Yikes, it’s been a while since I did a Green Motive post huh? I’m pleased to re-open the series with Huey and Wah of NottyPooch. Unwanted banners = creative, one-of-a-kind accessories. Such a great idea! Way to go guys!

Welcome. Tell us about yourself and your business
We are Huey and Wah, the two humans behind NottyPooch. We live in Penang, a small island in Malaysia with lots and lots of awesome food. We give new lives to used and unwanted banners by making them into eco-friendly, functional and eye-catching accessories. Occasionally we screenprint cool t-shirts of our own designs too!

What makes your business green?
Instead of letting those used/unwanted banners to go to the landfill, we collect them and give them new lives by making them into functional, one-of-a-kind accessories. When shipping our items, we always opt for Kraft or brown paper, and sew up the sides so we don’t have to use white glue. Once when we were at a local craft fair, we prepared a whole bunch of paper bags by cutting and sewing up old magazines!

Why is it important for you to offer products that are eco-friendly?
Re-using things has been part of our ‘family tradition’. We were taught to utilise what we have whenever possible. When we started this little business, we were very sure that we wanted to run it in a more responsible way – not only to customers, but to the environment too.

Have you found it easy to run an eco-friendly business? What difficulties (if any) have your encountered?
We wouldn’t consider ourselves a 100% eco-friendly business yet – though we’d love to think that we keep on trying. One major problem is that the local market isn’t really that sensitive to eco-friendly products yet. This has also made sourcing the right materials more difficult. The place we live in does not have a lot of eco-friendly materials to start with. Many times in between using an eco-friendly materials from overseas or to shop locally, we have to opt for shopping locally. An example would be how difficult it is to source organic cotton t-shirt locally and at a reasonable price. We’ve been keeping an eye on this for a while now, but haven’t got any luck yet – one of the reasons we are not ordering more t-shirts for printing, and intend to finish what we have now until we can comfortably get some organic ones. About 99% of the stationery available are is also not eco-friendly – that’s one of the reasons we minimize using white glue on packaging.

What plans do you have to further your green initiatives?
At the moment, we are just continuing to look for more eco-friendly materials to work with. If we cannot have the best solution, we can at least continue to minimize the not-so-eco-friendly part. In the near future, we are looking into donating part of our profit to a local animal shelter. In the far away future (well, hopefully not too far) when we are able to grow bigger, we would like to create a fair-trade working environment for underprivileged groups (eg: single mothers) in our community.

Lastly, anything else you would like to add?
Thank you Adele for this feature. I (Huey) have been enjoying reading your ‘This Self-Employed Life’ series because what you say is so true. I can’t wait to see your shop reopen with all fresh new items! :) - Thanks Huey, you are too kind.

NOTTYPOOCH ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Flickr

As of late, I’ve really been gravitating towards a more hand-drawn look when it comes to design and this wedding poster is spot on. Designed by Melanie Linder of Spread the Love. Rest assured, this isn’t the only gem in her Etsy shop, so go and check her out.

As much as I love clean lines, it’s definitely a style I would like to incorporate into my own work one day. For some reason, it just seems more personal as you can imagine each pen or pencil stroke (whether traditionally or digitally) it took to bring it all together.

Artwork copyright: Melanie Linder
Found via: Mint

I discovered the talented sisters – Janet & Trisha – behind PAWLING | print studio when they left me a comment on my blog. I immediately fell in love with their work. So, if you’re lurking back there, say hello. You may end up on my blog too. With that, allow me to introduce you to their delightful work.

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
PAWLING | print studio is a collaboration between sisters Janet & Trisha.  We make modern handmade prints and patterns for the home.  We opened up shop in the fall shortly after graduating – Janet with an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design and Trisha with a Masters in Architecture. Despite spending very little time together in the past eight years because of school and jobs in different states, our interests seem to have independently converged and now we’re in business together!  We named ourselves PAWLING | print studio in honor of our grandfather who recently passed away.  He was a photographer and a painter at heart and always took time to teach us how to draw and paint when we were younger.  We assume he is where our “artistic” genes came from, though our mom also has some pretty sweet calligraphy skills and our dad designed the house we lived in as kids.

