Farewell, Angela!

December 27, 2012

It is with fond farewell that we say good bye to Angela Gifford.

Angela has been a part of our Mom 4 Life team for several years doing customer service and helping with product additions. We thought it would be fun to share a little interview we had with her about her time with us.  Enjoy!  Oh. . . and don’t forget to check out her list of favorite Mom 4 Life products.  For a limited time we are offering them at an extra 20% off (see below for details)!

-How did you end up working at Mom 4 Life?

Oh, this is one of my favorite stories of God’s love for me. :)   I had been a stay at home mom for eleven years, and was just devastated that I was going to have to go back to work. But we’d hit some really hard times, lost a business, and gotten into quite a bit of debt. I mentioned at a Bible study that I needed to find a job that provided enough to pay for daycare for my youngest and still make enough to pay down some bills. I mentioned how nervous I was because I hadn’t worked in so long, and didn’t even know what I was qualified for. Heather happened to be at that Bible study. I didn’t know her very well at the time, but she had an opening at Mom 4 Life, and the rest is history!

How long have you been at Mom 4 Life?

I’ve been working at Mom 4 Life since September of 2008 – almost 4-1/2 years! Hard to believe! When I started working at Mom 4 Life, I had to make a 45 minute drive, each way, to the office everyday. My kiddos were age 4-10. In time, I was able to work completely from home….and I now have a sophmore!!

-What was your favorite part of your job?

I loved being able to work from home. I could spend spring break in Oregon with my parents, so the kids had something to do; and I could work from their house. If any of my kids were sick, they could stay home with me; and I didn’t miss work. I also loved being able to help a customer get exactly what they needed. Helping grandparents shop was probably one of my favorite things. I also loved learning about the internet and all the ways it can be used, exploring new programs and applications. It is amazing what one can do from their living room!

-What was the most challenging?

Probably the most challenging part of my job was helping customers when their order went totally wrong. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen very often. But being the customer service representative means that it is your job to make the customer happy. That means that you deal with their emotions and disappointment, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. It really is amazing how many things can go wrong in an order. Inventory could be off. The post office could lose something. There might be a computer glitch. A product could arrive damaged. Sometimes I was the one that made the mistake, but no matter where the mistake was made, I had to take ownership for Mom 4 Life, and be the one that directly deals with the customer frustrations. Thankfully, Heather gave me the freedom to do almost anything to make a customer happy. :)

-Do you have any funny “behind the scenes moment” to share from you job?

I think probably some of the funniest “behind the scenes moments” for me were screening new product recommendations. Every now and then we get a suggestion that just really makes you laugh. You just sit there staring at it and think, “Are they serious? Is this a joke”?  For instance, one time a man called and really wanted to sell me on his invention. I told him that unfortunately we only carry mom-invented products, but he was sure I would make an exception for his. He had invented an inflatable potty seat that would easily fit in a diaper bag or purse and could be inflated anytime you needed it in a public restroom. The mouth valve was positioned against the back of the toilet. I could barely contain the contents of my stomach while I envisioned using it more than once.

-What will you miss the most after you leave?

I will miss Heather, Sarah, and Jennifer for sure. Though I believe the friendships we’ve created will mean we will still see each other! :) I will miss being the first to see the great new things moms come up with, and getting a fabulous staff discount!

-What are you most looking forward to after you leave?

I wish I could say, I no longer needed to work and was going to look forward to sleeping late and reading all day. But the truth is, my life may get way more hectic now than it has been. I do look forward to reclaiming some space in my home from the Mom 4 Life returns department and some space on my hard drive from email programs and files. :) I also look forward to some of the new challenges ahead in jobs that will take my favorite parts of working for Mom 4 Life and grow me in those areas more. I’m currently working part time at my church (which I’ve hoped for a long time) and for an agency that trains foster parents and prepares foster youth to age out of the system. It is very fulfilling and uses a lot of my gifts and heart passions.

-Which Mom 4 Life products are your favorite?

I’ve always loved BabyLegs. When I first started working at Mom 4 Life, my boys liked to wear them, and I got lots of them in fun styles with spiders and stripes…and the old style Super Soft flames. I also really love the Knot Genie, because I have really curly hair. We have three of them at our house. The Dapper Snappers have been a life-saver around here for my skinny little boys. They LOVE not messing with a belt in the school bathroom. My boys also love the Born to Love Fedoras and Born to Love Visor Beanies. We’ve had several of those over the years. I’ve loved giving Snugfits as baby gifts. When my niece was born after my brother had been married eleven years, I had a “worth the wait” snapsuit made. Wubbanubs have also been a favorite baby shower gift to give. Everyone loves them, and Pee-pee Tee pees are my favorite gift to get a laugh!  The Mom 4 Life Product that has the most meaning to me is the Bella Merce Stacked Family Names Mixed Metal Custom Sterling Silver & Copper Necklace. When we launched one of the new websites, it went live when Sarah was VERY sick, and Heather was out of town. I worked 100 hours that pay period and rewarded myself with that necklace. Every time I wear it, people want to know where I got it. I love “keeping my kids close to my heart.”

Anything else on your heart?

I would really like to thank Heather for this opportunity. I can’t explain the blessing of a stay at home mom being able to work from home and have her experience AS a mom be one of the qualifiers of doing the job well. It has been fun to explore our love of writing together, build a friendship, and stretch and grow. Thank you, Heather!

Want to try some of these products out for yourself?  Simply use the code “Angela” during checkout and any of the above mentioned items will be discounted by 20% (these prices are good for one week only so don’t delay)!

 

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