Meet Stephanie Rado Taormina | Founder & CEO

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Rado Taormina and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Starting in my 20’s I found that I wanted to do things my own way and that prompted me to start my own businesses in fashion and home furnishings. I had worked for other people since I was 15, doing various jobs for over 10 years before life experiences showed me a path to trying things my own way. Once I got started in this path, it felt more natural to be my own boss and to develop my formula for sharing my creativity in products & design related services since I was 28 years old until today almost 30 years later.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started out as an assistant designer back in 1991. My first job was for an outerwear company called Andrew Marc. If I had stayed in NYC I would have been considered a designer only, but my path was meant to be much different. I am a designer, an artist & an entrepreneur. For the past 30 years I have been able to create products & services & market them to the world around me. When I first started down that journey I was designing & manufacturing loungewear & bedding. Then after starting my family, I switched gears to Interior Design and started my own design firm. We did everything from commercial & residential projects, custom furniture, renovations, and we even offered one hour design consultations. I believe there is a way to help people create more functional & beautiful spaces no matter what your budget is.
I also have always throughout my design career found time to paint and show my work as an artist.
8 years ago my professional career took a turn toward something bigger and more meaningful with the start of my lifestyle brand, Have Some Fun Today. With this concept I was able to get back into fashion, and combine my work in interior design, art and spreading my life philosophy to the world through the brands messaging.
We have sold thousands of people on the concept of wearing our sustainable & positive affirmation products as a meaningful fashion choice. I am driven to make this brand a household name in the next 5 years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite place to share with people is New York City. There is so much to experience in this city. Having gone to Parsons School of Design for my fashion degree in the late 80’s to early 90’s I loved living and working there and continued to visit Manhattan as often as I could. Today both of my daughters reside there and I plan to get a place there in the next few months as well.
Downtown is my favorite area because of how much is going on and how easily it is to roam from one neighborhood to the next relatively easily and safely. Little cafes and curated vintage boutiques in the east village, bougie little shops & restaurants in The Bowery & Nolita, quaint cobblestone streets of Soho and the West Village line the neighborhoods where people watching could keep you enthralled for hours. Some of my favorite places to eat are Le Mercerie in Soho where you feel like you are in Paris, or Tacombi with locations in Nolita, Flat iron & West Village for delicious and inexpensive Mexican food & drinks. Oh and the museums especially The Whitney in the meat packing area for great contemporary art, nearby Little Island for something different and there is also the entrance to the HighLine right there as well.
Never a dull moment in” the city”

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To start off, my work as the founder of the brand Have Some Fun Today was inspired by my late father; Joe Rado. Every time my father spoke with someone he closed the conversation with “Have Some Fun Today”. At my dad’s life celebration over 1000 came to share their stories and remember his life and the most prominent message of that day was that my father made a positive impact on mostly everyone he came into contact with in his life especially with that message! His words inspired me to start the brand and the support from my mother and family also deserves recognition because without that I would not have had the resources to create the amazing products I have been able to create over the past 8 years.

Website: www.havesomefuntoday.com

Instagram: @hsft_official

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieradotaormina/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hsft_official

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.taormina

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=have+some+fun+today

Image Credits
Justin Macala , Gavin Mulally, Hayley Williams, Gigi Burke, Daria Roxin