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
In retrospect graduating in a down economy gave us the opportunity to try what we really wanted to do rather than what we were expected to do.  Of course that doesn’t mean we knew it at the time.  As far too many people know, searching and applying for employment is a full time job in itself, so although we weren’t giving up a job in the traditional sense, the decision to start PAWLING as a full-time venture was no small leap of faith. We had both been secretly toying with the idea while in school, but were too afraid to tell anyone.  Once we sheepishly started talking about it with each other, we found we couldn’t stop.  We were so full of ideas and excitement that we knew we had to take the idea seriously.  Now whenever either of us is having doubts the other one is there with a pep talk.  It certainly helps that we’re in it together!

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
Hmm, sounds just like school.  I don’t think we know any other way to live!  But instead of hypothetical projects that will undoubtedly get torn apart in a review, we get to make things that we believe in and that people will actually use.  Working for ourselves is infinitely more rewarding!  We’ve had some amazing customers who with one comment manage to make all of the stress and uncertainty worth it.  We’ve also been blown away by how supportive the online creative community is.  We probably couldn’t do it without them and we definitely couldn’t do it without the support of our family.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
A typical day is following our check list, but no two days are the same.  Production days are definitely the easiest in terms of procrastination, because there are clearly defined objectives.  Brainstorming days are the most fun, though there are so many aspects to setting up a business from research and design to production and marketing that often we are overwhelmed with ideas.  For us, procrastination never seems to come from a lack of ideas, but rather from too many and a need to focus.  Making lists really helps us prioritize our goals on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.  Fortunately we both like to use organization as a means of procrastination – sometimes we just can’t work until everything is in order!

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
We work from two homes!  We dream of an offsite studio one day, but for now we just have designated “studio areas.”

It can get lonely working for yourself. Do you find yourself missing the companionship of a bustling office? How do you make sure you get social interaction throughout the day/week?
We’re lucky that we don’t work alone!  Yes, it’s just the two of us, but that’s the way we like it!  And we find that instead of just wanting some space to ourselves on weekends, we actually look forward to spending time with our friends.

Finding a work/life balance can be difficult with any job, perhaps more so with self-employment. Do you think you’ve found that balance?
Perhaps not yet, PAWLING is still very young and changing rapidly.  We try our best to separate our evenings and weekends from work, but we’re definitely still learning.

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
That’s an easy one, to start out within your means is great advice, but cutting corners is not.  For example, scoop-coaters are absolutely positively necessary for screenprinting.  We learned that the hard way.

And now the best.
It’s taken some time for us to get comfortable talking about our business to others.  While we always had confidence in our products, we really weren’t sure we could pull off the business side of things.  It was especially hard to explain PAWLING to our friends and family in the beginning before we had real products and a website. Now that we have tangible things to point to, it’s much easier for people to understand what we do.  Now instead of getting skeptical reactions from people, they are generally impressed and enthusiastic about our work.  Not only that, but a surprising number of people have since revealed that they secretly want to be more creative and that we’ve inspired them to be more proactive about their hobbies as well

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
Not sure that we should be giving advice to anyone yet (see question 2!) but it felt right for us and so far the ups have outweighed the downs!!!

PAWLING ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Etsy | Blog | Twitter

1. Sweet Bunny by Matilou 2. Love Gnomes by The Poppy Tree 3. Un The au Paradis 22/50 by The Nebulous Kingdom 4. I Love You This Much Print by Stephanie Fizer 5. Her Imagination Station by Corid 6. Bubblegum Betty Print by The Black Apple

Images © of their respective owners.

