Up-cycled...

I have been quite busy- seaching for mens shirts to turn into new garments which will be shipped to Seattle.

I love using re-purposed items in my designs, and I love how super soft they are. Everything is prewashed in hot water prior to construction, and then I cut into the fabric to turn it into pants, a dress, or a skirt. I love the process of creating- it defines me.

Interview with: Woolgatherings

1. What is the name and the online contact info of your business?

Woolgatherings – http://woolgatherings.etsy.com/
2. How did you come up with it?
It came from my mother-in-law. She raised fiber animals for many years (sheep llamas, alpacas) and taught spinning classes and sold her dyed wool as Woolgatherings. She has mentored me for years in knitting, spinning, and dyeing, and passed down the business & name to me when she retired.

3.What is your business?
I sell hand painted wool and yarn.

4.When did you start your business?
I officially took over the business in Early 2009.

5. What made you want to pursue your own business? How did you do it?
Initially, it was a hobby for me. I was a stay-at-home / homeschooling mom, spinning and knitting for fun and dyeing for a few select clients and one retail store. I really enjoy the dyeing process, and working with color, but I create so much more than I can ever use that it just made sense to sell it. In the summer of 2009, however, my husband was laid off and the fiber business became more of a priority for both of us. Not only was the income more important, but having him at home freed up a lot more time to really develop it. I used that time to open up my Etsy shop, learn as much as possible about running a business, and focus on ways to operate more productively. My husband eventually returned to work, so I am now doing most of it on my own. It has been a really great experience all around.

6. What is your daily life/ schedule like?
My schedule is very fluid and changes a lot from day to day. Because I homeschool my kids, I have to be really flexible in order to take advantage of different learning opportunities at home and in the community.
I typically set aside a block of time as soon as I wake up (o.k. after I make tea) to work on the computer, respond to inquiries, and pack up orders. Some days I get a few hours, and some days I get a few minutes, so I just try to make the most of it.
The middle part of the day, from about noon-5 is usually set aside for kid activities. Sports, classes, playdates, clubs, and that sort of thing. Many of these activities involve a drive, so if there are orders going out, we stop at the post office on the way. While we are out and about, I carry my iPhone, and sometimes my laptop, which makes it easy to check in with business stuff. There is a lot of built in down-time (like when my kids are playing sports and I’m just waiting for them) when I can easily answer e-mails and check up on things – if I’m not knitting, anyway.
I find that the evenings are the best time to do my dye work. I like working without time constraints, and I have the added support of having my husband home to help with the kids. My husband is also great cook, so he typically makes dinner, which is a huge help.

7. When do you find the time to work?
My children are with me most of the time, so I can’t just work during school hours, but they are old enough (7 and 9) that their needs are pretty easy to attend to, and they are very good at amusing themselves. If we are home and I need to work for a few hours they are quite happy just to go play, and they know they are welcome to interrupt me at any time. The challenge is that so often we are not at home, so I try to make the most of my studio time in the evenings and weekends.

8. What are your future goals?
I am pretty happy with the way things are going right now, but I guess the dream would be get the business to the point where my husband could stay home too!
9. What is the hardest thing about what you are doing?
I think every working mom feels the pull between work and the needs of the children. Years ago, I worked outside the home while my oldest was in daycare and I left because I felt like I really couldn’t be the mom I wanted to be or the professional person I wanted to be at the same time. Working from home feels a lot more balanced, but it takes a lot of effort and organization to keep it that way.

10. What advice do you have for other working mommies?
Obviously keep your priorities straight. Beyond that, I highly recommend bringing your kids into the business by really showing them the details of what you do and how you do it. It’s a great opportunity for them to see what’s involved with running a small business. There are lots of ways to have fun with it - for example, my kids love keeping track of where our packages go. We put stickers on a big map, and the kids often speculate about where our wool is going – is it cold there? What language do they speak? How far does the package have to travel? Involving them with the business, even in a small way, helps them feel personally invested, and helps them understand those times when your work makes you less available. They know what you are doing, and why.

