The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
Doing this on my own is a challenge. My husband is awesome and very supportive but he’s not the type to sit there at night time and thread beads!!! He’s a graphic designer amongst other things so that’s been pretty handy when building up my brand. It’s hard not to share the work and brainstorm decisions with someone as invested as I am, but at the same time I guess there are no arguments!
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
You get to call the shots and the business moves in whatever direction you want it to. You can work whenever, however and for as long or short as you want! It really does fit around your lifestyle most of the time which is the huge bonus. The downside is that most things cost money! Advertising, markets, store displays, insurances, postage – all things that make sense, but that you don’t always think about or realise when you’re working for someone else. As I run my business from home, I’m lucky that I don’t have rent to pay right now, but it means I need to spend extra effort to get my products out in the world. It’s a whole new world of learning that I am enjoying though.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
I’d love to have my products in stores around New Zealand. At the moment I’m online, at expos and will have a stand in pop-up craft stores, but something more permanent is what I’m working on next. I’m always thinking of new and fun products and have a few up my sleeve that will come out over the next month or so. It’s exciting!
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