Business Discussions

  The quirky prayer candles created by California's Kerrin Piche Serna are, in her Etsy tagline's words, "False Idols for Real Worship." Tapping into a pop-culture market, they give fans a chance to create light-hearted shrines to their favorite celebrities, from Prince to the Golden Girls.   We caught up with Kerrin to chat about why she *loves* getting feedback from her customers and how important it is for her to build a coherent brand.   Take it away, Kerrin!     Name: Kerrin Piche Serna   Business: The Eternal Flame   Started: January 2016   What inspired you to create your Etsy business?   I was exploring Etsy and found a set of prayer candles depicting characters from the TV series Golden Girls that I absolutely fell in love with. However, they were kind of expensive and, as a videographer, I was already pretty savvy with Photoshop so I thought I could probably make my own.   I went ahead and created my own versions, and they t

  Samantha Ives has always had the creative bug. As a 17-year-old, she was already selling her homemade designs at local crafts fairs. After finishing college, she soon decided to start her own business, Maker & Mineral.   The brand has since morphed from selling bags to clothing, and with Sam’s work gaining in popularity, she’s looking to expand her customer base beyond her native San Francisco.    We talked about the benefits of working for yourself, the difficulties of defining success and the confusion of completing tax returns!      Name: Samantha Ives      Business: Maker & Mineral    Started: Spring 2015   How did you create your business?      It's been a long time in the making. I’ve wanted to be a designer and creator since I was a kid.    I started a t-shirt business when I was a teenager and when I went off to college I studied fine art. Once I got home, I was tryin

    After realizing the idea he had for a decorative indoor fountain would be easy to make himself, copper worker-turned-ceramicist Keith Davitt put his concept into practice. Not long afterwards, his kitty had commandeered it as a container for drinking water, sparking the idea for a new business.   We had a chat with the owner of Thirsty Cat Fountains to find out what he learned after hiring his first employees, how he manages his day-to-day and the big question he has for all of *you.*   Let's hear from Keith!     Name: Keith Davitt   Business: Thirsty Cat Fountains   Started: February 2010   Tell us the story behind what inspired you to start a small business selling ceramic water fountains for cats!   I had an idea for a fountain I wanted to make, so I went to a potter to have the bowl produced. I was going to attach it with copper stems and leaves that water would spill from, but when I went to pick it

  After completing a degree in Tourism, Marion Bouquet knew she wanted to create a work-from-anywhere job to support her love of travel. But it was a surprise request from one of her first clients that helped her successfully transition from part-time translator to nomadic voiceover artist.   Marion talked us through how she grows her business while still managing to keep her afternoons free for hiking, hanging out with friends and dabbling in her passion for painting. Read on to hear her story!     Name: Marion Bouquet   Business: Voice That, Frenchie!   Started: March 2013   How did you create your awesome job?   After I graduated with my degree in Tourism, I spent the summer in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. I went to a Couchsurfing event there and met a guy who told me he was traveling and working at the same time. I thought, “I should find a way to do that, too!”   I started applying for translation jobs on the site Upwork

  Having been trained extensively as a printmaker, Erin Dollar decided to apply her skills to creating functional homeware made with organic materials and nontoxic inks — and she created a business along the way! Through being an early user of Pinterest, Erin has amassed a loyal and wide-ranging customer base. We spoke with her about transitioning from a personal brand to a business, making the leap to full-time self-employment and why she says it's so important to appreciate the present moment.                       Name: Erin Dollar Business: Cotton & Flax Started: Winter 2011    How did you create your awesome business?  I studied printmaking in college and completely fell in love with it. I learned mainly traditional techniques to make fine-art prints on paper and was selling those for a few years on a personal Etsy shop.    After graduating, I lived in Portland and shared a

  From playing in a band by night to sprinkling some social media magic in the restaurant industry by day, Skip Blankley began his journey as an entrepreneur in 2007. But it was only when he found a mentor and widened his net that his new business — an online marketing and web design agency — took off.    We got in touch with Skip to talk about his favorite apps, how he learned to measure the value of his time and why he loves a good challenge.      Name: Skip Blankley   Business: NoBox Creatives   Started: August 2013   How did you create your awesome job?    It started as another venture called Social Relish, an online marketing and web design business for the restaurant industry. I chose that field because I spent a decade working in it in various capacities.    I started the business while I was in a band and playing four or five nights a week, because my days were wide open. But I soon realized it wa

