Susue Moschkau & Natalie Buckman @ Flip ‘em the Bird, Inc are there for you when you don’t have the words to say what you want to
Stylish Wit by Flip ‘em the Bird, Inc - a women-owned, Minnesota based start-up founded by Susie Moschkau + Natalie Buckman. While freezing at our office jobs and looking for some comic relief to combat the day to day shit corporate life bestows upon us, our Flip ‘em the Bird fingerless glove idea was hatched! After 2 decades of friendship and the dread of turning the big 4-0 we decided it was time to take our hilariousness and sassitude to the masses (um, you’re welcome everyone) and we launched a brand that is uniquely funny + fashionable. Everyone has their own shit to deal with and actions often speak louder than words, SO, as our tagline suggests... when you don’t have the words let your gloves say it for you.
What did you want to do/be when you were a child? Did anything changed since then? Why? Why not?
Susie: When I was a kid I wanted to be a lawyer, I remember seeing the confident and commanding females of the TV show LA Law and I really thought that was what I wanted to be. As I got older and started working at fast food restaurants, I would climb the ladder rather quickly and have these super annoying overachieving tendencies. I came home to my mom once, sobbing, because I didn’t understand why I had to take on all the additional responsibility. She ran through all of these stories of me being a leader. She said, “You can fight who you are, but what a shame to not be able to give to the world everything you could be.” At that moment I was like, “fuck it, I want to be a CEO.”
Natalie: I didn’t have a single career in mind as a child but more things I wanted to do or hoped I’d be good at like: mother, actress, singer, teacher, designer, artist, and horseback rider. As an adult, I still haven’t stopped thinking about what I want to do, and I doubt I’ll ever have a “final answer.” Although I did not professionally achieve the majority of careers on that list - I happily realize that I did become all of those things in one way, shape or form. I am a mother of 2 awesome girls; I am dramatic + funny. I sing all the time regardless of my range or the lack of a paycheck...or fans. I love sharing what I’ve learned + helping others. I have a degree in Interior Design, experience in life safety systems design and recently designed a line of fingerless gloves. I love to doodle - and love drawing with my kids, mainly because they think I’m talented. And last but not least, I rode a horse once when I was twelve. I don’t consider this quite accomplished yet, as I still desperately want to own a horse one day even though I know next to nothing about horses.
What is a good article or book you have read recently? Tell us about it!
Susie: Amy Poehler, YES PLEASE. I am behind in reading this badass biography, but I picked this book because I strive to model Leslie Knope as a leader and felt Amy Poehler was the closest I would get. I love the chapter in the book when she describes her admiration and love for Tina Fey who is her “comedy wife.” I feel the same way about Natalie, in parallel, our relationship is the same age as Lourdes Ciccone, and we both knew each other when we were incredibly broke and single.
Natalie: The book: The Yamas & the Niyamas
I’m sort of at a shift and tipping point at a lot of places in my life, including how I look at career, work, etc. One of the many things that resonate with me in this book is the message and importance on balance and trying to be present and appreciate each moment.
Imagine you can choose how your future in 5 years looks like. What is it? Why?
In 5 years we want to be a known brand, running Flip ‘em the Bird out of our own office space - with a few employees! We would like to explore “Swearing is Caring” a component to our business where we support other women start-ups and enable/ inspire people to explore their dreams. We want our company and space to be collaborative and innovative with some calmness and positivity are thrown into the mix. No douche bags allowed. We also want to create an environment where the expectation is to work hard at work but work is not your entire life. Family, hobbies, and sleep are all critical pieces to balancing out life. We want to find a way to develop an environment where we can grow our brand recognition, continue to evolve fresh ideas, and provide a fun + nurturing environment, all while still being some funny-ass, sassy-ass bad-ass chicks.