DEL TORO CELEBRATES: MOMS (Kiane Von Mueffling)
Del Toro is proud to celebrate mothers in our community who inspire us everyday. Each mother has built an incredible business and we encourage our community to learn a little bit about each. Join the conversations and get to know our first of four featured moms, Kiane Von Mueffling (Founder - Sold Out NYC).
Del Toro: What does Mother’s Day mean to you?
Kiane Von Mueffling: Maybe an hour of peace?! I’m also sincerely hoping for a coffee and a pain au chocolat in bed!
DT: What is your favorite memory of your mother?
KVM: My mother was really amazing with the little things. She would always put love notes in my lunch box which was truly wonderful if you were having a bad day. My all-time fave though – she used to iron my school shirt two seconds before it went on my body in the winter so I’d be warm! OMG I wish I’d known how good I had it!
DT: As an entrepreneur, we imagine that the lines between work and family time are even more blurred - do you have a secret sauce to balancing family and work?
KVM: I wish there was one, and some days I’m better at it than others. With most things though, unless you MAKE TIME for them they won’t happen. I could easily work 20 hours a day but I’ve got to carve out time for my family, time to work out, time to nourish my body with good food, etc. Otherwise it all goes to hell in a hand basket! Therein lies the real skill – hyper organization is the closest to secret sauce as it gets.
DT: How has the pandemic affected your business and family affairs? What sort of adjustments did you have to make?
KVM: A lot, actually. One wonderful by-product is that I have spent more time with the kids. Previously it was so easy to “keep working” while someone else picked up the kids or helped get a start on dinner. It’s actually been a blessing to have a hard stop at 3pm where I have to get up from my desk to do pick-up. Yes, it’s tough when managing a business but certainly not insurmountable – and it has proven to be time spent that we all needed.
DT: How has “working from home” changed your personal sense of style?
KVM: Sincerely, it hasn’t! The brand that I created (Sold Out NYC) was founded on the tenets of both style and comfort, so the way I dress now is really the way I always have. I’ve never been shy of adding a heel and a blazer to a sweatpant.
DT: Any words of advice to Moms out there that are contemplating starting their own businesses?
KVM: Yes. You are much more capable that you imagine yourself to be! Inaction breeds inaction, so get started or you’ll sit on your idea until the end of time!
View Sold Out's collection here.