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* This March, Stephanie Rado Taormina; founder of Have Some Fun Today will be telling her story at the Women2Women luncheon event at Folino Estate Winery. A link to purchase tickets for the event can be found below.
Q&A With Stephanie Rado Taormina, Founder & CEO of HSFT:
What words of wisdom would you offer to other women?
To believe in yourself & have faith.
What is the most valuable way women can support each other?
I believe the most valuable way women can support each other is by giving each other the benefit of the doubt. So often when someone is different from us, we tend to be suspicious of their motives, but if we give each other the benefit of the doubt, we are giving them a chance.
Is there an "aha" moment or experience that defines who you are?
The moment when I had the vision to create with the slogan "Have Some Fun Today." since that day 8+ years ago I haven't looked back, and I feel such a purpose around creating a truly inspiring body of work for all people.
What is your favorite mantra, favorite saying or words that keep you grounded?
Have Some Fun Today!
What's your mission?
To make people smile and feel connected to each other.
What do you consider women's main asset?
The ability to multitask.
What do you consider women's main threat?
Other people's misperceptions of her.
What three things do you recommend that contribute to your success?
Belief in myself, being open minded, having laser focus on what it takes to get the job done efficiently and always doing what I say I will do.
How do you want to be perceived / remembered?
I'd like to be remembered as someone who shared her gifts to bring joy to others and to be a role model for others to break free from limiting beliefs to turn their dreams into reality.
What is the best advice you have received?
To: Have Some Fun Today - (from my dad.)
You recently shared on social media that you'd like to change things up a bit and include more of what you love. That might include art? Tell us how you realized it was time to reinvigorate the brand / yourself.
My company Have Some Fun Today was started in 2014 with the idea of a painting I wanted to make. My mind quickly envisioned the painting, then the tote, the pillow, the tees, the hat and so on. All in the span of five minutes one morning while doing my morning meditation. As I developed the brand over the coming months, including the initial pairings, I soon realized that I was stuck on the way the paining were coming out and so I didn't do much with them over the following years.
Then there was this global pandemic and it seemed like people all over were discovering the artists inside themselves. I had been painting all along, but something moves me to try something again with the words of my brand Have Some Fun Today. Maybe it was the self-work I had been doing, including the therapy I started to do last year. Whatever it was, when I approached my painting with those four words this time in my handwriting, it didn't turn me off! To the contract, something clicked! This time my own handwriting felt just right. Like I turned a corner in my own self-acceptance. The handwriting didn't need to be perfect, it was perfect in its imperfection. Just like me. Just like all us truly are.
That was a breakthrough. I worked on experimenting with the concept of doing some paintings in my abstract style, with the words Have Some Fun Today boldly written down the middle. I worked for months to find the right formula, and one day not too long ago it all came together. I found the style and it has reinvigorated the brand for me so much so that I am embracing my abstract colorful style back into the designs for the brand in the bags & clothing for 2022.
You see, I am not a follower. Never have been, never will be. However, when you are making and designing things to sell you do need to balance what people like and want with what you like and want to do. But, now that I have done some substantial laying the foundation of the brand, it's time to be a lot more playful with what we put out there. It's time for color and pattern and some FUN energy in everything we make. Stay tuned.
Please share why you believe W2W is important for the community:
For a very long time as a creative, I didn't resonate with being an 'executive'. After moving back to Berks County from NYC 25 years ago, I worked for myself for a very long time as a design consultant. It wasn't until my career path changed that I really went past being a Creative and became a Founder. Now that I'm here in the C suite space of my won doing, I have this new awareness that yes, I am an executive and yes, organizations like Women2Women are really important for our community. I've had my head to the grindstone for the past eight years and finally looked up this past October to attend my first Women in Retail Leadership Summit, and what I experienced has opened my eyes to the benefits of hearing what other women in business leadership roles can offer to each other in terms of support & guidance. It is truly a wonderful resource for our community to any woman who utilizes it.
Anything else you'd like to share?
