, up to me knee high heel black boots (not a fabulous pair of shoes to carhop in, but I needed to look the part) & my devil horns. With this character & outfit, I needed big hair which takes time. So, I go in that day at 11am & get to work. Now, being dressed up as the devil with big hair, I knew I could make over $100 that day in tips so I carhopped my entire shift instead of running the fountain during lunch. There was something else different about this day other than my hair. A cute guy was bagging the food & putting the orders on the trays to be delivered. We flirted back & forth & by the end my shift, I had a date that night. We had a lovely dinner at Chili’s that evening & as they say, the rest is history.
Why Holly Helps was created…
I’ve never been one to think I was going to have a career. I didn’t complete college & hopped from job to job. Not because I couldn’t hold down one job, but my mantra in life has always been do what makes you happy. When what you are doing doesn’t make you happy, move on. So, I had a lot of jobs, worked at a lot of different Sonic’s…carhopping will always be my fave! However, a career was never in my thoughts. I knew I wanted to be a mom once Phillip & I were married. I also learned very quickly that being a 100% stay at home wasn’t for me. I need to work & be a mom. Balance is key! We moved to Tulsa, OK when our daughter was just a few days over one years old. We knew we wanted her to go to a particular day school & I needed a job. A wise man suggested I work at the day school & a few months later, we were both settled. Our daughter was in a fabulous & fun learning environment & I was only one classroom away in case she needed me. This job lasted a few years, then as it goes, I needed a change. A position that sounded like it was literally written for me fell in my lap. After a few months of mentoring with an amazing woman, Jeanne, I was finally in the spot I had dreamed of. I thought this would be my forever career. I went to work everyday & gave it my all, but as they say, don’t ever make a plan because plans were meant to change. After 14 months of my blissful “career” I found myself boohooing in my backyard with Phillip wondering now what.
Where we are going….
Holly Helps was created in a moment of sadness. We were sitting poolside in our backyard in Tulsa & Phillip simply asked, “What do you want to do now?” My answer was simple, “Help people.” I wanted to do the same job I was doing in my “career” but now I wanted to be my own boss. So we made up a company called Holly Helps, and honestly, we were shocked when the domain name was available so we took that as a sign & ran with it. Holly Helps has had many versions…real estate assistant, personal concierge, event coordinator & more. Then one day, my bestie, Lori, asked if I would run the social media for the business she managed. Interesting idea, but what do I know about social media? Not much at the time honestly. However, I have a business rule to always say yes, then figure out how to do it, so here we are! Holly Helps version I don’t even know! We are an online marketing & website design company. We are a team. When you hire one of us, you get both. This year, I have been inspired by other female entrepreneurs I am lucky enough to know & I have a renewed spirit about our business. This year Holly Helps will grow & keep evolving into the company she deserves to be. Have a sublime day!