Molly of Charlotte’s Fancy recently invited me on over to her blog for a mini interview about my new notepads and my next steps. Yah, love interviews. So, if you’d like to learn more about where I’m heading with modernemotive and what my plans are for the coming months, head on over.
Thanks Molly!
Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
I am a graphic designer and illustrator, but only recently have I been able to call myself that. After working as a contemporary dancer in Toronto, Canada, I decided to go back to school to pursue my other interest, graphic design. Transitioning from a life of dancing into the world of kerning type, spending hours in front of a Mac and staying up way too late working on projects was completely exhilarating. I loved being in school and learning new things that were so different from what I had spent my life up to that point studying, dance. I was just about to complete my first year at school when my boyfriend (now fiancé) was offered a position in Vienna, Austria. Of course, an opportunity to move to Europe could not be passed up, and at the end of my school year I joined him in Vienna. We have lived in Vienna for almost three years now, and during that time, instead of letting my graphic design fingers grow old and cobwebby I decided to start my design company, English Muffin.
I have worked with children for the past ten years, teaching dance in Toronto and now, teaching English in Vienna. English Muffin is the place where my passion for design and education meet. Although still in its infancy, I have great hopes for my company and the wonderful things it can do. I recently wrote a manifesto for English Muffin on my blog, if you’d like to read it you can see it here.
The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
To be honest, the decision to leap into the self-employed life came about quite organically. I was in a new country, barely spoke the language and needed an outlet for my creativity. Both my fiancé and my mom were incredibly encouraging towards the idea of starting a company and things just grew from there.
Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
think I handle all of those stresses pretty well. I’ve never worked a normal 9 – 5 job. My work has always been closely connected to who I am and what I believe in, so the idea of switching off at the end of the day is not something I am used to. Currently, I am working three days a week teaching English to students, and spending the other four days (yep, I work on weekends) on English Muffin. My fiancé is completing his PhD at the moment, so between him and his stacks of papers, and me attached to my laptop, we have been known to be a bit hermit-ish at times. In terms of money, yes, there are times when English Muffin is bringing in a nice little sum of money and times during the year when it’s not. I am incredibly lucky to have a partner with a steady income and a generous heart. In general neither one of us spend money easily, so I am confident that as I transition into working for myself full-time over the next few months we will be financially sound.
What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
7:30 am: wake-up, get dressed, take our dog out for his morning stroll
8:30-9:30: eat breakfast, take care of emails and Etsy convos. My inbox is usually pretty full in the morning from stuff that came in overnight from Canada and the US.
9:30-12:00: work on whatever project is on my desk. This could be Custom Names Designs or other custom orders from the shop, freelance work, web design work, or new designs for English Muffin.
12:00-12:30: lunch time. I usually watch a TED talk or one of my other favourite video podcasts while eating my favourite sandwich
12:30-1:30: work on that day’s blog post. This is when I really appreciate the time difference between North America and Europe.
1:30-5:00: continue working on the day’s projects
5:00-8:00: walk the dog, eat dinner, hang out with my better half
The rest of the night I usually prep for the next day, tie up any loose ends or immerse myself in the blogosphere
Do your work from home? Or offsite?
At home, in a sunny corner of our apartment.
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?
I’ve always been good at working on my own. I like the quiet and calm, and I could never get lonely with my trusty companion by my side (our dog Tyke). I often listen to podcasts to add a little noise to the background. I usually go out for dinner with friends once a week. I get outside for a walk at least twice a day (thanks, Tyke!) and on weekends we really enjoy visiting the neighbourhood markets and exploring our city.
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?
I think I have a lot of room to improve in this area but compared to my last career, I’m much better. There is a lot more freedom working for yourself, so I can take off the morning and go out to brunch if I like or continue working well into the evening if I’m on a roll. What we loose in salary and benefits as self-employed artists and designers we certainly gain in time, freedom and overall quality of life.
What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
Hmmmm… Don’t go ahead and print a large order before the customer has paid you. But, if that happens find a creative way to re-use those products so you don’t lose out completely. When confronted with grumpy emails, write your witty and biting reply in your head but never send it. Instead, always meet grumpiness with extreme politeness and solutions to the grumpy person’s problems.
And now the best.
The online community is a real community and a great place to find friends and like minded individuals to keep you inspired and moving forward with your own goals. There is no magic potion, there are no chosen ones, there is only hard work and dedication to what you are striving for. You have to ask for what you want.
Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
I don’t know if I really feel qualified to give advice since I myself have yet to make the full-time self-employment leap. But here’s what I tell myself when the seeds of doubt creep in: After dipping your toe into the pool of design, you can objectively say that people are interested in and like your work. You have made a good number of sales with minimal advertising and marketing and have received positive feedback from your clients and customers. You have both a business plan and a financial plan about how to grow your business in the future. You love what you’re doing and have new and exciting ideas for the future of your company. So, what are you waiting for?
ENGLISH MUFFIN ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Blog | Twitter | Flickr
Friends, please welcome my online buddy – Erin Vale – to my blog. After reading her interview, it’s clear this girl has the knowledge, focus and determination to go far – I’m in awe! Oh and if you’re just getting into freelancing or perhaps considering it, be sure to check out her FREELANCE 101 series.
Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
Thanks for inviting me! My name is Erin Vale. I am the owner/designer of Vale Design, a freelance design company specializing in package design and branding. I have six years of Chicago corporate design experience and I have been self-employed working both onsite and offsite for the past four years. In 2008, I started erinvaledesign.com, a website to showcase my work and passions to the design community. In 2009, I started an online product based company, finch&hawk, which combines my love for patterns and three dimension in budget-friendly, favor packaging printables and paper goods.
