EP#121: Tickled Pink for Life LLC with Olivia Parks-May

What does it take to transform a pandemic-prompted epiphany into a thriving business? Olivia Parks-May, founder of Tickled Pink for Life LLC, joins us to share her remarkable journey from full-time teacher to successful entrepreneur and author. Olivia reveals how she turned a period of global uncertainty into an opportunity to chase her long-held dreams. Her boutique not only features fashionable items but also serves as a platform for her writing services and books, aimed at empowering women and children to tell their stories.

In our heartfelt conversation, Olivia shatters common myths about starting a business, firmly believing that there's always room for new ideas and that competition can be a source of learning. She also opens up about the intricate balancing act of managing her roles as a wife, mother, and business owner. Olivia’s love for hiking and exploring state parks with her children provides a glimpse into her personal life, adding depth to her narrative. Tune in for an inspiring episode that underscores the importance of following your dreams and growing through the challenges you encounter along the way.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lisa Swiftney.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hi everyone and welcome to episode number 121 of
our Good Neighbor Podcast.
Today we have with us GoodNeighbor Olivia Parks-May, and
she is with Tickled Pink forLife.
How are you doing today, olivia?

Speaker 3 (00:30):
I'm doing great.
Thank you so much for having meon your podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Great thanks for agreeing to be a guest.
This is going to be so much fun.
Yes, I'm excited about it, sotell us about your business.

Speaker 3 (00:44):
Okay, my business is Tickled Pink for Life LLC.
I started in 2020.
It's an online women and girlsboutique, but also a platform
where I sell my book servicesand all of my books.
I am an author and writingcoach that empowers women and

(01:08):
children to write andself-publish their own stories.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
That is amazing.
Tell our listeners about yourjourney.
How did you get started?

Speaker 3 (01:21):
So actually for years I had this desire to start a
business.
At the time my husband wastotally on board, but I, you
know, between working and schooland all of the things and I was
teaching at the time, I was afull-time teacher.
At the time I just couldn'tpicture like, okay, how would I

(01:45):
do this?
And so, fast forward, I keptputting it on the back burner.
Life kept happening and I keptputting it on the back burner.
And then pandemic happens andeverybody's locked in the house
and I'm reevaluating my life andgoing over my goals and, you
know, just reassessing what didI do that I said I was going to

(02:08):
do.
What didn't I do?
And so I was like you know whatit's now or never.
So I just took the dive andstarted my business.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
That's amazing.
I really and I love yourbusiness and I love your whole
mission and how you help people.
Thank you.
Can you tell us about any mythsor misconceptions that you hear
about in your industry?

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Oh my gosh, there is so many, there is so many, there
is so many.
A lot of people think that ifyou have a goal or a vision to
start a business, that oh, youshouldn't, because somebody else
has that idea, somebody elsehas that business, and so how

(02:56):
many t-shirts and hoodies andhat companies do you need?
And so a big myth is thatthere's not enough room in the
space, the space isoversaturated, and that's
absolutely not true.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
That is a good, good myth to know.
Yeah, yeah, and competition ishealthy for people.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
Absolutely, absolutely.
I think we learn from eachother, not in like a negative
way, but you know, you get tosee other people's story and
their journey and you admirethem and you also get to learn
from them, like, okay, you knowwhat's working for them, what's
not working for them and youlearn from that.
So, yes, I think competition ina healthy way I don't really

(03:41):
like that word, but competitionin a healthy way is a good thing
, right.

Speaker 2 (03:48):
So when you're not working on your business, what
do you like to do for fun?

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Oh my, goodness so we were talking a little bit about
that earlier.
I'm pretty active.
I have kids, I have boys andthey love to be active.
So we love hiking.
So we love hiking.
Any kind of outdoor hikingopportunity I don't turn down.
I actually have like a bucketlist of different state parks

(04:25):
where you know we've been goingto a lot of them but there's
still a lot more to go to, justto experience a new hiking
ground.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
So, yeah, I love to hike in my free time.
That's amazing.
So, yeah, I love to hike in myfree time.

Speaker 3 (04:36):
That's amazing, and I personally can know that your
children are very amazingwonderful children.

Speaker 2 (04:41):
You have done a great job with them, thank you.
So can you describe for us onehardship or life challenge that
you rose above and can now say,because of that challenge, that
you're?

Speaker 3 (04:52):
better for it and are stronger?
That's a really good question,and this is one of the things
that perhaps deter a lot ofpeople from starting their
business.
Is time management right?
So I'm a wife, I'm a mom.
When I started my business, Iwas a caregiver to my mom and,
you know, working a full-timejob and building a business and

(05:14):
finding the time and the timeblock to do all the things and
satisfy all of the pockets ofimportant things in your life is
, you know, can be challenging,can be deterrent, but the way
that I overcame it I'm a personof faith, so I prayed about it
for sure, and then I had familymeetings and, you know, just had

(05:36):
like full transparency with myfamily, like, look, I'm going to
be there for you guys, but weneed to schedule things, we need
to communicate things, becauseI don't want to drop the ball
and since I don't have anybabies now, everybody's able to
play a role, and so the way thatI've overcome it is really with
teamwork.

Speaker 2 (06:00):
I like that Teamwork Everybody on board knowing
what's going on, Absolutely.
Teamworkwork keeps the dreamwork so what is one thing you
wish our listeners knew aboutyour business?

Speaker 3 (06:18):
The name, the title of my company, can be off, put
in tickled pink for life, and sopeople may assume that it's
everything to do with pink, andit's not.
One of the big things about mybusiness is I have a whole
writing services that I offer.
I offer ghost writing services,I offer book editing services.

(06:40):
I'm a writing coach, so I havea monthly coaching program that
I offer, and so it's.
Yes, I sell some pink appareland accessories, but it's not
all pink.
There is apparel andaccessories, but there's a lot
to do with writing space,publishing, all the things to do
with being an author andhelping other women to become

(07:03):
authors.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Empowering those women right.

Speaker 3 (07:07):
Yes, 100%.
I'm a girl's girl, so yes.

Speaker 2 (07:12):
Great, so our listeners are now intrigued.
How can they learn more aboutyou or even contact you?

Speaker 3 (07:21):
Oh, my goodness.
So lots of ways.
I have a monthly newsletterthrough my business, so they can
go to my website, tickled Pinkfor Life LLC, and sign up for my
newsletter.
That's one way to stay in theknow of where I'm going to be,
what's going on with thebusiness, what's going on with
me, but also on social media.
I'm on Facebook under my nameOlivia Parks May, instagram

(07:45):
Olivia Parks May, and thenthere's also the business
Instagram page, tickle Pink forLife.
I have a YouTube channel.
I put out one YouTube video aweek and many short videos, so
they can definitely follow methere.
And on TikTok it's my name,olivia Parks May, followed by
the number five.

(08:06):
Pinterest, instagram all of theplaces I'm there.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Perfect, so I want to thank you very much for taking
your time and joining us on ourGood Neighbor podcast today.
I look forward to seeing muchmore.
In fact, I'm looking up yourInstagram page as we speak.
I can like that, so thank youso much.

Speaker 3 (08:31):
Olivia.
Thank you so much for having me, lisa, it was a pleasure.

Speaker 1 (08:36):
Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast,
rochester.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on on
the show, go to gnprochestercom.
That's gnprochestercom, or call248-988-9640.