Why Not Girl!

Today it is my pleasure to introduce you all to Why Not Girl! - a business inspired by this little journey we are all on called "life." For so many of us, there is something about approaching that magical age of "30-ish" that causes us to really take stock of our lives. Where we have been, what we are doing, and where we want to be. Some of our achievements can be measured quantitatively, while others are a little harder to define. Some of our dream and goals have been realized, while others have been placed on the indefinite back-burner. Some of us are fortunate enough to be living our passions, while still others of us are still searching for them.

It was as founder, Lauren McCabe Herpich, was approaching the magical three-oh, that she she started to really evaluate what it was in her life that made her happy, and what it was that made her proud of what she had become so far. She realized that it was not just the material things, or the titles she had earned along the way, but more the experiences and the journey as a whole that had molded her into who she was today. It was a realization that Lauren knew immediately that she wanted to share with other women not only in her own life, but around the world. In 2012, the Why Not Girl! website was launched and today, it is empowering women everywhere to take a step back and say, "Why Not!"

It is my pleasure to introduce you all to a friend of mine since college, Lauren McCabe Herpich!

 Tell us about your business...

"Why Not Girl! (www.whynotgirl.com) is a website empowering women to try new things, live life as an adventure and say Why Not!. Why Not Girl! currently shares stories of women who are expanding their horizons across multiple facets of life: career, love & relationships, health & fitness, travel and everyday adventures like trying a new food or playing new games with their kids. Since launching the site last year, Why Not Girl! has featured over 50 amazing women as part of our Why Not Girl! of the Week program and has had close to 10,000 visitors and hundreds of fans and followers across Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest."

 

What did you do in your past life...before you launched your business?

"Prior to deciding to make Why Not Girl! my full-time job, I worked in the digital marketing and brand communications fields for many notable companies such as CNBC, Discovery Communications, PBS and Sears. What's been great is that my new life is not a far stretch from what I was doing before. That definitely helps make this venture not as scary."

 

 What made you decide to take the leap into being a business owner?

"I have had the idea for Why Not Girl! for a number of years when my boyfriend (now husband) asked me what my ideal job would be. Encouraged by a bottle of wine during an evening full of tears (it had been a really bad day at work) I told him that I had purchased the URL for Why Not Girl! back in 2009 when I was in grad school with the hopes of one day creating "the Girl Scouts for adult women." I felt like what was lost as we got older was this notion of learning and just experiencing all of the amazing journeys and everyday adventures that life can bring. I realized that for so many people just the idea of traveling somewhere new or learning a new hobby could have such a profound impact on someone's life. It was about having fun and feeling that sense of accomplishment. I told him that I felt like there was nothing out there celebrating this. Since Chris is the most amazing man in the world, he encouraged me to start blogging to see if this idea resonated with people. It did. So flash forward a year later; Chris and I get married and decide that along with a move to the west coast, I should say Why Not! in trying to make Why Not Girl! a full-time business. We felt that there was no better time than the present."

 

What has been your greatest professional success to date?

"It gives me such great pleasure to feel like I am making a positive impact on someone's life. Through the stories that we publish on Why Not Girl! to the fun conversation and challenges we share on our Facebook page and Twitter feed, I get so elated to hear that someone tried sushi or Indian food for the first time or that they are motivated to start training for their first 5K. This gives me so much more gratification in what I am doing. No mid-year review could ever do that!"

 

 How about the biggest "lesson learned"?

"Time management. While I have always been someone who has been highly involved or had multiple projects going at the same time, when you work for yourself (and by yourself) out of your home it is easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of items on the to-do list, including the laundry and unpacking boxes (my husband and I just relocated to Berkeley, CA). Why Not Girl! has certainly been a test in self-motivation and organization."

 

What is next on the horizon for your business?

"Coming up in early 2013, Why Not Girl! will start hosting experiential events in the San Francisco Bay Area that will give women the opportunity to say Why Not!. The plan is to expand to other cities in the near future."

 

 Where can we find you when you are not being Super Business Owner Woman??

"What I love about Why Not Girl! is that I feel like it really is a true reflection of who I am. I've always loved being a jill-of-all-trades who is constantly learning and doing new things. You can find me trying out new restaurants, watching independent and foreign language files and going on a run or a bike ride with my husband. While I'm not the fastest runner on the course, I absolutely love challenging myself to do longer distance runs. I'm currently training for a 10 mile race in Washington, DC with a good friend. That being said, I love any excuse to travel and be with friends and family."

 

If we were to run into you at a cocktail party, what would be your "party trick"?

"Hmmm ... that's a good question. Ok, this may seem weird, but I can pick up things with my toes. What's so funny about it is that almost everyone in my family can do it, too. Who knew this was a genetic trait?!"

 

When someone asks you to tell a joke, what is your "go-to" one-liner?

"This has been my favorite joke since I was five years old: Q: Why do vampires have no friends? A: Because they're a pain in the neck! (Come on, you've got to love it!)"

 

If you could go back in time, what would you tell your 18 year-old self?

"Be true to yourself. Sometimes I think we are so busy trying to live up to being someone we think we should be that we forget to just be ourselves. Even though it took me a while to realize that I had a Why Not Girl! in me, I am so glad that I was able to find the courage to recognize it and embrace it."

  

Inspired? Want to learn more about Why Not Girl!? 
Check out their website at www.whynotgirl.com