Business and Design Thinking with My Mom

My mom has been making dresses for as long as I can remember. When I think about it I was probably her life size doll that grew in time. My mom has also talked about wanting to have a full time shop as a seamstress, and dress maker. Basically to turn her passion into a business. Last night we talked about the idea with a group of people attending NYU in and openIDEO challenge. For certain this has been a life long dream for my mom. It would be awesome to see it come to fruition. Going through this openIDEO challenge is giving me insight to see how people think differently and see what comes about through collaboration.  It's not enough to just have an idea. You need to go out and validate the need for it. Then you have to test it. See where the issues arise, make modifications, and test again. So that's what we did. A group of people and I sat down and discussed the idea further. It's so exciting to watch my moms face light up with excitement. It's also interesting to know the fears and road blocks she has. My mom recently turned 60 years old. While the times are changing I am certain that her idea of dressmaking can happen with the right resources set in place. I'm not yet sure how detailed I can eat about the project - after all it is an open idea. Check out www.openideo.com and look into the longevity challenge. And if your age 50 or above I want to talk to you! Lastly, want to know a fun random fact about me?My middle name - Donia - is what my mom wanted to name her business, and Donia was supposed to be my first name. She forgot and eventually gave it to me as my middle name when my godfather reminded her.