WAGS Work: Brittney Harrison
The WAGS Work Series aims to show our readers that we are more than the stereotypes you might be familiar with--we're creative, hard-working, driven, and willing to do whatever it takes to make this lifestyle work. We also hope to inspire women in all walks of life to get creative and think outside the box when it comes to working and creating the lives of their dreams. Please reach out to the women featured in this series if you have questions or want to learn more about what they do.
TELL US WHO YOU ARE, HOW YOU GOT INTO THE BASEBALL WORLD, AND A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR HUSBAND.
My name is Brittney Harrison, and I am married to utility man Josh Harrison. Josh is currently with the Washington Nationals. This is our 13th baseball season and next year will be his 9th year in the majors! It is so hard to believe that we have been in baseball for so long. I still get butterflies when I watch him play, as if it is the first time he is stepping out on the field. It is a blessing to see him do what he loves.
We have two beautiful little girls Mia Jade (6) and Kinsli Rose (3). We also have a 15- year old shih tzu name Sonni who travels with us during the season. We love to spend time together as a family with our kids and travel. Being able to spend a lot of family time and show our kids different parts of the world is something we cherish! Date night is also our favorite because we love to try new restaurants and/or watch movies all night long.
We met in college at the University of Cincinnati. Josh played for the baseball team and we both were in the college of business, where we met on the elevator through a mutual friend!
TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR JOB, WHAT DO YOU DO, AND HOW LONG YOU’VE BEEN WERKIN’ IT.
I am the owner of Brittney Kelley Brands! Brittney Kelley Brands is a vegan and cruelty free beauty and lifestyle company, comprising of Brittney Kelley Handbag Collection, Chic Girl Cosmetics and Pink Bar Boutique. My mission is to “Empower people everywhere, to be your own kind of beautiful”. We are based out of Cincinnati, Ohio and want to change the way beauty is viewed in society by encouraging the love of self-beauty and promoting happiness.
I started designing and producing handbags back in college where I had them in some retail stores throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. I took a small break for a few years until I realized that I wanted to live in my truth and continue to promote self-beauty and love in a world full of beauty standards. So, in 2017 I added to my brand and started my cosmetics line. I also started an online retail boutique in 2019. When I started giving my all, it changed the game for my company.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU/HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
I have always had a love for fashion and designing. When I was in high school, I would sit in front of the TV and watch the award shows. As the celebrities would walk out, I would sketch the outfits and create my own version of their looks. Back in college, I started a minority fashion show on campus where designers and creatives could showcase their work even if they were not a part of the fashion design school. I was majoring in information technology/entrepreneurship, so I was not able to showcase my designs in the regular fashion program, so I started my own. That show is still going on 11 years later at the University of Cincinnati.
Each year and show that went past, I started to notice how happy it made women and men feel to be able to choose their own standards of beauty. They created in their own truth and used the beautiful and unique characteristics of each individual that God created, to define their styles. From then on, I wanted to have a company that promoted body positivity and your own standards of beauty. I wanted to normalize “being your own kind of beautiful” and aide in getting away from the standards that have been set in our society today.
WAS YOUR SUCCESS IMMEDIATE OR DID IT TAKE TIME?
It took time! It was not until I started to give 100% to my business that I felt like I was starting to see what I quantified as success. With the baseball lifestyle, travelling, being a wife, a mom, and a single parent for half of the year, it was extremely hard for me. I had to figure out how to still have time for myself. I had to figure out the balance between being all of the above and still being me. It took a while for me to learn that I needed to give more than what I was giving to have a successful business. I wanted my girls to see that they can do anything when they put their mind to it.
WHAT OBSTACLES HAVE YOU FACED AND HOW DID YOU PERSEVERE IN THE HARD TIMES?
One big obstacle I faced was positioning myself within an already saturated market. Learning how to differentiate my brand and research the potential of that market was incredibly challenging.
