Co-Founder + CEO | Brixley Bags, Spanish Fork
Kimberly O’Connell founded Brixley Bags in 2019 — a bag that can be worn five different ways, has a built-in wallet and key clasp, and is both stylish and functional for the modern day traveler (plus packing cubes and totes). The brand took off, and her husband quit his corporate job to work full-time with Kimberly. Aside from the bag business, Kimberly and her family have a farm with 22 animals — including six TikTok-famous tortoises with over 769,000 followers! Brixley and farms, tortoises and totes — all part of this bag lady.
SHOULDERING THE LOAD
“I wake up at the crack of dawn with my 1-year-old little boy, we film our tortoise vlogs and get ready for the day. I go into the warehouse, fulfill orders, do emails, and anything else that needs to be done! It’s really just me and my husband, one full-time employee and a couple part-time employees.
“I also have 22 animals that I take care of. We have a mini hobby farm. We have a TikTok account that has blown up for our six tortoises. I run my business, I am a mom, a wife and I work with the children in my church. I truly am not sure how I keep it all balanced. I cry if I think about it too hard.”
A STEP AT A TIME
“One of the steps that helped me get to where I am was my supportive husband who told me to quit my job and go full-time with it. He believed in me more than I believed in myself.
“I didn’t know where to begin originally. I didn’t go to college, I was working full-time as a bookkeeper, and I just started by searching online, ‘Manufacturers … what do I do?’ At the beginning, I was talking to over 300 manufacturers trying to get a minimum order quantity (MOQ), and I finally found someone who had a low enough MOQ of 200. I rolled with it, sold those bags, took that money and bought more, and went from there.”
BRAINSTORM
“I wanted to create the cutest, high-quality, travel accessories on the market and I set out to do it myself! I had another bag before this, and it was really big — but I wasn’t a mom yet, so I didn’t need anything too big. I wanted something smaller that could hold my keys, wallet, etc. At the same time, I wanted a bag that could be worn a bunch of different ways. So I made Brixley! It has a wallet/credit card holder inside, it has a key clasp, it holds all my essentials and it can be worn five different ways.”
GIVE HER A HAND
“I am most proud of where I have grown my business. Starting the business at 20, and watching it succeed — along with the community I have built — is what I am most proud of. I love being a business owner so I can treat employees how I always wanted to be treated.”