Tell Me All About It: Q&A with Devin Donaldson

Meet Devin Donaldson. Entrepreneur, creative, mother-of-two, founder + owner of The Optimist Co., and an all around amazing gal. Devin lives and works here on Cape Cod, so I have the honor of knowing her personally, and I have to say that she is a TOTAL inspiration--she's one of those women who makes you wonder how she possibly does it all, and yet, she does (with grace!). 

A few years ago, Devin started The Optimist Co. (you'll learn more about why she started her biz below), an all natural cleaning products line made from safe, non-aggravating ingredients, and since then it has taken off both locally and nationally (Devin recently won the FounderMade and Well + Good Future of Wellness Challenge!). 

I am a huge fan of Devin's products and absolutely love her branding + message, plus, I think her story is a great model for those who have an interest in starting a product-based business, so I thought we should learn a little more about her today. 

​Read on to learn more about Devin Donaldon + The Optimist Co... 

What's the story of your biz? What made you strike out on your own? 
I began The Optimist Co. after suffering an asthma attack from a leading “green” cleaning spray. I realized there was a lack of truly safe cleaning products in the market with ingredients that were easy to recognize as safe and effective.

I took the products I created in my cottage kitchen to our local farmer’s market, and a few wholesale accounts later, I was in business. Our back-to-basics approach to cleaning quickly resonated with our customers and I knew I had an idea that was ready for a larger audience.

Why do you do what you do? 
I am passionate about providing truly safe cleaning products and inspiring others in a positive, uplifting way to make simple, more green choices for their families and home. As a mom there are so many decision to make, so many things to worry about. Our recognizable ingredients take out the worry and make it easy to identify our products as safe. Seeing our customers happy and excited about our products keeps me going.

What inspires you?
I spend a lot of time on Instagram looking at food photography. I am able to apply a lot of new lighting and setup tricks from what I see. How we communicate has become very visual, so I look for inspiration that helps me share our story and brand in more visual way.

What’s your creative process like?
I have been able to separate my studio and office spaces. This has helped me to take my time, try out different ideas, and leave my work to come back to later.  

What's one item that you cannot live without?
My paper planner!

What's your favorite book and why?
The Happiness Project. It changed the way I look at my life, inspired how I do business, and made me a better mom!

If you had to give one piece of advice to women (or men!) who want to take the plunge and pursue their dreams of working for themselves or starting their own business or blog, what would it be?
There is no perfect. At some point you have to just take the leap and continue to learn and make improvements along the way. Having some really clear financial goals--both for your business and self--that are written down is very helpful so that you can see how many clients you need, classes you need to teach, or products you need to sell to meet these goals. If you have that you are ahead of a lot of other businesses!

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment?
Sharing the experience of starting a business with my daughters. I want to inspire them to make bold decisions in their lives, and I get to live that example for them.

What's your biggest guilty pleasure?
Chocolate! I always have some in my desk.

Words of wisdom you live by?
The idea that you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with. This makes me really picky to who my 5 are, and it’s a lot easier to focus your attention to those that build and lift you up.

Amazing, right? If you want to learn more about Devin Donaldson or The Optimist Co., you can find her in the following places:
​

• Website
• Online Shop
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• Pinterest

Thanks for telling me all about it, Devin!