Column ‘MOMPRENEUR: I am a Business Mom!’ The Story of Hero Lina Astrauskė

When the weather gets colder, often there’s a desire to wrap up comfortably and slow down the pace. But not for Lina Astrauskė: the mother of four-year-old twins Ieva and Kipras, adorned in her MARCH2 brand skirt, moves like a whirlwind. A member of the Business Angels Association, a board member of the Jonava branch of the Kaunas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the deputy director of the Jonava Volleyball Association (yes, we’re still talking about the same person), she doesn’t hide that keeping up with everything is not easy but possible, so she gladly shares her business secrets.

In short:

Founder: Lina Astrauskė

Children: twins Ieva and Kipras (4 years old)

City: Jonava

Brand: MARCH2

Products: skirts made from natural and high-quality fabrics

Style: classic, elegant

Sizes: 34–44

Price: 119–139 EUR

Where: www.march2.lt

Social media: Facebook, Instagram

Three elegant, educated, self-confident women chat over coffee about family, work, hobbies, and future plans. No matter where they rush afterward – to the office, an event, or a date, with MARCH2 skirts, they always look subtly charming. That’s the vision and goal of Lina’s brand, which slowly but surely becomes a reality. Stepping into the business world for the first time, the open woman admits that figuring out what she wanted to do wasn’t easy. But it all started from the beginning.

Blaming children and husband for the turning point in life

It seems that everything Lina touches turns to gold. However, according to the brand’s founder, this doesn’t necessarily help in business; on the contrary, it can become a significant obstacle: “When everything is going well and you’re doing a bit of everything, it’s natural that it’s hard to become an expert in one area. So, despite completing my master’s studies in international business, I always felt that I’m not business-minded and won’t be able to make money from my activities.”

Giving in to such thoughts, Lina worked for many years as a youth affairs specialist in EU-funded projects implemented by the municipality. The crucial changes in her life awaited her in her thirties – she got married, gave birth to twins, and her attitude toward her career and herself started to change: “After giving birth to twins, I realized that I wouldn’t go back to my previous job because there was no room for improvement in that field, and I don’t like monotony. Also, for the first few years, juggling raising children and regular work seemed extremely difficult – with four-year-olds who are always curious and active, there is always something to do!”

“There were nights when I woke up with a business idea, woke up my husband, told him about it, and in the morning, I had changed my mind. After a few nights like that, my husband advised me to write down the ideas and not disturb his sleep.”

Lina says she didn’t want to become a grumpy, nagging mom, so she realized she had to look for alternatives to the 8-to-5 job. “My husband had success in business, so he encouraged me to start my own business, something I would enjoy. The only problem was – I like everything that’s not boring and opens up space for improvement, creation, and communication. There were nights when I woke up with a business idea, woke up my husband, told him about it, and in the morning, I had changed my mind. After a few nights like that, my husband advised me to write down the ideas and not disturb his sleep,” Lina laughs, recalling one of the biggest challenges – figuring out what kind of business to start.

The vision of the perfect skirt turned into reality

After maturing the idea for six months and, as she says, planning it forward for about five years, Lina decided – skirts. “I always thought about creating clothes. Naturally, at first, my thoughts revolved around a line for children, but that would have meant getting into mass production, fast fashion, which I least desired. I personally like skirts, but I rarely found one that met my expectations – often, products follow trends, and quality lags behind. So, I would buy fabric from my favorite fabric store, and my friend, a seamstress-technologist, would make what I wanted. Eventually, I decided: I’ll make skirts, but not the kind demanded by the masses, but the kind I like. I wanted the skirts to be enjoyable to receive, beautifully packaged, high-quality, classic, suitable for every body type, and I wouldn’t be ashamed of my product,” Lina emphasizes the essential points.

“I wanted the skirts to be enjoyable to receive, beautifully packaged, high-quality, classic, suitable for every body type, and I wouldn’t be ashamed of my product.”

So what makes MARCH2 skirts stand out? It all starts with the fabric. MARCH2 skirts are made from woolen fabrics. Of all textile fibers, wool best retains heat, but the body doesn’t sweat. Moreover, the lining uses acetate fabric, a semi-natural material, rather than polyester. The second important detail is the skirt models. Here, the key is that the fabric drapes well, the waistband fits perfectly, and the woman wearing the skirt feels comfortable and admits that in pursuit of the perfect skirt, the construction had to be adjusted six times! So you can be sure that only skirts meeting the highest criteria are presented to buyers.

While the entire fashion industry cries, “Highlight your strengths with our clothes,” MARCH2 appears from a completely different perspective: “All women are beautiful, adorn our clothes.” The creator of this brand, Lina, says she wanted every woman to find the right size for her MARCH2 skirt: “I chose this classic model because it suits women of all body types. I myself have a non-feminine figure, and by putting on this skirt, feminine lines visually appear. Another important aspect is comfort; I adore pockets myself, so only one skirt out of all due to a different model structure doesn’t have pockets. Elegance, quality, and comfort in every life situation were my priorities, and, of course, for a woman to feel beautiful.”

“I chose this classic model because it suits women of all body types. I myself have a non-feminine figure, and by putting on this skirt, feminine lines visually appear.”

No one would dare to argue that beauty radiates from within. Therefore, it’s not surprising that the most popular MARCH2 skirt is called “Radiance.” Lina shines, giving a wonderful piece of advice to all businesswomen: “The most important thing is to trust yourself, be brave, do what you like, and when done with love – then the result is good.”

The most valuable asset – family

Asked about the biggest challenges, Lina admits that she was most disappointed by the Lithuanian business culture and the attitude of other market participants: “I didn’t expect to encounter such a casual attitude and poor communication. Wherever I went, whoever I approached, many didn’t even lift their heads from the computer because I’m not a representative of a big company.” Fortunately, there were exceptions. The woman gradually started to implement her idea, although on the longer path, she had to “fight” for the quality of services.

“Wherever I went, whoever I approached, many didn’t even lift their heads from the computer because I’m not a representative of a big company.”

Speaking about future plans, Lina looks at everything rationally, primarily thinking about her family. “When establishing the brand, I didn’t plan for large sales and didn’t rush headlong into business, so that time would be left for the family. I’m moving slowly, gradually. In the future, I would like to enter foreign markets – create an online store in English, maybe even in German since I studied in Germany. When the children are sick, working becomes more challenging, but I have help, and for that, I am very grateful. Also, the most important thing is to set priorities correctly, plan time.

“I always write down what needs to be done and try to do tasks not little by little but rather focus on one until it’s completed, then you can see the task list decreasing. I also participate in various activities because I simply like to communicate, feel the pulse; I can’t shut myself in for several days in front of the computer.”

“When establishing the brand, I didn’t plan for large sales and didn’t rush headlong into business so that time would be left for the family.”

Of course, the main priority will always be the family. Its importance is encoded in the name of the MARCH2 brand: March 2nd – the birth date of Lina’s twins. “I chose the name for quite a while; there were many different options until I finally came to the conclusion that I wanted it to be associated with something personal. And children – they are the dearest thing I have.”

Prepared by Giedrė Petreikienė

giedre@kodaslt.lt