Adrienne Alitowski is a former actress, inventor, momtrepreneur, and bestselling author in 11 categories. Alitowski documents her journey with navigating motherhood and running a business in her new book, Clipped: A mom invents a way to hold her life together just as the world falls apart.
“Clipped is the incredibly detailed adventure of one woman’s battle with the ups and downs of product invention. Adrienne is David to the Great Recession’s Goliath, representing all of the small business owners. They were trying to make their dreams come true during our times’ most severe economic and financial meltdown. But her infectious positive attitude means you never stop rooting for her. Even when all may be lost, she always finds the riches that truly matter the most.” – Carrie Preston. Emmy Award-Winning Actor.
Alitowski embarked on her entrepreneurial journey upon becoming a new mother to her firstborn son, Eli. Motherhood comes with its fair share of challenges, and the main obstacle Alitowski faced, was being able to keep her sleeping baby asleep in his stroller.
While on walks, she quickly noticed that she wasn’t the only parent struggling to keep a blanket over their sleeping child’s stroller, and this is where she had her big idea, to launch blankyclip. A safe, aesthetically pleasing product that serves a purpose and solves a problem.
Clipped further documents her journey with fertility, product invention overseas, and the financial struggles Alitowski had to overcome to make her dream business reality and execute blankyclip from concept to completion promptly, during an uncertain economic period, not only for business giants but for newer, smaller companies as well.
“The important thing in life is not to be stopped and to follow your dreams because you never know where they will take you. I’m happy I have a story to tell, and maybe I can be helpful to other moms who have ideas and don’t know how to move forward with them,” says Alitowski.
Alitowski reshapes the meaning of resilience and drives through her ambitious journey with product invention. She describes her experiences in a humorous and detailed fashion, making readers feel they are right there with her. Clipped is a light read with so much soul, relatability, and honesty throughout.
Having roots in acting, Alitowski’s quirky personality and driven nature genuinely shine through the memoir, from beginning to end. She continuously showcases tenacity and passion in all areas of her life, from challenges with fertility to launching a product to being awarded a patent and trademark, and so much more.
An excerpt from her book reads, “If you were paying attention, you might have seen me on Beverly Hills, 90210; Just Shoot Me!; Everybody Loves Raymond; and 18 Wheels of Justice. Although the odds of succeeding in the entertainment industry are infinitesimal, there was nothing I wouldn’t try. I performed a one-woman show; I produced a show, Glen Mary Glen Rose: Women Do Men, with celebrity actresses as a fundraiser for breast cancer research; and I directed a short film that played in festivals from Sarasota to Santa Cruz. I thought that if I just held on to that pant leg of life with all my might, my tenacity and fearlessness would land me a juicy role on a must-see sitcom, and my problems would be over. I devoured trade magazines like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. I went to seminars and networking breakfasts to learn tidbits that might help me get that next job. I auditioned for anything and everything… My point is, I was determined.”
With that, there is no doubt Alitwoski approaches all aspects of her life with the same fiery passion for success, which turned out well for her with blankyclip. Despite the business not being active currently, Alitowski embarked on a new journey and dabbled in writing her memoir about her experiences as a new mom and business owner during the Great Recession.
The Great Recession was a trying time for most Americans, particularly for small business owners and even more so for new business owners. Alitowski documents her experience with research and concept planning, which enabled her to juggle motherhood and its challenges while entering the business and entrepreneurial world for the first time.
Additionally, Alitowski discusses her career shifts and how her priorities were rapidly shifting upon becoming a new mother, which was an adjustment. “Without my permission, my priorities had shifted. I was now in the “I’m a mom, and it’s not about me anymore” phase of life,” says Alitowski in Clipped.
Clipped is an honest story of one woman’s experience within topics such as family planning, motherhood, launching a business, and financial struggles, during a challenging economic period. Alitowski shares how she achieved her goals and battled through the struggles to make her dreams come true, despite being knocked down several times.
Clipped is available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