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
Thank you so much for inviting me! I’m an artist who does a variety of things, really. I am a surface patter designer, an illustrator, a painter, and I do some graphic design work as well. I have a hard time putting a label on what I do– but my days are never boring, I’ll tell you that! I’ve been self-employed since I was 23 years old (with a part-time stint here and there)– but my business has morphed a lot since then. I really started selling online and becoming part of the blogging community about 2 years ago– before that I mainly sold my work at outdoor festivals and shows and in my studio. The change came when I moved from Boulder, CO (my hometown) to Atlanta, GA 2 summers ago- I began working at home, I didn’t know anyone in the area or know about any local shows, so I dove into the online community, and I’m so thankful that I did!

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
Quite honestly, I was sick of having meaningless jobs. When I graduated from college I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, and I ended up moving back to Boulder (I went to college in Ithaca, NY) and working in restaurants. It was unfulfilling, to say the least. I just got fed up one day and quit my job. I’d recently gotten accepted into a big art festival, so I devoted several months to painting, I’ve always been good with money, so I had enough to keep me going for a while after I quit my job at the restaurant. I basically told myself that I’d see how the show went and go from there. And the show was a smashing success! I saw artists all around me making a living doing what they loved, and I thought “hey, I can totally do this!” Basically I think it was that first amazing show, a young “I can do anything” mindset, and a distinct feeling of not wanting to work for someone else that gave me the confidence.

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
Well, I have a hard time separating my life and my work– they’re sort-of one and the same, so I WANT to work all the time! Sometimes it’s hard for me to realize that taking breaks is actually good for me, and that the work will still be there when I’m done resting. As for the income, I think I’m getting to a place where I just trust that I’ll have enough. I’ve had enough up to this point, and there’s no reason to think that’ll change. I think I’ve just accepted that it’s going to be unpredictable, and that’s ok. Mostly I just try not to resist the uncertainty of it all. Uncertainty isn’t bad– it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable If I can see it as exhilarating, if I can see how exciting that it is that I get to create my career and my future, that helps a lot. I much prefer the uncertainty of my path to having to go to a job I don’t love everyday, even if I was making a ton of money.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
I have such a hard time avoiding distractions! The main ones I face every day are my 2 adorable cats who want constant attention, my email and stat checking addictions, and the refrigerator. If I could keep these at bay, I’d be much more productive! As for procrastination, I’m just not a procrastinator. I’m a major list maker, and I REALLY like getting those things crossed off the to-do list every day. I make tons of lists, and I revise them all day long. They keep me organized and on task.

So a typical day…. I wake up around 6:30am and eat breakfast first thing. I love breakfast! I have a fruit & veggie smoothie every morning. And coffee. Yum. I check my email and read some blogs while I’m having breakfast, and I think about what I want to post on my own blog that day. I try to be done with blogging and stuff by 8:00-ish, and then I get to work as soon as i can. Sometimes more of my morning is eaten away by distractions (constant email checking, etc.), but I’m working on not letting that happen as much. So throughout the day I basically work on a variety of projects: paintings, design work for clients (logos, website designs, illustrations, etc), creating surface patterns for an upcoming tradeshow (Surtex), updating my etsy shop, running to the post office and other general errands, sending and replying to emails, chatting with people on twitter… I bounce from one thing to the next, always working from my to do list. I usually take a break in the late afternoon to go to the gym, and then my husband and I always have dinner together. Most nights I work for a few hours in the evening as well (I’m telling you, I’m a workaholic!)– my husband is in medical school, which means he studies all the time, so we’re just a couple of worker bees. :) Then I usually go to bed around 10:30 or 11:00, and sometimes we’ll drag the laptop into bed with us to watch a favorite show online. That’s pretty much it!

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
I work from home.

It can get lonely working for yourself. Do you find yourself missing the companionship of a bustling office? How do you make sure you get social interaction throughout the day/week?
Gosh, no, I do not miss working with other people! I love working by myself. My husband often says he could never do what I do, staying home all day not talking to anyone, but I really love it. Plus, I chat with people on twitter a lot during the day, so that’s helpful. I have friends that I get together with sometimes, so that’s nice, too, but I really like being by myself. My husband and I chat all the time when we’re both home, so I definitely don’t feel lonely. Plus, I have 2 sweet kitties to keep me company all day!