During hard times, I kept my faith. I knew that I had to continue to push through the challenges to succeed. I did not let anything stop me, even when I became discouraged, I kept going. My husband is also my biggest motivator. His continued encouragement has helped me push past the hard times.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE RUNNING A BUSINESS AND LIVING THE BASEBALL LIFE?
Honestly, I have not! Well, I have a little but not much. There are days when I feel like I am going crazy. But hey, that is a part of being an mompreneur. There are days when my 3-year-old is in my office and draws all over my walls and screams for snacks, while we are trying to make sure we watch daddy on tv and get out orders!
With all of this, the biggest thing for me is learning how to manage my time. I have an office and a small staff (now), but I must manage my time and theirs. I designate certain days at my office, and I have a hard cut off time for work at night (if possible). The reason why is because, we are constantly running in this lifestyle and we have to be able to decompress and enjoy time together. It is nonstop!
Even in the offseason, we are trying to do so much because we want to squeeze in as much time as possible together. Between my hubby’s offseason workouts, school, extracurricular activities, office time, photoshoots etc… I must manage my time to be able to get it all done. Luckily, my hubby is so supportive, and he helps me with orders, packing and shipping when he can. He even takes a lot of my pictures, so he is a part of Brittney Kelley Brands as well!
The thing I learned most is that you just have to go with it. There will be times, when you are exhausted from traveling and being at games all day and still have to go home and bust out orders until 2am and get right back up to make breakfast for your kids. So, for me it is all about time management.
HOW DID STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS IMPACT YOUR LIFE PERSONALLY, AND FOR THE TWO OF YOU?
The impact on my life has been tremendous. It has allowed me to be able to have the flexibility necessary to raise a family and still have a successful career. I am able to invoke change and innovation all while leaving a positive impact in the community.
My husband loves what I do. He always tells me to be the best version of me. He fully supports everything I do and encourages me everyday to continue to grow and leave a legacy that my girls will honor and cherish!
WHAT’S A TYPICAL WORKDAY LIKE FOR YOU IN THE SEASON? IN THE OFF-SEASON?
During the off season, I am at my office 5 days a week from around 9:30am until around 3pm. I try to be home when my kids get home from school. I have scheduled photoshoots 3 times a week as well, so some days, I may go into the office later depending on the schedule for that week and inventory.
During the season, I work remotely from whatever city we are in. It is especially important to me to have my girls with their dad as much as possible. That can be challenging as I am running a business from another state. It is an all-day and all-night thing and brings its own challenges.
WHAT’S BEEN THE HARDEST PART SO FAR? WHAT’S BEEN THE BEST?
The hardest part has been learning my niche as a brand and having the confidence to build upon that niche. Being an entrepreneur is very hard. You have to have so much confidence in what you do and believe in it no matter what. It is so easy to get discouraged but being able to look past all of that is so important for success.
The best part has been receiving emails or messages from someone that tells me I am inspiring them. It makes me feel so good to know that I am inspiring others to be their own kind of beautiful.
WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER WAGS WHO HOPE TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?
There are a few things that I always say to do first! You should pray, set goals, research, find your niche, have confidence, and execute! These are the 6 things I live by.
I say just do it! Nothing is stopping you but you, and believe in yourself! No one will believe in you if you do not believe in yourself. So, be proud of who you are and what you bring to the table! You got this girl!
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON AND WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
I am currently working on rolling out my Holiday Campaign! I am super excited about promoting so much love and happiness for the upcoming holiday season.
Next for my business, I will be to adding a children’s line and expanding my footprint.
WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WISH EVERYONE KNEW ABOUT BEING A WAG/BASEBALL LIFE?
I wish that everyone knew that this group of women is the most amazing, hardworking, determined, dedicated and beautiful group of souls that I have ever met!
WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE / HOW CAN WE KEEP UP WITH YOU?
You can find my business information or my personal pages at the following:
Website: www.BrittneyKelley.com
Business Instagram: @brittneykelleybrands
Business Facebook: @brittneykelleybrands
Personal Instagram: @the_mrsharrison
Email: Info@brittneykelley.com
