Vaida Ribinskaite had always dreamt of a successful career in the corporate world. The day after she landed her dream job at one of the Big Four consultancies she learns that she‘s pregnant. Suddenly, at the age of 23, life unexpectedly changes. And yet, even when something seems to have failed, it can still go well. That‘s the lesson she learned after having embarked on a new journey in motherhood and entrepreneurship simultaneously. Today, a single mother of two, Vaida is successfully running several businesses. Here we delve into the challenges of juggling the two roles. While figuring out the essence of life and work, she calmly smiles and keeps repeating one core thought — there are no lost opportunities. Life is fun in itself and all mistakes are lessons if we are able to perceive them as such.

You have created several businesses and each of them seem to have successfully carved their niches. What is the most important aspect for you every time you start something new?

My success story comes from my business being born from my heart. For instance, my first business was a clothing store for families, we started it as a family when our son was born. Instead of buying clothes, we wanted to make them ourselves. This was a key topic of my life at that time. However, as a young family, we were unable to deal with all the challenges. When we split up, Happeak stayed with my son‘s dad. It was our common decision, and still, at the time it was painful and felt to me as a failure. Yet, you never know when your failure will turn into a success. Seeing it from today‘s perspective, I think if it hadn’t happened, Son de Flor wouldn‘t exist.

At the time I launched my second business the circumstances were different. I wasn’t running after a newborn anymore, instead, I had a stronger desire to dress up and look after myself. Besides, being used to constantly following seasonal trends, this time I was looking to offer something different. Son de Flor was born out of an aspiration for timeless and nostalgic fashion, to create a dress that never goes out of style.

“My success story comes from my business being born from my heart. For instance, my first business was a clothing store for families, we started it as a family when our son was born. Instead of buying clothes, we wanted to make them ourselves. ”

Later on, when my second son was born, once again I had an eagerness not to buy clothes, but to produce them. I had an idea and this time, with my know-how, it was a lot easier to launch a new project. We kicked it off with success. However, building a new brand requires full dedication, time and attention. I came to a point where I needed to decide which of the brands I wanted to keep growing. At the time, Son de Flor needed me more, so I decided to let Matilda Knows be taken into other hands.

Perhaps my naivety and boldness are my strengths. Usually, when I come up with an idea, I just have to pursue it. The vision in my head takes hold of my mind and, despite having no specific background or resources, I just dive in it headfirst. And then I have no choice but to deal with it. This is exactly what happened with my latest project. It was the loss of my granddad that left me thinking about our traditional funeral customs. It simply felt too distant, I wanted to make it different. Suddenly everything turned upside down in my head, I thought to myself “OK, let’s do it!”. That’s how Balta drobulė was born. I‘ve drafted a concept for the project, created the webpage, put together a sort of a plan within two or three days. It started as a creative project, there were a lot of doubts and uncertainty, but then I received my first call. The family who wanted to make the first move was extremely sensitive, they were as scared as I was, but together, hand in hand we did it. In fact, I really do believe in a bigger power, and that trusting in what you are doing naturally brings people who support you. Your inner voice may seem very irrational at times, but if you listen to it and don‘t give up when it‘s scary, in the end you will realize that somehow you are not the only one in control of things and that there will always be someone to lend a hand.

“Perhaps my naivety and boldness are my strengths. Usually, when I come up with an idea, I just have to pursue it. The vision in my head takes hold of my mind and, despite having no specific background or resources, I just dive in it headfirst.”

You have breathed new life into one of the oldest fabrics on Earth and created a magical linen dress, extremely simple, yet so elegant and modern. When you put it on, it feels like stepping in a fairy tale; walking in a busy city feels like walking in a dreamy bloomy prairie. Could you tell me the tale of Son de Flor and where did you find your inspiration?

Creating a brand requires telling a compelling story. If you find a fair and apparent message, you need to stick to it. With Son de Flor, we first came up with a style and a concept. Above all we wanted to give women a dreamy feeling, other details followed afterwards. Only later we looked for material, I was searching for something that wouldn't require chasing trends or changing every season. When I started exploring linen, I realized what a great gift it is for humans by nature. This material has all the best properties we need - breathable, antiallergic, antibacterial, you name it, but also the more you use it the better it looks. When the style was associated with the material, it felt as if the flower has fully blossomed. Timeless, nature friendly, elegant, nostalgic and recognizable, everything fell into place.

