The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
There have definitely been a few challenges over the time. At the beginning, sourcing the right fabrics was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It was really important to me to find sustainable natural fabrics, and also to keep them cost effective, so that my products could stay in an affordable price bracket.
Choosing the right markets to attend has also been a challenge. It’s so hard doing a market and spending weeks carefully creating stock to only sell one or two items. It has taken a lot of resilience to keep going, as in those moment it can feel like no one is interested in the things I put my heart and soul into! In contrast though, when I find the right event. it makes everything feel so worthwhile.
I think it’s always a tricky thing to get right, and it only comes with experience to select the right sort of event – I don’t think there is a foolproof way of getting this right!
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The pros include the flexibility for sure. Being able to have commitments and work the business around everything is what I’m doing this for! I find using my creativity amazing for my mental health and the fact that I get to then use this as a business is a dream come true.
The cons obviously include not having a regular, steady income, and it is extremely hard work and not as easy as it appears from the outside. Also, it can be a little lonely, not having work colleagues to chat to during the day (apart from the toddler!), but I find markets and embroidery workshops help me connect with people.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
Creating seasonal capsule collections that can be super versatile in a little one’s wardrobe is high on my agenda. I have recently launched the autumn collection and I’m currently working on the winter one.
I do a lot of hand embroidery as I love making my pieces extra special. I have recently held a couple of embroidery workshops to share my skills with others, and would love this to be something to expand on. I really enjoy doing these and connecting with others.
I would love to be able to stock in a few boutiques or maybe even one day open my own shop, including my products and a curated collection of complimentary items from other small businesses.
I hope that my business will keep going well into the future and one day be something I can include my daughters in, and who knows, it may even be something I can pass onto them one day!
Photography credit: Beyond the Brambles.
Visit the Bloom Sprouts Handmade website to find out more, and connect with them on Facebook and Instagram.
