She’s The Boss: Bobbi Bankston

I can’t even tell you all how excited I am to share today’s interview with you. I have had a small love affair with The Mason Bar Company and their products for some time now, so I was thrilled to have the woman behind the brand become our first interview in my She’s The Boss series. This series is all about showcasing some of the amazing #girlbosses behind amazing companies and brands, who are defining success for themselves and taking the world by storm. So without further ado, lets get down to the interview!

*Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do.

Hi Everyone! My name is Bobbi and I am the original creator of the mason jar tumbler lid and the owner of The Mason Bar Company.

*Where did the idea for the Mason Bar Company begin? What has the journey looked like to go from an idea to the brand you are successfully running today?
Answering this question has become more frequent and each and every time I go down memory lane, it always makes me cry. Lucky for you, you can’t see my ugly crying face… hee hee. My two best friends (Jodi and Melissa) and I were sipping our latte’s in the car from mason jars- every sip we took the lid off because you know how “golden” and precious mid-day lattes are- spilling is NOT an option! I had the idea and said, “hey! let’s figure out how to put a hole in the middle so we can sip from a straw”. Because the three of us love brainstorming and dreaming together, the idea grew into a plan of action. My friend Melissa found a broken tool from her Dads sheet-metal shop that made the hole just perfect. Within a few weeks the first hand crafted “mason jar tumbler” was born! The concept caught on quickly via my first Etsy shop (Poppy & Pearl co.) and within a few months, I knew that I had found my “something”. Everyday since has been such a joy, full of unexpected goodness. On most days, I feel as though my heart might pop with excitement!

Is it ok with you guys if I give you a little of the back-story to the above? This is why my voice shakes when I tell it in person and why I have to fight back tears…

A year prior, my husband and I found ourselves in financial crisis. We were a young, hard working family living a simple life but as we all know, financial struggle is all too common. I quit my job is a Realtor to wait tables full time to help make ends meet. My youngest was only a year old at the time and leaving him killed me like nothing I’d ever felt before. Each month I would make just enough tips to pay what bills were left over. But, while I was working so hard to put a smile on my face during the day at work, my ferver for life was quickly dwindling. I became a very sad person… and friends, I’m not a sad person! I had no desire to get out of bed in the morning. It was bad. Six months into it I realized the intensity of my sadness, knew I needed a change, rolled over to my husband and said, “It’s time to start thinking outside the box”. When I said that to him, immediately I felt a little spark ignite in my soul. The thought alone and the possibility of newness was the refreshment I was longing for. That moment was the beginning of the end of my “dark hour” as I call it. In the following months, the mantra that kept going through my head was this: Refuse to look back and wonder. Refuse! We have but one beautiful life to live and I’d rather try and fail then look back and wonder what might have been. My Creator gave me a purpose. I refuse to settle for less than what I was created to for. I recited Jeremiah 29:11 every. single. day. Most days I felt defeated but this verse- it was everything. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Today, 3 1/2 years later, The Mason Bar Company is shipping world wide, retail and wholesale from our 3000 square foot warehouse. There are 8 amazing ladies on the MBC team- we have the BEST time together and love what we do! It’s the greatest ride of my life!!!! Who knew little ‘ol me had a future in product development without a college degree. Miracles really do happen, folks. They do!

* How do you personally define success?
When our success becomes another’s benefit. I believe that with great success comes the ability to give in greater abundance. I could give you another back-story here but I’ll spare you the novel. ; )

*What’t the best piece of advice you can give to women who are thinking of becoming entrepreneurs and want to make the leap into working for themselves?
I would encourage her to first choose supportive friends and family. A core group to cheer you on and lovingly lend advice or feedback is essential. Secondly, I’d remind her of how BIG the world is. It sounds silly but it’s easy to forget that there is plenty of room for everyone! Also, she might want to grab hold of a verse or quote that deeply moves her… for the first two years of MBC mine was “Dream Big and Dare to Fail”. It was posted all around my house. It picked me up and kept me going! Inspiring words are invaluable… hence our quotes on the back of all MBC info cards.

Thanks Bobbi! It’s such a joy to have you kick off this series and give us a little insight to the gal behind the brand. I really love what you had to say.

For those of you who entered my recent giveaway for a Mason Bar Company tumbler/glass straw/essential oils package, the winner has been selected! And the winner is…. **drumroll please**

Jess Anne !

*I’ve emailed the winner of this giveaway. She has 24 hrs to respond or a new winner will be selected