  After becoming frustrated with the world of fashion and how little consumers know about how products are made, Jess Murray decided it was time to do things her way. Now that she runs her own small business, Jess creates items she can ethically support and she makes business decisions that reflect the value she places on transparency and high-quality materials.    Jess talked to us about what motivates her to work crazy hours and why she wouldn't change any of it for the world.   Name: Jess Murray   Business: Aegis Handcraft   Started: July 2013     How did you create your awesome job?   The original idea developed from a not-so-great work experience. I had just graduated with a degree in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco. I got a couple gigs working in the industry, but something just kept eating away at me. I was working as a denim tailor in a place that, while pr

  After dabbling in handbags, bookmarks and buttons, it was her first Etsy customer who helped put rubber stamp maker Martina Webb on the road to success with her small business.   We spoke to Martina about the evolution of her company and the importance of researching your products thoroughly before setting up shop.     Name: Martina Webb   Business: Blossom Stamps   Started: 2008   How did you create your awesome job?   I kept seeing Etsy being brought up on a crafting website called Craftster.org that I follow, back in 2005, but had no idea what it was. When I finally checked it out, I knew I had to open a shop — but I didn’t know yet what I’d sell.   I started my original shop, Blossom Arts, in 2006 and settled on sewing handbags and making beaded bookmarks. My handbags often featured a large decorative buttons, so I learned how to make my own out of polymer clay. The buttons evolved into polymer clay pendants and after

  After years of searching for the perfect beach bag, friends Lara Cross and Theresa Waterlow decided to combine their talents and hone the skills they'd learned from their former careers to create the perfect summer accessory. 300 bags and 1,500 pompoms later, Crosslow is riding on a wave of success.   We caught up with the duo to talk about how they came up with idea for their business and lessons learned along the way.   Take it away, ladies!   Name: Lara Cross and Theresa Waterlow Business: Crosslow  Started: 2016   How did you two decide to create a business together? We went on vacation together, and ended up discussing the perfect beach bag. When we got home, we had a proper creative brainstorm and decided to just create our own!    We met up at one of our homes and pulled out all the baskets we own. We decided what we liked and what we didn’t about each one — the shapes, the handles, the size. There was one style

  When James Barber realized he wanted to escape his predictable job and find a new creative challenge, he turned to the skills he'd learned in art school — and launched his own range of functional sculptures. Soon, he was taking his weird and wonderful products to fairs across the state of New York.    Now, he's keen to find ways to continue to grow his business and reach a bigger audience. We spoke to James about uncertainty, determining the value of unique pieces and approaching experimentation without fear.    Name: James Barber   Business: Yes Pls   Started: Fall 2015   How did you create your awesome job?   My background is in fine art — I studied sculpture at the University of Minnesota. When I graduated, I worked for companies that made custom-built artworks, which allowed me to expand on the skills I’d learned at school.    About a year and a half ago, I made a decision to shift my focus away from

  When Joey Modica first started making bespoke jewelry pieces in her downtime, she only thought she was pursuing a fun hobby. Soon, however, she developed a loyal following in her local area — and realized that her creative pastime had the potential to be a full-fledged business.   Taking her products to craft fairs allowed Joey to reach out to clients outside of her community and learn more about her target market. And now that she’s mastered the challenging art of finding the right price point, she’s eager to connect with other folks here who can give her the tips she needs to learn and grow even more.   We spoke to Joey about why she likes working from home, the journey to finding her niche and how she defines success in her small business.   Name: Joey Modica   Business: Thursday-Born Natural Jewelry   Started: Fall 2013    What inspired you to create your business?    I worked as a bench jeweler for a year, but didn’t f

      Recently, we've been diving deep into topics like cash flow, funding your business and invoicing — all things that are often top of mind for those of us who are small business owners or self-employed professionals. After all, if you aren't managing your cash properly or getting paid... how will you know when your business is working?   In an effort to decode the financing game, we've rounded up stories and tips from our members here that you can use as a starting point when exploring how to fund your business when you're just starting out.   Let's dive in!   1. Understand your needs There are costs associated with starting up a new business (and oh boy, are they real). Before you pursue one (or many) avenues for securing financing or raising money, you need to know exactly what you need today and what you'll need in the future.   Deconstruct your needs by answering a few questions about what you require and, most importantly, *why* you need it.