Biz-y Mama Interview: Milk Money

 
1. What is the name and the online contact info of your business?
 
milkmoney
http://www.soniamccutcheon.etsy.com/


2. How did you come up with it?

I started my shop when milk prices were outrageously expensive and thought it would be a fun name for my shop.

3. What is your business?
 I design and knit infant, toddler and childrens hats. Some items in my shop are made from patterns from other designers but I have permission to sell those items.

4. When did you start your business?
I launched my shop right after Halloween about a year and a half ago

5. What made you want to pursue your own business? How did you do it?
I am hopelessly addicted to knitting and all things fiber. Family and friends were saturated with more hats etc... than they can ever use in a lifetime so my sister called me one afternoon after she had shopped on etsy and told me about it and suggested that a shop on etsy would be a good fit for me. I looked into it and decided to give it a try.

6. What is your daily life/ schedule like?
Daily life is a bit chaotic, I have two small children and split my days taking care of them, our home and all that is necessary to keep my business running.

7. When do you find the time to work?
I have recently started going to bed no later than 10pm and waking up at 3 or 4am. The kids don't get up til 7:30am so that time before hand is wonderful for working on orders, packaging up orders,doing laundry etc.. and planning what needs to get done that day.

8. What are your future goals?
I would love have more time to spin my own yarn, not sure when that will happen but it's a goal. I don't have a particular goal for my shop, I will keep doing this for as long as it makes me happy.

9. What is the hardest thing about what you are doing?
The hardest thing for me is managing my time. Sometimes I tend to feel as though I am being torn in a million directions.

10. What advice do you have for other working mommies?
The best advice I can give is forgive yourself for not being super mommie, my house is not always perfect, dinner is sometimes late- I have learned that everything always gets done. I don't fret if I don't stick to my schedule, sometimes it's more important to hug my kids and be there for them. I don't base my success on dollars but on the happiness of my family and my sense of peace about it all.

I am here....

I truly truly am. My past few weeks (months) have been CRAZY busy. I had a trunk show (and of course FORGOT my camera battery) It had low attendance, I picked a horrible night with things going on around town, but I made 30 things that remained in the store. The next few weeks my things sold like crazy! I was and still am so excited, and am so busy keeping up. Meanwhile, I have spent some time re-evaluating my "brand" . My boys stuff sells so much better- there just are not that many boys things out there, so my logo will become less "girl". I love the new look and look forward to sharing it. I have been busy talking to a new local shop and a store "Way Out West" so I may pick up my first out of state shop. That to has kept me busy.

On the flip side I am struggling- with juggling my life as a mommy, a wife, a teacher, and a small business owner. I cannot do it all well all the time. Who knows where it will lead- but I do plan on typing up a full schedule. Every other job has one. I plan to have a new interview up on Monday- and some insight into our home. I hope everyone is doing great!

Check out this new blog if you have not done so already- you'll love it! Tons of great advice and inspiration

http://www.ohmyhandmade.com/.

On Hold...

Hello all. Just wanted to drop by and say I AM HERE! I just have a big trunk show in 1 week and I have a TON to do for it- so I am pulling myself away from the blogging world for a bit- But i'll have pictures and things to share when its all over! Have a great week everyone!

Biz-ymama interview: Mom N Mia Quilts

~ Biz-ymama interviews other biz-y mom's to get a behind the scenes look at how they run their business.~

1. What is the name and the online contact info of your business?
Mom N Mia Quilts - http://momnmiaquilts.etsy.com/

2. How did you come up with it?

I'm a mom, and my nickname is Mia. Plus my mom and I love sewing and crafting together, so it was a given - Mom and Mia = Mom N Mia, and quilting is my favorite thing to do! Thus, Mom N Mia Quilts

3. What is your business?

I make a high quality line of baby gift items (burp cloths, bibs, car seat strap covers, etc), fun creations for kids like my Wrap It Up Crayon Rolls (TM) and Creative Kids Art Buckets (TM), and also specialize in custom quilts and bedding as well as other home decor items. My items can be found in my Etsy shop and in boutiques across the US, in Australia, Ireland and soon in Switzerland.

