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How did you come up with the idea for your business?
As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), I was asked to teach a large variety of skills to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities. These skills include hair brushing, menstrual care, wiping, tooth brushing, and more. When I looked to the research for effective methods to teach these skills, I was met with little information, especially for the more intimate care skills. This is when I began pursuing my doctorate to examine effective methodologies to teach daily living skills. In my research, I found that video-models were an effective tool but every individual practitioner was having to create their own videos for every individual. There was no system to share these videos. This is when I came up with the idea for Pickle Systems, to create a resource for practitioners, parents, and educators to teach these important skills.
What does the average day look like for you now as an entrepreneur (especially compared to past jobs/days)?
As an entrepreneur, PhD student, and BCBA, I rely on an organized schedule to keep everything moving towards my goals. A day in the life looks like going to work as a BCBA during the mornings, working on content creation and general business administration for Pickle Systems in the afternoons, and working on my research in the evenings. I have always had multiple things on my plate at a time. Having been a collegiate athlete, working two jobs while pursuing my masters, and now currently having my business, being busy is all I have ever known and I enjoy it!
What are some of the top things you have learned so far?
The top things I have learned so far are: (1) Put yourself out there! If you don’t share what you are doing, you will never go anywhere. The worst thing they can say is no. (2) Plan but don’t get stuck to it. As someone who is an extreme planner, it is easy for me to get disappointed when the plan doesn't work exactly as I wanted. But remember that everything happens for a reason and to see where this next road takes you! (3) Celebrate all the wins, no matter how small. It is easy to get discouraged with slow progress, but if you break down the process into small steps, celebrate when you accomplish the little things that build toward the bigger picture. Celebrating the little victories, has really increased my productivity.
Who or what inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
I was inspired to be an entrepreneur because my parents owned multiple businesses growing up and my grandparents own a company as well. Having this guide, I felt confident that I could pursue this myself. Also, I was inspired to create this resource to be able to help more people with disabilities. As a BCBA, I can only reach so many people, but with this web-application I can reach many more.
What have been 1-2 of your proudest moments in creating your business?
One of my proudest moments as a business was the completion of our first video-model. It was so exciting to see the video come to life as I had envisioned. Another proud moment, was competing at the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition and winning the Health Innovation Award.
What’s the best advice you have received along your journey?
The best advice I have received along my journey was to put myself out there. Go outside my comfort zone and push to put our company out there. It has led to a lot of opportunities.
About The Author:
Molly Oshinski '23
Founder of Pickle System