New Moms connects young moms to a variety of resources during their time in our programs. One that is very important and special, is the connection we provide to potential employers. Meet Rachel Kamins. Rachel runs a successful small business and is a proud employment partner of New Moms.
A creative by trade and a lifelong ice-cream enthusiast, Rachel had an epiphany after reading a short story titled “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville.
“The main character worked in an office and one day just stopped doing what his boss told him to do. He just kept saying ‘I would prefer not to’ no matter what his boss asked. When I read that I was like, oh my God, I wish I could say that! That’s how I feel too!”
After honing her skills through family birthday cakes and sweet treats for friends, Rachel took a leap of faith and founded Barleby’s Ice Cream Cakes in January of 2019. As she grew the business, she realized that she needed a kitchen assistant to keep up with orders, especially during peak seasons. As she assessed her needs, she realized she could create the work culture that she had always wanted, avoiding the bureaucratic hierarchy that she turned away from when starting her own business.
“My mission when I started the business was to create an organization that would be different from the places where I worked and felt uncomfortable—that were very hierarchical and rules based or that didn’t want people to use their own judgment or make decisions by themselves. Places that were very confining. I want to create a workplace that’s respectful of individuals and lets them, you know, be who they are.”
She also wanted to ensure her business was a safe and welcoming place for working mothers as well, acknowledging the unique stresses and challenges of parenthood.
“I’m a mom and when I had my two kids, there were times when I really felt totally confined in the workplace. It’s like you’re supposed to pretend like you don’t have a kid when you go to work for an organization. You know, like if you’re tired, no matter what you have to show up, if your kid needs to leave daycare or school early, they tell you to figure it out. I wanted to make a place that was not like that.”
When she set out to hire an assistant, she wanted to partner with an organization that could connect her to people who could benefit from a more flexible, understanding workplace. She first encountered New Moms through a Bright Endeavors candle sale, and decided to reach out, which is how she met Shakyra.
“I talked to her on a video chat and I really liked her right away. She had a really good attitude and was very pleasant to talk to. I brought her in for some trial shifts and she was really on the ball—good at following instructions and really good at asking questions, which is super important to me. We hit it off! We like hanging out with each other and we work well together. We’ve worked together going on two years now.”
Although Shakyra was an outstanding worker at Bright Endeavors, quickly becoming a shift leader, she found job hunting challenging.
“It was very hard for me to find a job. I had been to over fifty interviews before New Moms—I never had any experience before then. At first my communication skills weren’t as good as they are now. I didn’t know how to have a proper conversation. They (interviewers) kept asking me, what’s my major skill? And I was like, I don’t know, I never really worked in a professional setting.”
At Bartleby’s, Shakyra was given the opportunity to embrace her strengths and show off her talents. Here in her first full-time job, she is building skills and techniques that help her in all aspects of life, all with the support of her boss Rachel.
“Rachel has been very helpful through this whole process, even with everything in my personal life. We try to keep it professional, but sometimes I have a hard time managing my stress and I’ll talk to her about it and maybe she can give me a solution. She always helps me all the way around. It’s just been great. I actually like coming here—I like my job. I don’t just do it for money. I actually like what I do.”
Both women are happy for the work being done at Bright Endeavors to help prepare young moms for the workforce.
“From what I’ve seen, Bright Endeavors provides really amazing job skills—soft skills for sure. You may not be able to find someone who has experience in your direct line of work, but Bright Endeavors will have taught them the really important things like time management, professionalism, and communication,” Rachel said.
“Bright Endeavors was very supportive about everything, even as far as helping with clothing and transportation. They gave us great job training and helped us with interviews. They showed us how to create resumes and things like that. So all of those tips were great.” Shakyra said.
If you would like to learn more about Bright Endeavors and our job training program, go to newmoms.org/job-training. We would love to welcome more employment partners into the New Moms community, so click here if you are interested in becoming an employment partner: newmoms.org/job-training/hire-a-graduate