4. When did you start your business?

I started an Etsy shop in March 2008, but have been in business for 10 years.

5. What made you want to pursue your own business? How did you do it? 

Creating things from beautiful fabrics is my passion and escape! I grew up helping my mom make things for craft fairs but never overly enjoyed it - In fact I tried to avoid it, and managed to do so for most of my high school and first year at college. I made my first quilt on the floor of my college dorm room with a hand-me-down Singer sewing machine. After that I was hooked. I started making blankets and quilts for friends and family and haven't stopped. I still love quilting and specialize in custom quilts. When I was pregnant with my daughter I started making bibs and burp cloths because I couldn't stand the ones I could get in the stores - they were all either too small or not absorbent enough or just ugly! I have a major addiction to pretty fabrics, and love that I can incorporate them into my creations. My business has grown from making things for myself and family/friends to quite a success. I started out small and through word of mouth was able to grow my orders, and being on Etsy has opened up a world-wide market for me. I only do 2 or 3 "craft" shows per year.

6. What is your daily life/ schedule like?

A typical day for me:
6:30 - wake up and shower
7:30 - wake up and dress kids (2 and 4 years old)
8:00 - rush out the door for daycare/work, drop off kids, fight traffic
8:30-5:00 - work - I'm an exec legal assistant for a large hospital system; try to check in on Etsy and email few times during the day
11:30-12:30 - run errands, usually trips to fabric stores and post office; remember to eat lunch
5:15 - leave work, rush to pick up kids from daycare
6 - 8:30 - make dinner, spend time with kids, baths, etc
8:30-9:30 - check Etsy and email, print out orders, pull fabrics, etc for orders to be filled until time to put older daughter to bed
10:30-11:30 (or later): sew and package orders
midnight - hit pillow for a few hours of shut eye before starting it over again!

7. When do you find the time to work? .
I work at my full-time job M-F, 8:30-5; I squeeze in time during the day to check messages/emails/Etsy; I sew for about 1-2 hours each night and on the weekends when we aren't running around. Sleep is over-rated!

8. What are your future goals?
I would love to do Mom N Mia Quilts full time. Within the next 18 months I will be taking more solid steps to transitioning towards that goal.

9. What is the hardest thing about what you are doing?
Juggling work, kids, and at least some sleep in 24 hours each day. There is never enough time for all the things I'd like to do. I have hundreds of creative ideas in my brain, but no time to get them done!

10.What advice do you have for other working mommies?
- Take life one day at a time.
- Remember that no matter what, family is most important. My husband and kids are always Number One, no matter what.
- Once in a while you just have to step back, take a breath, and walk away for a while
- Don't forget to take some time for YOU once in a while, even if it is just a trip to the salon for a pedicure or a Vanilla Latte run!

Monthly Goals:

Alright Ladies- its goal time! One month goals-


What would you like to do for your business before April 11?

I want to have a formal line sheet and send it to at least one shop. I have one, but my items change so quickly. I can order only so much yardage at one time. I run out after selling locally and than the item is discontinued- so there goes the line sheet… frustrating! What are your goals? OH- I also would LOVE LOVE LOVE to start a fabric co-op if anyone would be interested, please email or convo me on etsy. I want to start with freespirit (Butler, Bailey, and a few other great designers are under that label) It would be about $5-6 a yard. Let me know!)

Weekly to do

1. Due to the great response on etsy, I plan on spending a few days going threw the shops to pick some for my next bizymama interview.
2. TAXES! We are using turbo tax- and its great but lots of work. 
3. I have a trunk show in 2 weeks at Poe (the beautiful store below)- I need to get that stuff made!!!! 

