I was always an artist, painting since I was a kid. I graduated college with a double major in fine art and marketing, which led me to a career in advertising and fashion marketing. Working for industry giants like Christian Dior and Donna Karan, I learned firsthand how a designer creates a product line that can make women feel special and beautiful. And I just knew that one day I would become a designer, too.

I began shopping in gift stores to score some ideas and eventually spotted some hand-painted glassware. It was pretty, but it was all floral-themed, so you had to be into hydrangeas and water lilies to really appreciate it. Then, in 2001, my friends and I enjoyed a Sex and the City–inspired girls’ night out. Each of us ordered a drink that fit her personality: a chocolate martini, an appletini, my own cosmopolitan. I looked at the pretty drinks but couldn’t help noticing the lackluster glassware. It was then that it dawned on me to paint the glasses my way—and my brand was born.

I whipped out my acrylics and began painting crystal glasses with super-girly designs. For a fun twist, I included a drink recipe on the bottom of each glass. These were to become the Love My Martini glasses, my first product line. I sold the glasses at trade shows, and they were an instant hit; I made more than $500,000 in my first year alone. After three years hand-painting thousands of glasses and fielding orders, the company got too big to manage on my own, so I turned over production to others so I could focus on design.

Today, designs by Lolita (DesignsByLolita.com) has six employees, and the brand is being produced by eight manufacturers and sold in over 9,000 stores worldwide. Customers often use the glasses for special occasions like birthdays and holiday parties, but many collect them, too. What started as glassware has now become a lifestyle brand that includes aprons, candles and tableware. And I still get to do what I love best—design. Plus, I’ve learned that inspiration can strike anywhere: the design for girlfriends rule, one of my most popular glasses, came to me one day while I was on a plane. I now carry a sketch pad everywhere.

My daughters have seen me painting glasses for most of their lives. that led to a funny incident some years back when the principal of Mary Margaret’s school called to ask why my then 6-year-old had drawn a martini glass in art class. It was a hard one to explain! But I’m glad my girls have grown up seeing their mom pursue her passion. You can have your cosmo—and drink it, too.

Top Lessons
1 Protect your intellectual property. Copyright any idea that is tangible (a sketch, a book, etc.) so that you legally own it. You can file at copyright.gov.

2 Hire someone to do your laundry. Or any other household chore that can be done inexpensively by another person. A few hours of help weekly can help you focus more on your work and business.

3 Get rid of the guilt. Kids know when you’re stressed, and feeling guilty creates stress. So ditch the guilt and do what you love. You’ll then show them that hard work equals success.

4 Don’t give away the shop. Never give up part of your company ownership in lieu of payment, no matter what he or she does for you. If you need an extra pair of hands, hire someone.

—As told to Jennifer Parris

Lolita, center, is picrtued with her daughters Caroline, 16, and Mary Margaret, 15.