Just that it is an honor to be noticed by other business leaders in our community for my work and having this platform to share my experience. Over the years I've had many people privately reach out to me to give advice on starting their businesses and I am always happy to listen and give some advice. To me, it is very important to give back whenever I can to my community through the different events we have at Have Some Fun Today that often benefit local charities. Part of what makes what I do so special is that it is a way for people to connect and feel connected. Two strangers passing each other both wearing something from Have Some Fun Today are bound to strike up a happy exchange and your whole day feels warmer and brighter. No other brand does that. I'm not solving the homeless issue (although I'd love to work that someday) or curing cancer, but I am creating a way through my designs that reminds us to reframe our attitude. What you bring to your daily grind is a matter of choice. You can go to work or school with an attitude of drudgery, or you can go with an attitude of "Let's make this fun". It changes everything.
Join us for the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance’s “Pursuit, Passion & Paying it Forward” luncheon:
On Wednesday, March 16, 2022 owner and founder of Have Some Fun Today, Stephanie Rado Taormina, will be speaking at Folino Estate Winery from 11:30 AM to 1 PM for the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance’s “Pursuit, Passion & Paying it Forward” luncheon. Stephanie is a fine artist and interior designer who began her career in fashion over 30 years ago.
Learn more about how Stephanie's life experiences and abilities helped form her life direction, and see how she plans to take her brand into the future by purchasing tickets for the March 16 luncheon here, and be sure to read the full Cover Story in Women2Women's Winter edition here.
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Have Some Fun Today Founder Stephanie Taormina and her bestie and HSFT team member Kristin Golden Mancuso
At HAVE SOME FUN TODAY, we're inspired by women! We love powerful, creative, thoughtful, unique women who follow their hearts and share their vision with those around them. It's the reason we started our "Inspiring Women" series on the blog. It's the reason our founder Stephanie Taormina started the HSFT fashion and lifestyle brand aimed at celebrating women and honoring her late father's lifelong mantra. Our mission at HSFT is to lift women up, share empowerment and passion, and connect women to a community where we celebrate each other. There's beauty and compassion when we honor each other, and ourselves, by sticking together and rising above.
1) Don't Hate - Celebrate!
Empower other women when they have a victory and take it as a win for all women. Yay women! Don't become petty and jealous because another woman's success makes you feel insecure about your own. Let it inspire you and motivate you. We all move forward when a woman succeeds. It's called progress and we need more of it!
2) It's No Contest... We're All Winners
There's no Blue Ribbon Winner or diamond tiara placed on your head for winning the big prize. It's life, not a beauty pageant or a Spelling Bee. Don't compare yourself to everyone woman that walks in the room, or for that matter, into your life. It's way better for all of us when we're all on the same side and not judging each other. Let's not worry about beating each other at the game but rather cheering on our fellow women as they cross the finish line.
3) We Have More in Common Than We Think
We've come a long way, baby! We've only had the right to vote in this country for 95 years. Many of us get paid less money to do the same job as our male counterparts. And all of us at some point have had to overcome at least one stereotype about being a woman. We are all someone's daughter and granddaughter. Some of us are sisters and mothers. There are so many common threads that connect us as women. Let's celebrate our similarities AND our differences and remember we are all in this together.
4) Cultivate Friendships, Not Rumors
Don't be that woman who talks about other women behind their back. Be true and authentic. What if instead of talking gossip about someone, you just called her? If it's gossip you've heard being dished around, then maybe she needs a friend. If you've got an issue with a woman, be brave and authentic enough to say it directly to her and not through someone else. Wouldn't it be a nicer world if we taught young girls to do this and we did it, too?
5) Girlfriends Are Good For You
Our girlfriends have been scientifically proven to be good for easing stress and making us feel better! If you have a squad of women who lift you up or just one bestie who keeps you grounded, count yourself lucky. Research has shown that being with our girlfriends creates oxytocin in the body, which feels good and soothes anxiety. This is also thought to offset the negative effects of stress. A good girlfriend will get you through the hardest of times of your life and be there when you're celebrating the best. Keep them close and love them up. They're irreplaceable.
As women, being nurturers and caretakers runs deep in our DNA. We do it for our families but when we do it for each other, we're a force of nature. There's a palpable energy capable of changing the world when we empower women with love and support. That's our mission at HSFT, share the love, spread the vibe. Live. Love. Wear. Share. And celebrate women! It's that easy.
Written and contributed by HSFT writer and blogger Rebecca Doubek who treasures her girlfriends and the power of women
