Molly Fuller

I do at least one thing related to my business every day to keep momentum going but I allow myself to take breaks so I don’t burn out.

 

Molly Fuller is the founder and designer of Molly Fuller Design. Molly has a background in fashion design and human factors. She’s worked designing better healthcare experiences at places like the Mayo Clinic and Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN. She started Molly Fuller Design with a simple passion to make clothing and products that are for specific medical needs look and feel, well, less medical. Just because someone has a medical condition doesn’t mean they stop caring about quality or lose their sense of style.

Molly Fuller Design’s first product is a therapeutic compression shirt for teens with autism. Deep pressure therapy, such as hugging, squeezing, or swaddling, has been shown to be beneficial for people with sensory disorders, providing a sense of calm and relaxation. One way to provide deep pressure therapy is through compression clothing that provides a consistent firm sensory input. Molly Fuller Design’s Charlie shirt uses a high-quality power stretch super soft material that adds substantial compression while not irritating the skin. The seams and stitching are designed to feel invisible to the wearer. Elastic on the sleeves doubles as a style and fidget detail.

Where did the idea for Molly Fuller Design come from?

I observed Occupational Therapist in an autism unit at a children’s hospital and realized how little stylish options were available to these kids. I spoke with Special Education teachers and learned that teens didn’t want to wear the weighted vests that would help them because they were made fun of and didn’t like the way it looked.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I typically wake up between 6 and 7 am. I check emails and schedule out any social media posts for the day. Then I go to work as a service/experience designer on the innovation team for a healthcare company. After work I have dinner with my husband and hang out for a bit. Then go back to work on my business taking care of anything that needs to be done or sketching out new designs. Having a full-time job during the day actually forces me to be productive earlier in the mornings, nights and weekends.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I start with sketches, then I work with a pattern maker and seamstress to take my sketch and make the first sample. From there I take the sample and try it out with teens to see how it fits and what they think. I take their feedback and then modify the pattern and make another sample. I repeat that process until I feel the product fits right and is ready to be sold.

What’s one trend that excites you?

More companies focusing on inclusive and universal design. More large corporations are starting to create adaptable clothing that is actually stylish.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I do at least one thing related to my business every day to keep momentum going but I allow myself to take breaks so I don’t burn out.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Don’t doubt yourself and practice more.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Just because someone has a medical condition or disability doesn’t mean they don’t care about style and quality in their products (I hope there are more people out there who agree with me on this).

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

Networking, emailing, and cold calling. Keep reaching out, even if there’s not an obvious connection or people say no you have to have patience and keep trying.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I’ve been building a tribe of local supporters by networking with a lot of community organizations specific to autism. By building a strong relationship with the local organizations they’ve been able to connect me to families, have me at events and help spread the word about my business.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Having a booth at an event and only one or two people came up to me. I learned to try out different messaging around my company and became more focused on the types of events I sign up to attend.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

A patient experience service that goes around to patients in hospitals and microwaves food, makes sure they have cell phone chargers. Pants line created specifically for people in wheelchairs.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

To be at a sponsor at an autism event. It helped me get my brand out to my audience and sell a product.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive? How do you use it?

“Hootsuite” helps me manage all my social media posts. I’m naturally a pretty quiet person on social media so it helps make sure I’m posting more often without having to stop what I’m doing during the day to post.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. It’s a short read and the messages are great lessons to live by that are transferable to anything you’re doing.

What is your favorite quote?

“To change the world, starts with one step, however small, the first step is hardest of all” – DMB. I love this because it reminds me that just getting started is the hardest step and that I’ve already taken the hardest step.

Key Learnings:

• Taking the first step is the hardest step, so if you have an idea don’t wait for it to be perfect, just start.
• Do one thing on your to-do list every day.
• Build a tribe of local supporters to help grow your business.
• Read the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz as lessons to live by.

Connect:

Molly Fuller Design on Facebook: Facebook.com/mollyfullerdesign
Molly Fuller Design on Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/molly-fuller-design/
Molly Fuller Design on Instagram: instagram.com/mollyfuller.design/
Molly Fuller Design on Indiegogo: igg.me/at/molly-fuller-design