By: Lakesha Cole
I caught myself this morning putting on makeup with one hand, the other occupied with a toddler whining because she can’t wear red lipstick to school, all the while remaining fully engrossed in a foreign conversation about anime with my STEM-loving 13-year-old daughter. I’m a work-from-home-mom, author, speaker, and retail entrepreneur. These post-military days, I raise my kids in Tampa, Florida and run businesses in North Carolina and Virginia. Are you exhausted yet?
Moms everywhere are making it happen and “having it all,” concurrently starting and nurturing small businesses and small humans—both of which are never-ending jobs.
Meet Tiffany Eve Lawrence, mommy and founder of Covered Cubs. She’s a Marine spouse and mom to twin 6-year-old daughters, Lyla and Ava. She’s known among her friends as the outgoing and outspoken one who makes friends easily. Her interpersonal skills suited her well for military life and led her to start her own business. Tiffany is hands down one of the most genuine and inspiring examples of mom entrepreneur success I could share with you today.
What is Covered Cubs?
I was once challenged to describe what I do in five words. It morphed into our slogan: “Helping Parents Protect Their Pride.” Covered Cubs, through products and services, gives parents strategies to protect their kids while also giving them the confidence to trust their instincts and be fierce about their boundaries.
Walk us through how you made the transition to entrepreneurship. What made you decide to go in that direction?
The idea for Covered Cubs came shortly after my husband and I had our twin girls. We were living in Okinawa, Japan and were also soon-to-be first-time parents. There’s so much joy to find out you’re expecting a child, but the day we found out there were two, we were excited but also nervous. We did not underestimate parenthood. It is hard, especially when all you want to do is nurture and protect your children.
When out alone with our girls, there were many times strangers (loving the idea of not just one baby but two) would touch them. GASP! This contact was possibly putting our babies’ health at risk and in the long run giving them the wrong message about strangers and boundaries. After conversing with other moms, I noticed a common response of moms being silent just to be nice.
Realizing the daily challenges parents face, we wanted to create a brand that embodies our protective instincts, assists parents in establishing boundaries, and promotes a safe environment for children to be healthy, happy, educated, protected, and loved. I began working to see how I could help parents through this process. I started merely with products like our car seat tag that says, “Please don’t touch the baby without permission.” Then I began speaking and hosting workshops to talk about strategies for keeping our kids safe. Since then I’ve become a Certified Parent Instructor, served as a guest speaker at several events, and appeared on television and radio as a guest parenting strategist on child protection.
What drives you these days? What inspires you as a mom?
These days I’m driven by knowing that the actions I take feel like they are flowing from a pure and authentic place. As a mom, I love being present with my family and soaking in all the moments. I’m inspired by seeing our kids reflect on what I’ve worked hard to teach them, and it makes me feel good to know that there’s a special place only mama’s love can fill.
Are there moments, upbringings, life lessons, and influential people from your childhood that you incorporate into your business?
I talk about my mom often because she was protective of us. She didn’t care if her “NO” hurt our feelings because she knew that her goal was to keep us safe. So if she didn’t feel right about it, she didn’t allow it. No apologies, no compromises.
Why is setting boundaries so important to you?
The purpose of a boundary is to protect something that you value, whether that’s your business, your children, your mindset, etc. I believe people in general will go as far as you let them. That includes someone you’ve just met or someone you have a relationship with. If we don’t tell them what matters to us and put a clear line in the sand to guard it, they won’t even know when they’ve crossed that line. So speak up! Find your boldness and use it to prop up your boundary.
What’s your best advice to new parents?
Trust yourself. Never apologize for or compromise the actions you take to protect your kids.
Whom would you invite to your dream play date and what snack would you serve?
My dream play date would be to gather all my close girlfriends whom I miss so much. We live in at least five different states now because of military moves. Our date would consist of comfy pants and fuzzy socks. Our “eats” would be whatever tastes good with Moscato.
What’s next for Covered Cubs?
When my daughter was three, she had a limp naturally because she was growing. I feel like that’s where I am right now. I’ve been doing this for three and a half years, and I’m excited to see what it will become next. I’m currently working on completing my parenting curriculum.
