Today we’d like to introduce you to Kandice Wleklinski.
Hi Kandice, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
When I opened for business on March 1st, 2020, I really had no idea what I was in for as a first-time business owner, but never in a million years was I prepared for a global pandemic.
I had 4 parties booked for my opening month and I was nervous but ready. My very first client had hired me for a multi-night sleepover because they had a guest coming from China. Needless to say, they were the first to cancel, and then followed the next 3. I wasn’t too worried though, I think at that point nobody really knew just how big this pandemic was going to get. Our family took precautions, we quarantined and wore masks. In fact, our family started making masks free of charge for our family & friends all over the US, many of which were front-line workers. This led to donations of fabric that allowed us to make over a hundred masks for Rady Children’s Hospital.
By the next month, I started getting inquiries for cousin or sibling sleepovers. People were looking for ways to have fun at home and so we started booking a few clients and made sure to take precautions. It’s slowly grown from there. What a way to start a business, right?!
Really, I’m grateful for the time the pandemic gave me. I built my website myself, researched SEO language, etc. and I realized quickly, that I did a pretty good job. I had people from all over the country contacting me for parties. I realized I had the potential to get big, fast. And I started down that path of growth, growth, growth.
But I was able to take a step back. And remember why I started this company to begin with. To remember this was My company and just because I had the potential to be big, didn’t mean I had to.
In 2019, I had been taking care of my bedridden father-in-law, who lives with us, for 6 years. I had started to lose myself in caring for him and my family. And realized I had developed social anxiety and was struggling with depression. I knew I needed to take steps to help myself. Some of those things included joining the PTA board at my daughter’s school, working out, and finding a hobby I could do at home. I’ve always enjoyed crafting and ended up buying a miniature house kit. I thoroughly enjoyed that and ended up creating a mini company (pun intended 😉) called For the Love of Mini. I created doll rooms in cardboard carry cases I called Dolly cases that I sold on Etsy. I had an Instagram to document the build process and through the Instagram algorithm, I came across a teepee sleepover company in England. I fell in love and realized it was almost what I did with the Dolly cases, just on a bigger scale.
After researching the companies more, I really felt like it was something I needed to do. Wanted to do. It took everything I had to continue talking about it and follow through. To believe in me. My life has always been a struggle. I come from a life of poverty and abuse of all kinds. To think that I could create a successful company from scratch was scary and surreal.
But I did it. Even if the entire first year I did setups in full body sweats from social anxiety and cried so many tears from imposter syndrome. I did it.
Really, at the core, I created this company to give myself a little time away from caregiving, to give myself the ability to create, to push myself out of my comfort zone, to prove to myself that I am a warrior of a woman and that I can do anything I set my mind to.
It’s my intention to keep my company small. To enjoy the work that I do, and also give myself the time to still enjoy my family and my kids, to still have the time to make it to their games, and still volunteer my time to PTA at my daughter’s school.
There is so much more that could be said but really ill end with this.
If I can do it, I promise, you can too!
I’d like to give a special shout-out to my brother-in-law Mark Krenn owner of Coastal Creative for gifting me the design of my Logo. And all of my family has supported me in various ways. I’m forever grateful.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One obstacle that I was naively surprised by was the lack of help from similar companies. Because this is a newer concept, it’s hard-to-find info on how to start or run. Which items are needed to start versus which can wait etc?
I chose companies that were in other countries or on the completely opposite side of our country. So, they knew I wasn’t a threat to their clientele. Yet my simple questions were never answered. I wasn’t asking for them to spend more than 5 minutes and sadly not one of them ever answered me.
So of course, since opening, I’ve had 5 people contact me with questions about starting a similar company and I’ve taken the time to thoroughly answer everyone. We should be building each other up. Especially our fellow women. This is why when I need things for my parties I try and source from other local, women-owned businesses.
I’ve even sent my extra clients to other similar companies here in San Diego County. There are plenty of Clients to go around. It really doesn’t need to be cutthroat. ♡
We’ve been impressed with Sleepover Haven, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sleepover Haven specializes in Luxury Sleepovers and Backyard Glamping. We come to your home and set up a complete, Instagram-worthy sleepover space, and return the next day to pick it all up.
Contact Info:
- Website: Sleepoverhaven.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/sleepoverhaven
- Facebook: Facebook.com/sleepoverhaven