4. Post some great etsy resources- maybe Wednesday or Thursday.

Thought for the week: Never put a period where God intends a comma.

Biz-ymama interview:

What is the name and the online contact info of your business?

http://www.may-beeclothing.com/

http://www.maybeeclothing.etsy.com/

How did you come up with it?
My son was born in May and my daughters name starts with a B. I wanted to use a bee in my logo, so I put that all together.

What is your business?
Handmade clothes for ladies and children.

When did you start your business?
The idea started in May of 2009, and I really got working in August 2009. That’s when all my legal items started coming into place. First it was just girls clothes, than it grew to ladies, and now boy items as well.

What made you want to pursue your own business? How did you do it?

If you had told me a year ago I would be doing this, I think I would have laughed at you. I have “played” with ideas before- direct sales etc. I started helping out my friend Amanda at http://www.cutiepatutus.com/ and she inspired me to try it on my own as well. I just made stuff for my daughter, and friends asked me about it. Then I started making things for them. I started a blog listing all my stuff and shared the link with friends. They shared it with their friends as well. Then I wanted a real website, so I did that on my own. Word of mouth led a shop owner to contact me, and that’s how I got into a brick and mortar shop. I then set up etsy and now am actively pursuing wholesale.

What is your daily life/ schedule like?

CRAZY! I am getting up at 6 to do on-line work. My kids are up at 7. We fly through breakfast and fly out the door by 8 or 8:30 depending on the day since I teach preschool 3 days a week. We are back for lunch and a nap for my youngest and “Rest Time” for my daughter. I can get a little bit done then. We play, and if they have afternoon TV for a bit I get some work done. I start dinner around 5, we have family time till 6:30 than its bath and bed for the two. I like to try to spend 1-2 hours at night working, and some time with my husband before I head to bed. It’s crazy, busy, and a wonderful blessing!

When do you find the time to work?

When both kids are asleep is my best time, but its hard because I want to and need to spend time with my husband also- oh and housework, have to fit that in there sometime also. Some Tuesdays I am able to come home for 2 hours before I get them at school at 12.

What are your future goals?

I would love to be able to do this full time- maybe not the sewing, but the designing. I would love to have someone else manufacturing and to be in boutiques all over. Thats a big dream- for now, I just want everyone to love my items as much as I do.
EDITED TO ADD: I also would really like to make enough to justify paying somone else to do the housework that I cant find the time to do...


What is the hardest thing about what you are doing?

I truly feel like I am in a dream, because the hardest thing about what I am doing is that I have no idea what I am doing! I just take it one day and one step at a time.

What advice do you have for other working mommies?
If I can do it, you can do it. The quote “Fake it till you make it” is right. I have NO IDEA how to run a business, but when I act like I know what I am doing, things fall into place. Have faith in your self and in God and take pride in the support of your friends and family.

Again...

So let's try this whole blog thing again- I'll try and update more often and will fill it with news about other mommy's in business. I want to inspire and help and encourage, and I hope this blog can do that. Well, part of the problem is that I am so drawn to the blogs of others that I ignore mine- silly mistake. May-bee has a lot going on at the moment. ETSY sales are S-L-O-W. I understand why, its hard to buy clothes off-line. I need to update size information, that may help. POE sales (my one local store) do well- some months I do great, others ok- but always something. I have a trunk show there that I am busy getting ready for. I want to have all my new items done. I have decided that I don’t need to push myself to be the next BIG THING. What I do for my family and God is most important. Trying to bigger than I am with this whole thing only distracts from my family and Him. That being said- I LOVE WHAT I DO. I would love it to be a full time job- someday. I’m not there yet. Its fun for now, an outlet- and something that I feel good at. Something that I am not good at- cooking. I really want to get better- cook better, have healthier meals. I try, I really do, will see. For now- my life as a biz-y mom is well, busy. I hope to have my first interview up this week - mine- and will than send out the word that I am looking for other moms to interview...

Images inspired by Trucks... from ETSY: