[quote style=”boxed”]Give, Give, Give, Give of your triple T’s your time, your talent, and your treasure.[/quote]
After more than two decades as a clinical first responder, dedicating her career to helping victims of natural disasters, school shootings, and terroristic attacks remove their emotional mask, Denyse Ray, PhD, BCETS, FAAETS, has retooled her skills to now lead Lady Ease Limited d/b/a Ease Collection as it’s President and CEO.
As an entrepreneur, who built Lady Ease from the in-law suite of her home to it’s current 7000 sq. feet new facility, she empathetically set her priorities and designed a washable, re-usable fashion face mask for women, men, and children using Eco-friendly fabrics.
Her clients range from the individual traveler, to companies who customize their mask with their company logo, to the fashion conscience user that won’t settle for anything less than Ease Collection’s “Bling”line.
She has applied many of the same practices and principles to her approach of preparing her clients for not if, but when a disaster strikes to be prepared. As a first responder she understands that during a disaster emergency responders address the most critical needs and may not even be able to get to an area until it is deemed safe. While they work on behalf of the entire community, the family also has a responsibility to ensure their well- being during time of crisis.
She remains active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations, including Kamehameha Lions Club, Volunteer Docent at Iolani Palace, American Association of University Woman, Board of Directors Parents Inc, HSBP, and Honolulu Executive Association. Outside of business interest, she is writing her second book; Mirror Images: Surviving Cultural Trauma. She loves all outdoor activities and enjoys sharing them with her husband, children and grandchildren.
What are you working on right now?
A kick starter campaign for National Prepardness Month September 2013.
Where did the idea for A KickStarter Campaign for Ease Collections washable reusable face mask come from?
The CDC created a national prepardness month I in 2003, the mandate is that every household and every school K through12 is suppose to have a dust mask in their perpardness kit. My goal is to have my invention of a washable reusable mask in th prepardness kits of the world.
How do you make money?
Through the sales of my products and services. As a full service design house I not only manufacture the apparel and accessories that I and my design team create but I also cut and sew for local established and emerging designers.
What does your typical day look like?
Hawaii is located in the middle of the pacific and we are 6 hours behind est time. Example 8am New York time is 2am Hawaii time. On a typical day I may well either be on a call to the east coast to order items well before 8am my time or answering emails from that time zone. Staff meeting and at least 3 scheduled appointments manage my entire day. I make my rounds through my 7500 square feet factory a minimum of 5 times a day. With an October 1st deadlines or a 2 day fashion marketplace, I am brutally busy ensuring that my lines and my customers apparel are being produced with my standard of excellence.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I process the idea and then methodically take it from concept to protype to production. I take my time to allow for as many safeguards of my intellectual property to be in place as possible.
What’s one trend that really excites you?
Bring manufacturing back to the USA. It is my high.
What was the worst job you ever had and what did you learn from it?
As an intern for a professional football team I walked blisters on my feet with the enormous amount of assignments I was given that had nothing to do with my major. That job for no pay taught me first that people in high profile jobs had many emotional secrets and ultimately, that I had the compassion in my heart to hear and help them process those secrets and not ever disclose them. I changed majors and received a dual PhD and practiced clinical psychology with those very people for 20 something years.
If you were to start again, what would you do differently?
Nothing.
As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?
Give, Give, Give, Give of your triple T’s your time, your talent, and your treasure.
What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?
I expected much too much of my self in my first business, it closed in less than a few months. This time I am pacing myself and allowing myself the opportunity to know what I don’t know.
What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A birthday club on college campus’. The parents would pay for the cake, card, and even party celebration during orientation and remove the guilt of not celebrating with the student and ensure at least a small celebration.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be and how would you go about it?
I would change the attitude of what is enough. After we have aquired all of the material pleasureable items, made sure our legacy was secure financially, I’d like to see the next person have the same opportunity. What is Enough?
Tell us something about you that very few people know?
I am a licensed pilot.
What are your three favorite online tools or resources and what do you love about them?
Facebook, LinkedIn and Ask.com. The first two are resources that allows my business to be the star and I personally can take a back seat. Ask has been answering my questions for years.
What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?
The Pain Didn’t Start Here: Trauma and Violence in the African American Community. Why? It’s a good read. Why? I wrote it.
Three people we should follow on Twitter and why?
Makersrow, has created a platform for designers to find manufacturing companies in the USA,
When was the last time you laughed out loud? What caused it?
Yesterday, we laugh out loud at the reality of the factory everyday. It keeps us sane.
Who is your hero, and why?
My shero is Jackie McKenny, she is a great great grandmother who was my mentor after graduate school. She toughten me up for this very assignment in life
How can we add WO to the MAN in Facturing ownership in the multi-billion dollar apparel business?
Step up ladies. Women purchase 85% of all goods and services. It’s time we owned at least 50% of the profitable business.
When should I table my very direct conversation about business with my spouse?
When I know that he too is experiencing a deadline and just needs a hug.
Connect:
Ease Collection on Facebook:
Denyse Ray on Linkedin:
Ease Collection on Twitter: @EaseCollection
Ease Collection on Blogspot:
Mario Schulzke is the Founder of ideamensch, which he started a decade ago to learn from entrepreneurs and give them a platform for their ideas.