Getting to Know Our Founders

Whether you’re brand new to Golden Coil or have been with us for a while, we thought it would be fun to sit down with our founders, Trisha and Michelle, and get to know a bit more about them and the spark that launched their customizable planner company.

Growing Up

Trisha and Michelle had an imaginative and full childhood. With five other siblings, there was always someone to play with or recruit into a new club. For their mother, Amy, seven kids meant seven schedules to keep track of and coordinate. “I always remember the huge calendar she had hanging on the wall and we were each color-coded,” says Michelle. Amy also had a planner she carried along with her as she took them to their various activities while also directing at their local live theatre.

An Idea Sparks

Although most of their siblings had grown up and left the house by 2014, Trisha and Michelle knew planning still played an important role for their mother. They were shopping together for a Mother’s Day gift a few years ago when they decided to find a planner that would perfectly meet the needs of their mom’s new schedule and obligations. “There were a lot of good options out there and they were so close!” says Michelle. But as they continued to search, they came up empty-handed. They found that they both had different ideas of what elements would create the perfect planner, but most importantly, they realized the best person to decide what should be in their mother’s planner was their mother. “She’s the only person who knows how her life runs and how her brain can plan,” says Trisha. Which is what sparked the idea to create a fully customizable planner. One that could start and end at any point of the year and could be organized and formatted to fit a wide range of needs.

Business Advice

Starting a business was not a novel concept for the Zemp sisters — they’d grown up watching their dad’s entrepreneurial path. When they pitched him their idea for a customizable planner company, he told them it was the best business idea he’d heard in a while. Encouraged, they worked through the next challenging months of finding the right printing company, working with developers to create a streamlined website, and getting the word out. Despite the difficulties, they found they’d created a business that they enjoyed running. “Michelle is incredibly organized and I love doing creative work. We get to do things we love within our business,” says Trisha.

Their advice for others starting a business? “Just do it,” says Trisha. Many would-be entrepreneurs hesitate to jump into a pursuit because of all of the uncertainties that come with starting up. “You don’t know what you don’t know until you start doing it,” Trisha responds. “You have to have some serious grit to just do it. If you want to start a business, just go for it because there’s never a perfect time.” Michelle’s adds, “We knew we’d always be thinking about this company if we didn’t try it. If you fail, at least you know. If there’s something you really want to do and can’t get off your mind, try it!”