Finding a work/life balance can be difficult with any job, perhaps more so with self-employment. Do you think you’ve found that balance?
Ummmmm, NO. I work all the time. I could definitely give myself more down time. That’s something I’m working on. I’d love to give myself one whole day off a week, but it’s really hard when my work is right in my house with me all the time! Sigh. I’ll get there one day!

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
I’m going to go with the first year that my business was really online, since that feels more pertinent here.

I learned that sometimes people have to part ways, and that’s ok. I learned that I don’t have to listen to other people’s opinions of me and turn them into my truth. I learned that stress and worry affect my energy level, my mental health, the quality of my work, even my skin. I got horrendous eczema that has mysteriously disappeared as I’ve learned to let go, trust, and relax a bit. There was also a period of time where I didn’t produce much work that I thought was any good, which stemmed directly from my negative state of mind. I learned that negativity can quickly spiral into more and deeper negativity.

And now the best.
I learned how positivity and gratitude can change everything. An open and trusting heart full of possibility will bring unimaginable goodness into your life. I learned (and am learning) to trust myself and my uniqueness and that comparing myself to others is useless. I learned how generous, friendly, and open the blogging community is, and that by giving kindness to it I get that kindness back tenfold. Giving is receiving! But the biggest and most valuable lesson I learned, I think, is to trust myself and my ability to make my business sustainable. I learned to always be looking at ways I can improve and grow, and that attitude has taken me far from where I began.

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
I would tell them that it’s absolutely 100% possible! If you want to do something you are passionate about, then there is always a way, even if it looks hard. If you want to do it badly enough, then you will make it happen. I don’t have any advice about whether people should keep their day jobs while building their business or to quit their job immediately and jump right in, because I think that’s a highly personal and individual decision, and there’s no one right answer for everybody. I just want to encourage people to see self-employment as a possibility. It’s truly wonderful, and there’s nothing like being in charge of your time and the work that you choose to do. Learn as much as you can, believe in yourself and your capabilities, get involved in the community around what you desire to do, and just get started! I think too much planning can cause stagnation, so I prefer to learn as I go in a lot of cases. I encourage people to just get started, even if it’s just with a teeny-weeny step. Because that will build momentum, and before you know it you’ll be on your way.

JESSICA GONACHA SWIFT ELSEWHERE
Website | Etsy | Blog | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook

First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone who commented on this post (and on Twitter) for their most sincere and thoughtful opinions regarding my struggle about whether to close up my shop temporarily. The feeling of loneliness can be rampant around here sometimes, but you guys made me feel like I had co-workers again, albeit distant ones…and ultimately you all helped me make my decision.

I’ve decided to close up my shop on January 31st. Even typing that makes me slightly nervous, but regardless of that fact that sales have picked up again this week, scenarios outside of that are all pointing to the fact I need to close up for a while. I may keep up my current inventory as it’s ready to be mailed, but that will be it.

Obviously, there are still some doubts about closing but I’m trying to let the excitement I feel push those aside. The thought of finally tackling the to-do’s that have been plaguing me is uplifting and I can’t wait to get started. Right now, the plan is to only take 2 weeks, but if it extends to the whole of February then so be it. Of course, I’ll still be hanging out here so don’t be thinking you’ve gotten rid of me all together. Hehe.

If you were hoping to snatch up one of my Valentine’s cards or anything else, now is the time. As a thank you, kindly use the coupon code “BLOG-TY-20” to receive 20%* off your entire order (minus shipping). Shipping can often been combined to save you money, so please don’t hesitate to contact me first should you want more than one item. :)

And with that, thank you again. You all rock!

* Cannot be applied to items currently on sale or calling cards. Offer valid Saturday, January 23 through Sunday January 24th.

I’m very much in nesting mode right now and I’m starting to think about what I want to do to my own home this year to make it more cosy. I’d give a home to these sweeties in a heartbeat.

