Denise McMillan
Plush Creations, Texas

Just Minding Her Own Business ...

In 2000, Denise was just doing what we all do: living her life. Her 5-year marriage to a celebrated chef was great and a son was soon to be born. While she was no stranger to entrepreneurship (her husband is the owner and chef of 62 Main Restaurant), Denise had ever considered it for herself. Why should she? She had a well paying job as a legal assistant at a prestigious law firm and her husband was a successful chef and life was just rolling along.

While life kept "rolling" after the birth of her son, suddenly, returning to full-time paralegal work was not so enticing anymore. Denise decided to become a stay at home mom and found herself far removed from the daily human interaction she was used to. Happy with life as a wife and mother, Denise still felt a void in her life. How to fill it was a mystery.

Then one day, she saw a friend who was packing a suitcase for a trip stuffing her delicate lingerie into plastic bags and suitcase corners. She vowed to her friend that her next birthday present would be a pretty black lingerie bag. That sounded easy, right? Who among us could not take a quick trip to a local shopping mall and buy one? That's certainly what Denise had in mind, but life had a little surprise for her.

Life As She Knew It

Denise searched high and low but just wasn't satisfied with the bags she found. Too small. Too big. Not feminine enough. Cheap looking. Not sturdy. Ugly fabric. Unstable snaps or zippers. How on earth could there be no nice lingerie bags in the world? Never one to give up, Denise decided to buy some fabric and have a bag made for her friend. She entered a local fabric store.

She came out 4 hours later with an unexplainable knowledge that a fire had been lit in her soul. Touching the fabrics and feeling the smooth, soft textures of rare silk, suede and velvet in every imaginable color made her swoon. That was the end of life as Denise had known it. While her friend got a new lingerie bag, Denise got a whole new life out of the deal. Plush creations was born.

Wings, Prayers and Passions

They say that incredible things can be accomplished "on a wing and a prayer," and Denise's experiences bear that out. "I never started with a business plan and I still don't have one," she says. "When I started Plush five years ago, I had one product. Now I have dozens with more in the pipeline. It never occurred to me that I'd be recognized in national magazines and newspapers, be on television or be a Lifestyle CEO Conference speaker."

What Denise does have is a passion for what she does and it seems that passion is serving her and her customers well. We often hear the saying, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again." Denise adds a twist to that as is demonstrated by her experiences making cold calls to retail shops in the early days. "I hated it and I wasn't good at it," she says. "Friends encouraged me to keep trying but that just wasn't my style. Yet, I knew I had to do something. What I discovered was that I could keep at it, but just in different ways. I thought 'outside the box' as they say. I sat at my computer for hours searching out different venues for my products. Inevitably, one contact lead to another and all kinds of opportunities presented themselves, including having my jewelry bags in the 2004 Screen Actor's Guild presenter gift baskets. So my advice is to expand your thinking and go beyond the obvious. Knock on different kinds of doors. You never know who will answer!"

A Mission To Serve

"If I had to define a mission for Plush Creations, it would be bringing quality products to the market and ensuring that my customers' experience with my products is the best it can be," says Denise. She further describes how these business aspirations fit into her life. "I believe that if at the end of each day, you can look back and know in your heart that you conducted yourself honorably and with decency and good intentions, and you feel that you have accomplished something for the good, you will be at peace and enjoy a sense of fulfillment."

Clearly, Denise has managed to find a sense of commitment as a Lifestyle CEO. She enjoys working from home. She is also helping other women who want to be home with their children by providing them with a livelihood as they stitch together her beautiful Plush Creations, including the beautiful White Tiger Lingerie Bag shown here, made with silk velvet fabric. Oooh-la-la.

Denise has also successfully integrated her personalities as a business woman, wife, mother and home manager into a holistic pattern that serves her well. "I never push myself to be 'super mom,'" she says. "My advice to any woman with a family who also owns a business is to accept that there are probably some things you just can't do right now, and that's OK. Be true to yourself and know your limitations. I'm just me and I do what's important for me and know that I am doing my best."

The Good, The Bad And The Good Again

Denise enjoys working from home where she can come and go as she pleases. Her office is an open turret part of her home that looks out to the bedrooms and stairway on one side and two beautiful windows that bring in the sunshine on the other. Just outside is her treasured orchid collection which Denise says always brings her joy. Her stored fabric shares space with her son in a playroom. "It's an ongoing contest to see which side of the room is messiest!" she says.

Like most women who manage a successful business around home and family, Denise enjoys some things but not others. A common problem is feeling isolated. "The hardest thing for me," she says, "Is not having someone to interact with and get feedback from throughout the day. I often have great ideas and thoughts that I would love to run past colleagues but it's just me. Decision making is often made based on my own gut feelings." That can be tough sometimes.

On the other hand,  the best part of her business is the shopping! "I'm like a kid in a candy store in a fabric outlet!" says Denise. "I can pick what I like and leave the rest. I have total control over what is created and offered. I don't need anyone else's approval to try something new, re-design my website, incorporate a new packaging idea, etc. It's wonderful to see new things come to fruition and say, 'Hey! I did that!' As I look and see that I grew my business from the ground up with no help or prior experience, I am sometimes amazed at my own accomplishments. It is truly a confidence building experience and affects all areas of my life in a very positive way," she says.

When Denise needs a break, she heads straight for a fabric shop (yes, entrepreneurship is a full-time thing!) or 62 Main Restaurant where her husband is owner and chef. "I relax, eat a good meal and enjoy quality adult time. I also enjoy spending time with my son. Lately our thing to do together is play the Operation board game. These days, even though I use my glasses, I still can't get the body parts out without touching the sides and making the dreaded 'buzz, you lose' noise," she says.

It's All About The Passion

"When people find out that I fabric shop for relaxation, they are amazed," says Denise. But to her, it's natural. Denise explains it this way: "When you have found your passion like I have, it becomes so much a part of your life that it's not work anytime you do it. It's who you are. So even though I'm working in a fabric store, I'm doing something that also brings me great joy."

Plush Advice

A few months ago, Denise was honored when hip hop sensation Ashanti selected Plush's Eye Candy jewelry bag to be included in the launch of her new fragrance, Precious Jewel by Ashanti. This and other successes have earned Denise the ability to offer some sage advice to anyone considering making the Lifestyle CEO choice for herself and her family. Says Denise, "Being passionate about what you do is an amazing source of strength for any woman. While there may be times when you question your decision to go into business for yourself, if you believe in your product or service, you will find the strength to get through the tough times," she says.

"Another thing to aim for is refusing to take rejection personally. Rejection is a great teacher," says Denise. "I have often said that I am not the best salesperson for my products. I'm too close to them and therefore tend to take rejection personally. I have learned to move on and get right back out there and try again. I like to say that rejection is the small pauses between your successes."

Denise says not to be afraid to admit that you don't know something. "Ask questions!," she says. "Especially when you have no prior experience in an area, it's important to ask someone who does. For me, being a legal assistant was a far cry from the world of manufacturing and retail. When I was up front with people about things I did not know, they were surprisingly willing to help. A final piece of advice from Denise is to have faith in what you do. "There is a reason I was given an opportunity to create Plush," she says. "My faith in my product, my ideas and my passion for it all makes each day exciting and rewarding."

And life just doesn't get any better than that!