Boss Babes Tuesday: Halie Geller and Theresa Pinelli of LocaLI Bred

I am unapologetically and completely infatuated with where I live. Long Island is one of the few places where you can truly have the best of both worlds; you can go from New York City to the beach, to countryside back to beach all in one day. We have everything here: Vineyards, farm stands, bustling small towns filled with boutiques, amazing restaurants, and of course the jewel of Long Island: Fire Island. My favorite thing to do on the weekend is to wander through one of our small towns and scour the local shops and farmers markets, coffee shops and bakeries. To meet people who also cherish Long Island and have the desire to bolster small business here is always a pleasure. Halie Geller and Theresa Pinelli are exactly those kind of people- In fact they took that love and desire and they put it in a box. They created LocaLI Bred to showcase our artisans and makers; each box helps support ten local businesses! Read on below to learn more about their amazing business and why they are our Boss Babes of the week:

H:

What inspired you to start your business?

T&H:

We both moved to Long Island from Brooklyn a little over five years ago amidst the

transformation of Brooklyn into a mecca of hip and local. As we like to refer to it, the “Brooklyn Made” era (which we are still clearly in). The city blossomed into this epicenter of global culture in large part because of the emphasis on patronizing everything artisanal and locally grown. So when we both moved out here we saw the same potential on Long Island, but not the same emphasis - or at least the vehicles to drive that growth. And that was a bit frustrating because we knew that Long Island was so much more than pizza and bagels. Our goal with locaLI bred is to showcase all the amazing local artisans and producers here on our Island through our curated boxes and marketplace. Because the truth is, from scouring this Island, is that there is a tremendous entrepreneurial spirit brewing here. And with locaLI bred we want to do everything we can to help foster that.

H:

Tell us a little about your process of selecting local businesses and brands to feature.

T&H:

Well the first thought is that they have to be good! If we're marketing all the great things Long Island can do, then the products in the box need to be... great. That being said, we didn't just want the big names in here. We wanted a mix of companies that make great products with large distribution, but also a large representation of goods that are literally made in people's home studios and shared workspaces. Because there are some tremendous artisans on this Island who are crafting products in their homes today, but the quality is so high that we think they could be nationally recognized tomorrow. We also wanted to exhibit the fact that there are talented artisans and great things happening all across the Island- from Nassau County to the East End and everywhere in between.

H:

Long Island is such a special place; what does it mean to you personally to have the chance to show some of our amazing small businesses to the rest of the world?

T&H:

As moms of small children, it’s a privilege for us to be able to showcase and support the community in which we live and are raising our children. We feel a tremendous amount of responsibility to get this right and took on our mission seriously as we researched and traveled Long Island and discovered just how many amazing products are being crafted here. Long Island makers can craft with the best of them, and we are excited to deliver a product to the world that really stamps an exclamation mark on that point.

H:

What has been your greatest challenge in starting up you business?

T&H:

Kids... can we say kids? Finding time to work during the daylight hours with small children is a special kind of torture! Haha, you want honest answers, we'll give them to you! Trying to balance endless calls and meetings and tastings while being a mom is a bit like when... 'The Cat in the Hat' juggles 20 things on top of the ball (Yes, we just read that book last night lol). Of course, while that is the truth, we also don't think we would reach as high if we didn't have children. Having kids really is an every moment reminder of what exactly you're working for. So while we might be trying to craft a vendor agreement while one child is whining and the other is getting curious about the electrical outlet - we wouldn't be doing any of this if it weren't for them. Also, having kids and parenting makes any other difficulty that comes your way in business seem like a piece of cake. Being moms is a HUGE source of strength for us.

H:

What tips do you have for busy moms who are taking on a new business venture?

T&H:

Hang in there and ask for help! Parenting young children, as you know, is exhausting and all consuming. Throw in all the demands of starting a new business and it can feel at times that you are going to collapse from exhaustion. But us moms are tougher than we think. Let’s get real- your early 20’s self would have been eaten alive before the morning coffee finished brewing. So to all the busy moms; you are tougher than you realize and are capable of great things. Don't let the feeling of being overwhelmed limit your potential. Instead, ask for help! As women and moms, we often feel the need to do it all and we fail to look around us at the amazing support system we can tap into if we just ask. Ask for help with childcare from friends and family. Ask friends and strangers on social media and community organizations for referrals and resources to build your business. People in your community are more willing to help than you think. We need to give more credit to the community around us and their desire to see everyone succeed.

Find LocaLI Bred:

Shop: https://localibred.com/

For 10% off your first purchase use promo code BOSSBABES

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