1. Green Linen Cushion Cover by Linen Me 2. Antique Replica Porcelain Milk Bottles by alyssa ettinger design 3.Blossoms Queen Size Headboard by Holley & Gill 4. Green Sprig Linen Apron by Jewelweeds 5. Choppy Fringe Heat Resistant Board Size by NatureDesign 6. Vintage Silverware Garden Marker by Monkeys Always Look 7. Indoor/Outdoor Concrete Planter by Tortoise Loves Donkey
Images © of their respective owners.

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
We are Marichelle and Ez…two friends with a shared love for creative packaging.
Ez began Nice Package on her own Spring 2009. After moving to Maplewood this past Summer, Marichelle came on board and the partnership was finalized in October 2009. We specialize in gift packaging solutions and provide creative inspiration with a focus on simple design and projects with real world application.

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
Having both experienced running our own etsy shops as well as reviewing and looking at millions of products online for our personal blogs, we learned over time what we love, what works and what doesn’t. We are constantly reflecting and revisiting our line to be sure that it reflects what we and our customers love. In business flexibility is very important, and so we work at that every day. When we first launched the line, our focus was split into two product segments – creative “supplies” and handmade home decor items. We quickly learned that our customer base is more interested in our creative supplies, and because of this have been working on slowly phasing out our home decor category. While changes like this can be unsettling at first (especially when you are really jazzed about a product you’ve worked so hard on), we are learning to take it all in stride and that every step is part of the ultimate growth and success of a healthy business.

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
We started out working insanely long hours but just recently had a meeting to reevaluated our schedule and have figured out hours and specific goals that are helping us to be much more efficient (most of the time – we are human after all). Having a well-balanced partnership is crucial. A lot of this has to do with open communication and honesty about where we are with things on personal and business levels. We try to focus on our strengths individually so as to to make the business as a whole function as smooth as possible. We are also both very lucky to have a supportive family network…this gives us the license to create and grow our business in ways that would not be possible without their help. We are so thankful.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
A typical day starts at 8am. Ideally we have worked out our day’s agenda before-hand and know what tasks lay ahead of us each day. A common day might find us doing any number of tasks (or all of them) from product development, supply orders, inventory, accounting, photography/editing, site development, blog/web communications, etc.

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
We work from Marichelle’s home and have converted her office/crafting room into our stock/packaging area. Product development and online operations generally take place in her dining room area (now our main work room).

It can get lonely working for yourself, but luckily, you both have each other. How is that working?
We both really enjoy our quiet creative time but it is also so much fun to have a business partner to work with and bounce ideas off of. Thank goodness we also share a similar quirky sense of humor. Many times laughter really has saved the day and keeps us going.

Finding a work/life balance can be difficult with any job, perhaps more so with self-employment. Do you think you’ve found that balance?
Not yet, but we are working on it. For both of us there is always that temptation to keep going, working late hours and in our off times when we should be relaxing. It isn’t easy to balance work and day to day life but it is something continue to get better at over time. Having open dialog with one another is a great benefit.

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year.
As an indie business it is easy to forget the importance of your own value, especially when you enjoy what you’re doing. The most valuable lesson we’ve learned so far (3 months in) is to make sure you run the numbers (definitely not our favorite thing to do, but very necessary)! We might have an awesome product idea but if the price that our customer is willing to pay does not add up to our production cost (including supplies/labor/overhead AND product packaging costs) then it’s simply a no go. We’ve made the mistake of producing items without first running the numbers, only to realize that there was no way that we could sell the product and make a fair profit from it. It makes us sad to see other indie businesses undercutting themselves…in the long run this only undermines the value of indie business as a whole.

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?

