Tavz. Co.

We met up for coffee and conversation flowed as if we talk everyday. The truth is we hadn’t seen each other in a long time, so there was a lot to catch up on. For those who don’t know, I’ve known Elizabeth since she was, oh my God, eleven years old. I was like twelve at the time (wink, wink). We met at church and this young, vibrant girl always gravitated toward me; ultimately becoming my little spiritual sister until today! Years have passed and we have been at each other’s side for our most important milestones in life. Funny story: Josh and I had a long distant relationship while dating and he would travel every single month from New Jersey to Tampa to visit for the weekend. Elizabeth was my shopping buddy and always made sure I had a cute outfit every month. She also helped plan my surprise engagement, my bridal shower, and even came out in my wedding; I was her matron of honor for her big day. We have been by each other’s side since very young. And now that we are both married, she has four kids, is a business woman, is in ministry with her husband; life has been very busy. We don’t see each other as often as we would like but when we do, it’s like picking up right where we left off. 

Oh, how 2020 affected millions of small businesses and mine was not the exception. Business was booming, then Covid hit and we nearly lost it all, Elizabeth said. The blood, sweat and tears that goes into growing a business does not happen overnight, it takes years of hard work, sacrifices and sleepless nights to start a business from the ground up and get it going. Green Sparklean Maid Service began March of 2015 and up until the pandemic, it was thriving like it had never been before. We had several contracts with other office buildings in the Tampa Bay Area, our biggest business contract was with the off-campus student housing for the University of South Florida.. And when we lost that contract, our business plummeted. Understandably so, we were in a national lockdown; schools, businesses, churches, everything was closed. Thankfully the business is recovering now but to be honest, it’ll take some time to bring it back to the way it was. At that moment, I understood that things would never be the same. That’s when I realized that I had to do something different, perhaps this was the time to pursue a lifelong dream of mine. A dream that was tucked away for so many years. It was big and big dreams are scary and risky. I remember I would try to talk myself out of it and just say “oh, it’s just wishful thinking, if it happens it’ll be sometime in the far future when the kids are older and I have “more time” to dedicate to it”. Little did I know that God had orchestrated precisely this time to be the best time and all that was required of me was to be obedient and walk in faith. I quickly realized that there was no time like the present, it was now or never. With prayer and counsel, I took that leap of faith, trusting and believing that God was calling me now and not later. 

I, Landy was intrigued by her story and decided to do a brief interview by asking her a few questions.

Difficulties are not

meant to defeat us, they’re meant to develop us.

Photo Credit: Tav. Co.

1. Tell us about that specific dream of yours? Well, I’ve always had an interest for design. I consider myself a visionary and where there is a blank canvas I see everything coming together so perfectly in my head. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of having a clothing line for kids and become an integral part of the design process. With four kids, I quickly realized that buying children’s clothing can add up quite rapidly. I have three girls and a boy and to be honest, I found myself stuck at times, purchasing things that I really didn’t like. And most importantly, clothing that weren’t multi-functional. Once the pandemic hit I spoke to my husband and we prayed, then we took the leap of faith that was required to get this business started. Within a nine month period, we went from concept development to launching our very first product and that’s how Tavz.Co. was born. 

2. Tell us more about Tavz. Co.

The heart behind Tavz. Co. is bringing simplicity to everyday life. As a mom of four, laundry is a never-ending task which can become overwhelming at times. With our brand, my goal is to provide simplicity and functionality, and in turn reduce the amount of laundry and upkeep for your little ones. I wanted to create clothing that is multi-functional that can be worn to church, to the beach, the park or even to bed without compromising its comfort and quality. We came up with our first design and it’s what we call “the everyday dress”. A lot of thought and intentionality went into designing this specific style of dress. Because simplicity is very important to us, we made sure to include under shorts within the dress for modesty purposes. This is what we call a two in one solution. With our everyday dresses, we cover all the bases so that you don’t have to worry about them.

3. Where do do you see Tavz. Co. going in the future? 

As the visionary that I am, I see expansion. In fact, we are working hard to launch our Fall Collection. In the next few months new colors will be made available and we’re already working on several new designs. Boy clothing is also in the pipeline which will broaden our market and you’ll also be seeing more product launches in 2022. I definitely see TavzCo. partnering up with other brands and doing big things in the industry.

4. You just celebrated a birthday. A lot has happened in a decade. What would you tell your 21 year old self?  

I would tell my younger self what Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand.” I would tell her to keep plowing the field, to keep doing the work. A lot of people look at others successes and then despise their beginnings. I would tell her to focus on the work that has been set for her to do and not anyone else’s because God rejoices in seeing the work we do. Eli, just do the work and God will take care of the rest. 

5. How do you juggle being a wife, a mom, a homeschool teacher of four, ministry life, a pastor’s wife, and an entrepreneur? 

Juggle is a perfect word because when you juggle, one is always at the very top of the air and the truth is a lot of balls gets dropped, all the time.

I heard once that when juggling a lot of balls, some are glass and some are rubber. When you drop glass balls they break but when you drop rubber ones, they bounce back up. Glass balls such as marriage, kids and ministry are non-negociables and cannot be dropped. On the other hand, rubber balls such as laundry and an occasional cheat meals for the family can be dropped because they will bounce right up. The key is deciding which ones are glass and be intentional about not dropping those… everything else is rubber and it’ll be okay. 

6. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue their dream?

As simple as this may sound but I believe it's fundamental and we cannot steer away from it. My advice is: Be prayerful. Pray and ask the Lord if this is the season for you to be still and wait or get up and go. Ask Him to lead you, to give you peace and open the right doors so that you can walk through them confidently, knowing that He has your back no matter what. God’s timing is always the best.

I, Landy as a busy gal, found myself resonating a lot with the glass/ rubber balls analogy. I’m always reminded of what Ecclesiastes 9:10 says “Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.” Whatever we have been entrusted with, God wants us to do it and do it well. Many times we want to be entrusted with more. Luke 16:10 reminds us that in order to have more we must be faithful and good stewards of what we have now. It says, “If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in the larger ones.” God wants us to learn to decipher between what is glass and what is rubber. Once we learn to loosen the grip a little with the rubber and tighten up with the glass, our hands will become free to accept everything God has for us. And as the Word says, whatever we do will prosper. What are the non-negociable glass balls in your life that you cannot afford to drop? What are the rubber ones that if they fall, it’s not the end of the world because they’ll bounce right back?

Elizabeth’s story reminds us that anything is possible and that we can rise from the ashes. Although the pandemic greatly affected her first business, it also caused her to birth a new one. What’s remarkable is that she didn’t allow this crisis to stop her from accomplishing her dreams. Difficulties are not meant to defeat us, they’re meant to develop us. It’ll will bring forth something greater that you never thought was in you. What dreams have you tucked away, how long has it been? What will it take for you to dig it up and bring it to life?

If there is one thing I want you to take away from this is this: No matter what your situation looks like right now; if you surrender it to God and trust His leading, He is able to……. give you more, exceedingly and abundantly more than what you could have ever think or imagine. He can and He will.

I’m so excited to see what else God has in-store for Elizabeth and her family! And I want to encourage you today that just like He placed Tavz. Co. in her hands, during a national pandemic; I believe God wants to bring place something beautiful in your hands as well. Yes, even during your toughest season in life. Be willing, be prayerful and move in faith. 

Please check out Tavz. Co. by visiting their website and consider supporting them by making a purchase at www.tavzco.com and also follow them on Instagram at: www.instagram.com/tavzco

Be Encouraged, Be Blessed!

~landypf 

Photo Credit: Tav. Co.