“Creating a brand requires telling a compelling story. If you find a fair and apparent message, you need to stick to it. ”

Today, I think that many circumstances came together by mere happenstance. Perhaps from the very beginning, we have moved in the right direction with making choices that today are becoming more and more important because of climate change and a common craving for more sustainable alternatives. Besides, I was lucky to be born in a country with a really rich flax cultivation traditions, we kind of have linen in our DNA.

Your clothing brands are being sold worldwide and have paved the way for customers’ hearts. Do you have any advice on how to build a brand and grow a loyal community? Would you rather say everything came naturally, as you kept doing what felt most trustworthy?

When we launched our first brand, it was all about the people. Back then Facebook was pretty popular here in Lithuania so, it was still possible to grow a strong organic community. I had a baby and wholeheartedly shared my own experience. Somehow it worked and the community successfully developed naturally.

I learned the lesson and really paid a lot of attention to the community while launching my second business. At first, we didn‘t have any other ways than social media to tell the world about ourselves. Perhaps we are lucky enough that Son de Flor is unique with its own look and feel. A visually pleasing story was a good fit for Instagram space where, little by little, this fairytale vintage-inspired dress started garnering attention. I am not saying that it is enough to announce your concept and people gather around you. However, if you stick to it, eventually your message gets out there.

“I learned the lesson and really paid a lot of attention to the community while launching my second business.”

At the time the influencer culture wasn‘t so powerful as we know it today so, we sort of managed to catch the train with our own authentic experience sharing. When you show what is happening behind the scenes and who is behind the brand it is easier for people to relate. Besides, they might not only like the story, but also get inspired to create something on their own — “perhaps if I really want I can do it as well!” People often ask me for advice. My philosophy is to share. In fact, I think that by sharing your knowledge you won‘t do any harm to yourself or your business. I am not saying that you need to share all your trade secrets though, but I always want to help if I can.

Now that your businesses are launched and running, from an outsider’s perspective, it could seem that your day-to-day life is full of creativity, picturesque photo shootings, meetings with lovely people, and working in charming places. How is it truly?

The “behind the scenes” element is certainly there too. Of course, photo shootings are fun and pleasant, but there is also a lot of stress and responsibility. Usually, these days are the longest for me. Let‘s say the shooting starts at 9 am in Vilnius, I have to get up at 5 am to get everything going — loading all dresses into the van, driving from Kaunas to Vilnius, preparing the sets, shooting together with the team all day long. Then at night, when everyone is gone I drive back to Kaunas, unload the van, and get ready for the next day‘s shooting. And there is also all the work of pre- shooting preparations, like finding the models and sewing the dresses for them because we can‘t use one regular size dress — there must be diversity and all sizes have to be represented. And let’s not forget that in the midst of those crazy days you got to take care of your children too... and also the dog. So, in reality, you are the first one to start the day and the last one to finish. If there are 4 or 5 such days in a row you end up exhausted.

This is just one of the elements that hide behind the scenes of a fairytale, not to mention, for example, communications or admin work. You learn everything by doing. In fact, what I also learned is that you cannot do everything by yourself. Teamwork is not my strength as I was used to doing everything myself. Still today I know that I need to improve trusting others and delegating. However, now I often realize that if I‘m about to do a certain thing myself, chances are that I‘ll fail, so it‘s better to share the task with those who can handle it perfectly.

It‘s a great joy for me to work with my sister, we are so different that we don’t have anything to compete about, and yet, we really complement each other. In our team, she is the one handling all the earthly matters while I can take care of the creative and dreamy side of the business. In fact, I am no longer involved in all of the processes. We have a great team and I feel lucky to have absolute trust and backup.

While raising your passions and ideas into businesses, you also raise two beautiful kids. What does it take to run several businesses and be a mom?

I started all of my businesses while having a baby in my hands, so juggling both of these roles was always pretty natural for me. Yet another challenge is to be a single parent, but I can assure you even that is entirely doable. It certainly requires a great deal of flexibility, but you definitely learn to focus on using your time as efficiently and strategically as possible. You often have your working hours while the kids are in kindergarten... and then more working hours when the kids are sleeping. Sometimes it can mean your own sleep deprivation. However, there is no secret that running your own business means working from 5 to 8 rather than from 8 to 5.

I admit that when we launched our first business as a family, my first child might have gotten less of my full attention since the parenting was shared between both his dad and me, which allowed me to focus more on work matters. Now I am trying to be fully present to my little one from the moment I take him from kindergarten till he falls asleep. I don‘t want him to grow-up on the couch in front of the TV seeing his mum constantly working and being away. Of course, now it is also possible thanks to a strong team by my side.

How do you find balance in managing these two roles as a mother and entrepreneur? Do they enrich one another?

“When I feel like wanting to abandon ship, I take some time off, leave and disconnect for a while. It is important to allow yourself to rest and recharge too. ”

There are ups and downs, and lots of distractions. To be honest, it often happens that I get exhausted. Especially when you realize that you are raising a human and that some mistakes might have long-lasting impacts. Everything seems way easier when you are young. I remember I had fewer fears and more endurance back then. My first son literally grew up on my hands while I was running all over places taking care of the business. Hence, today I see him as incredibly mature from early age. However, having a seven-year-old at the age of 40 is yet another story. I feel more alarmed now. It‘s not always easy to balance the two roles. But totally possible. When I feel like wanting to abandon ship, I take some time off, leave and disconnect for a while. It is important to allow yourself to rest and recharge too. Then there are times when you start feeling sorry for yourself, and how you view these moments matters. I remind myself that everything is exactly the way I wanted it to be, and how lucky I am to have a beautiful job, a healthy family, two wonderful kids.

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced and what have you learned throughout the years of working on your own and building your own businesses?

Diving into your project is always a huge thrill. When I start something new, my head is always chock full of ideas, I‘ve got a vision, I am full of energy, and am passionate about launching that vision into the world. So, I get off to a flying start, and then suddenly all those mundane tasks land on me, be it accounting, invoices, and so on. This is not my strong suit. I‘d say my biggest challenge is when it comes to the execution part of these tasks, I quickly lose interest and crave novelty again. This is exactly what feeds my hesitation. Each time I know that there will be a moment where I‘ll need to decide whether I‘m following my true path and should stick with a project. However, I tend to trust my gut and ask myself what is the worst thing that can happen. When you have a passion, truly enjoy and value the process, the outcome is less important. I’m not saying that it’s enough to be passionate and everything will always be smooth sailing. After all, I believe that if we put in our best efforts, sooner or later it’s going to work in our favor. And if it doesn’t, perhaps it is not the true path we should be following.

“I‘d say my biggest challenge is when it comes to the execution part of these tasks, I quickly lose interest and crave novelty again. This is exactly what feeds my hesitation. Each time I know that there will be a moment where I‘ll need to decide whether I‘m following my true path and should stick with a project. However, I tend to trust my gut and ask myself what is the worst thing that can happen. ”

What’s the essence of work for you in general?

Pleasure. We fill a large part of our lives with work, so my biggest motto is that work has to be an enjoyment. I really enjoy working but it‘s important for me to free my mind. For instance, I don‘t always work at the office, I like to change environments and sit at my computer in cafes, it sort of boosts my creativity, helps me come up with ideas and all sorts of interesting projects.

“It is certain that something good will come out of any failure, or at the very least, it‘s likely that you will learn a great deal from the experience.”

Some say that I am married to my job. It is probably true that having worked for myself my whole life makes me not great at putting boundaries between work and life. Although now I tend to set my working hours, it never bothers me if I need to work in the evenings or on the weekends too. On the one hand, I created this business, it feels like my baby, so I have to; but on the other hand, I truly enjoy it. I always remind my kid to try to understand what he really likes so that eventually he can be where it will be both beautiful and fun.

What I want to emphasize is that there are no lost opportunities. No matter how awry life seems to be going at times, it is important not to fall into the role of a victim. It is certain that something good will come out of any failure, or at the very least, it‘s likely that you will learn a great deal from the experience. It is necessary to refresh your mind in order to be able to look for an open window when one door closes. That window opens onto the flowering meadows.