• Make sure you have a strong support system, we’ve found that working for ourselves is even more stressful (but infinitely more rewarding) than working for the man. After all, we are our biggest critics right?
• Make sure that it’s something that you absolutely love and are passionate about, self-employment is definitely not a 40 hour/5 days a week gig.
• Pay yourself (a fair wage)! Paying yourself should be part of the plan from the very beginning. If this is impossible, then at least have a set goal//deadline when you’ll start reaping the rewards of your hard work.
• If you’re not a numbers person, make sure you can hire someone who can help you with spreadsheets.
• If you’re thinking about going into business by yourself, make sure that you know where your time and efforts will be going. Do the legwork first. If you know that product photography is not your strong-suite for example, source out talent before you make the leap into self-employment. The last thing you want is to jump both feet in and realize that you’ve forgotten some major detail or two, or that you won’t be able to fill every shoe that needs to be filled in your business.
• Planning & Organization: Plan your year, months, weeks and days. Set a consistent working schedule and organize your work space (physically having a place for everything goes a very long way)!

NICE PACKAGE ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop + Shop | Blog | Twitter | Flickr

Say hello to another online buddy, Rikkianne of Chakra Pennywhistle for today’s Green Motive. Her home-ware line in both organic and up-cycled materials is simply lovely.

Welcome. Tell us about yourself and your business
My name is Rikkianne. I’ve created Chakra Pennywhistle as a way to express the pleasure of making something new out of something old. Through my design, I strive to reflect the joy of using natural materials. I offer handmade, organic, and recycled products for you and your home.

What makes your business green?
First and foremost, I choose eco-friendly materials. I offer organic products along with upcycled items. I find pleasure in researching where my materials come from and everything it takes to make them. On a daily basis I strive to learn and promote everything I can in regards to the eco-friendly, handmade world.

Chakra P. items are made with sustainable materials and are packed using eco-friendly resources. My business is constantly evolving and I am more than happy to learn and grow as new “green” resources and ideas present themselves.

Why is it important for you to offer products that are eco-friendly?
I think that it all comes down to considering the source. I believe the handmade community we participate in has sprouted from this idea. Whether you produce eco goods or make an effort to buy them, you are playing a part in a type of appreciation for how things are made, where they came from, and promoting their use as opposed to a “quick fix.” We live in a fast-paced, throw-away world. The creative process for our indie community and eco handmade world, however, causes us to slow down a little bit and forces us to ask ourselves questions about the materials we use, their past life, and their future possible uses. A maker’s process is focused and deliberate. I find that as I make my goods at this reduced speed, I unconsciously provide myself with the time necessary to really research my materials… And when you research green materials, a whole new world is introduced. It is exciting to be a part of the eco/handmade community. I learn something new every single day. Of course, there is always the thought of the future and my little one’s life in it. As I learn each day, I feel that I am lucky to be able to pass on these tips to her.

Have you found it easy to run an eco-friendly business? What difficulties (if any) have your encountered?
The easy part is the wealth of information available. There are so many wonderful green websites that promote eco-friendly business practices. There are online and local communities that are always happy to share advice and experience. Fortunately, it seems that the preachier folks that can intimidate a beginning business owner are becoming less and less common as each day goes by. The eco-friendly choice is not only becoming a way of life, but a way of making as well.

Technically, the hard part is the day-to-day operation. I think organizing a simple way to run the office is in need for my business in particular. This can come down to something as simple as separate recycling bins. My studio is a room in my home. It is small, and the simple task of saving and recycling can easily dominate such a small area. I somehow manage to do it, but all the while dreaming of a way to organize things more efficiently.

What plans do you have to further your green initiatives?
I would love to be able to give part of my proceeds to a charity. I have not been able to do that quite yet, but hope to do so in the future. Basically, I just really enjoy finding new/old materials to make useful again. That’s where my passion is and I hope to be able to get a kick out of it forever.

Lastly, anything else you would like to add?
Thank you for this feature, Adele. I love your work! I truly appreciate it and look forward to reading the next interview. I wish you the most happiness and success in 2010!

CHAKRA PENNYWHISTLE ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

I’ve been busy updating the shop the past week or two and one product I’m excited to share with you is my Personalized Recipe Cards. This year, I really want to focus more on paper goods that are functional and provide lasting usage beyond just sending a card to someone. These cards are just the start of what I have up my sleeve. Stay tuned.

What do you think?