The past four years have been a whirlwind for Julie McInerney, owner of Sweet Mitten Dreams. As a busy mom of three - ages 9 ,7 and 6 and wife of 13 years to her husband Danny, (also known as her biggest supporter/the tent tear down and pickup guy) she has created something that allows her to do what she loves. What began as a way for families to create memories in their own homes has become more than Julie could have ever dreamed of. "During covid, I refused to accept that families wouldn't be able to celebrate", and from that thought, the idea was born...Sweet Mitten Dreams would be a unique, customized glamping experience and would lend itself to all ages, themes and locations. "Celebrations and memories don’t stop even if the rest of the world does— I just kept asking myself how can we bring that into a home and meet them where they’re at?"
With over 1000 clients to date, those overnight glamping parties have evolved into bachelorette dinners, 50th birthday parties, weekend brunches in the backyard, charity events and other celebrations of life. As people are starting to move away from sleepovers, Julie tends to follow the trends in order to diversify offerings for her clients. Lately, she has been seeing a big request for daytime brunch events and other daytime parties. "I really want people to know that we can create a theme and an experience for just about anything that they can dream up -- this isn't just for birthdays, and I want to give families what they're looking for no matter what." Recently, Julie had the honor of creating an experience for a family whose child was battling a terminal illness. "I never dreamed I would be a part of something so meaningful. I was so honored to create a magical space for two siblings to share special memories together and that is something that I will cherish forever....that is why I do this...for people to really celebrate one another - to truly meet them where they are at."
Over the past four years, Julie found herself being approached often by women asking her for advice, and if she'd be able to teach them how to do the same. Hearing from so many women looking to create something of their own inspired her to take her own business one step further into coaching. A series of digital marketing courses led Julie to build her own platform that offers opportunities for women to help create their own version of Sweet Mitten Dreams. She’s created a masterclass and offers a variety of online courses that cover the “how-to guides” behind starting your own business including DIY videos and templates. "I'm passionate about helping other women start from scratch — I just want to encourage them to get rid of the imposter syndrome and go for it!" A piece of advice she gives every new business owner is to find the thing that makes them unique. For Julie, it's the Michigan-made snack favor bags that she includes in her experiences. She's found that those loving little details sometimes make the biggest impact.
Another passion of Julie's is giving back to her community. She's been a part of the March of Dimes for the past several years, a charity close to her heart as her own daughter was born premature at 29 weeks. Learning about new charities and non-profits and finding ways in which she can give back in a unique way is something she's always interested in, as she's found that giving back and giving her time is one of the easiest ways to make an impact in her community.
When she's not at her family cottage in Port Austin for summer getaways - you'll most likely run into her in downtown Rochester - shopping her clients' small businesses, at the Downtown Rochester farmers market - or somewhere with her husband enjoying a margarita (she informed us that she could probably live on Mexican food for the rest of her life.)
Long term, Julie has big dreams of franchising the business, but for now, she is focusing on continuing to build on her master classes and coursework to help other women get their business off the ground. Impacting other women to create their own destiny is always something she'll never get tired of.
Learn more about Sweet Mitten Dreams by visiting https://sweetmittendreams.com or by following her on Instagram at @sweetmittendreams
I refused to accept that families wouldn’t be able to celebrate.
I'm passionate about helping other women build businesses.