One good thing to come out of the last year — it’s created a lot of new entrepreneurs, particularly Black women, looking for a way to put their dreams in motion. Shalena Maxfield Edwards went above and beyond, starting her second business, “Gimmie 5 Minutes” in June.
We fired up Zoom to ask her a few quick questions about how full-time motherhood and family trauma inspired her to take the leap with Gimmie 5.
What is Gimmie 5 Minutes?
It’s a website dedicated to all things self-care for Mom. Snacks, coffee, and blog posts about breaks, advice, and tips for mental and emotional support.
What made you launch the business now?
A couple reasons. First, I have five kids – two teenagers and the other three are five or younger – so kids are my world right now. We also had some trauma over the last two years in the family, which made me realize that life is short and I had goals I wanted to reach.
Where did the name come from?
When I was a child, my mom always had a saying for when things got too hectic, “just give me five minutes.” And now that I’m a mom, I see the need to demand those little breaks because it’s not easy. I wanted to help other moms get into that mindset of demanding their own time because it definitely brings more clarity and peace to your life.
Any big surprises so far?
Well it’s early on (we officially lunched on June 6) but I’ve been surprised by the buzz we’re getting. When I started my own cosmetics business years ago, I thought it was just gonna take off immediately, because that’s my background. But it’s been much slower growth than I thought.
With Gimmie 5, the response on social media after only one month has far outpaced my cosmetic business. Our engagement levels totally shocked me. And I think it’s because a lot of moms can relate to just wanting to have that break. Especially going through COVID and everything else from the last year. I think it’s that self-care mentality that’s really resonating right now with moms.
You sell a coffee called Mama Roast?
That’s a custom coffee we developed with Bean2Bean, a roaster in Philadelphia. Coffee is my rocket fuel and when I started thinking about developing our own roast, I turned to Natalie Contreras, a friend of mine who worked there. The roast had to be organic (Gimmie 5 is all about clean ingredients) and have some smooth flavors. Working with the coffee gurus at B2B, we came up with a dark roast made from Honduran beans with hints of caramel, toffee, and vanilla.
What’s next?
We’re starting our line of healthy snacks and beverages with organic granola bars and some teas. And we’re continuing to post on our blog about tips and tricks for moms who want to slow things down and care for themselves. I’ve been using Instagram to find out what other things moms want to know more about. (Hit me up @ gimmie5minutes!)
As for events, we’ll be at the “Back to School Expo & Spirit Day” at the Cherry Hill Mall on Saturday, August 28 (12-4PM). It’s a pretty big event that showcases a wide variety of after school programs, music, style trends, educational support services, healthy lifestyle activities and more.
Gimmie 5 Minutes
Website
Follow on Instagram and Facebook (@gimmie5minutes)
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