The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
Honestly, frustration gave me the confidence to freelance. I quit a job that was making me unhappy and that was not the right fit for me. I intended to take a four month hiatus, but after three weeks, a couple of clients from past jobs found out that I was working for myself and starting emailing me with freelance opportunities. I accepted every one and never looked back. In my opinion, my work has never looked better and I have never been happier. In the beginning, I was scared at every turn, but I just knew in my gut that I could do this.
Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
I am blessed to be able to do what I love for a living, but I would be lying if I said that freelancing was all roses and sunshine. It can be stressful. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I just stop working. I give myself time off. I give myself permission to go out for a walk or grab a coffee. Sometimes, inspiration comes back after an hour and sometimes I just surrender and start fresh the next day. I do my best work when I am inspired, not when I am forcing myself to sit down and just design something.
What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
I wake up and get ready between 7 and 8 am. I get the house organized from the night before and deal with our high maintenance allergy dog, medicine, walk, etc. I check my favorite blogs while I have my morning coffee and I am working by 9 am. I work on a variety of projects for clients {packaging concepts, dielines, logos, front end web design, business cards}, work on research and posts for erinvaledesign.com and prep any shipments and new designs for finch&hawk. Somewhere in all of that, I eat lunch for about an hour while watching any black and white movie that is on TCM. Then, I am back to work until about 6 pm when my husband comes home. We eat dinner together and hang out for about 2 hours. I get back on the computer to finish up until about 9 or 10 pm. I typically try to read from 10 to 11 to “shut the design floodgates.” I am not a procrastinator by nature. I do not have a problem with distractions because I schedule them in. I will write in my iCal, laundry, dry cleaner, Office Depot etc. Then they are just items to cross off my daily to do list.
Do your work from home? Or offsite?
I work both on-site {for clients in Chicago} and offsite in my home office. When we moved back to Indiana 3 years ago, we specifically bought a house that had an empty front room. We had a wall built with french doors and large built-in bookcases to close in the the room. It was originally going to be my husband’s office, but the dog and I took it over!
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?
I think I have the best of both worlds. Some days I work on-site in my client’s office and other days I am able to work by myself at home. I do miss turning around and asking the designer behind me, “what do you think of this design, violator, logo, etc?” With the upswing in social networking, I have met a handful of designers, whose work I admire, and I will ask them vague hypothetical questions about my design dilemmas. Seems to fill that void quite well and I have made some wonderful new 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?
Finding the work/life balance is what I struggle with the most. I love my clients and I love designing. Having a home office blurs that line of when to stop working. Bored. Go to the office and work. Husband napping. Go to the office and work. Can’t sleep. Go to the office and work. Within the past year, I have started to research Indy more and have started to plan outings for myself, husband and friends. This gets me out of the house, into the fresh air and learning new things. I have noticed that this has also helped my design work. The fresh air clears out the cobwebs and the research adds more information to my visual arsenal.
What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
I learned to remove “me” from my work. If a client is not happy with a concept, that is not them saying “I think you are a bad designer.” It just means that maybe they did not like the logo in red!
And now the best.
The most valuable lesson I learned from my first year, was to trust my voice and knowledge. I think all designers have design self-esteem issues at some point. Is my work good enough? Who is going to like this? How is that designer better than me? I have learned that my clients hire me for my past experience and my passion to provide them with the best deliverable I can. There is work out there for everyone. Worrying is a waste of time and energy.
Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
My advice for anyone contemplating freelancing:
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!!!
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
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?
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 don’t remember when or how I came across Jenna & Mark, the married duo behind Whimsy & Spice, but I was instantly hooked. With gorgeous goods, beautiful photography and a business story I admire, it’s hard to not become a virtual fly on the wall into their journey. And to boot, they have two of the most adorable girls I have ever seen.
Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
I’m a graphic designer and art director. My husband, Mark is a pastry chef. Together we have over 12 years of experience in our respective industries and 2 years ago we decided to open our own company, Whimsy & Spice, after having talked about it abstractly for many years. We make and sell handmade cookies, marshmallows and other confections.
The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
I’ve been freelancing as a designer for the past 7 years, so It’s been many many years since I’ve worked in an office, but luckily, this profession is one where working from home is entirely possible. Part of deciding to go freelance is knowing a little about yourself to begin with and I always knew early on that the corporate office life wasn’t really for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a strong network and as a result, have worked on some very interesting, large-scale projects over the years.
Mark took the leap to self employment not by choice, initially. He was laid off from a new job right when the decline in the US economy was happening, so it was a scary time to be unemployed. They say, however, that a surge in start ups and new businesses occur in a down economy, partly because there are no jobs to be had, so we figured we had nothing to lose when the idea to start our own company began to percolate. It’s been almost 2 years and we see that pivotal day as a blessing in disguise. Had he not been laid off, we would have never started Whimsy & Spice.
Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
Sometimes not well, lol. There are times when I look at all the factors that are lined up against us and I wonder why we do it: no benefits, no company subsidized heath insurance, no steady paycheck, no stability, crazy work schedules, no clear boundaries between work and home life. It gets really stressful during dry and slow periods, particularly since we have 2 small children and a mortgage to support – there’s really no slacking off. But when I catch myself being anxious about not finding another client or project again, I need to remind myself that in the 7 years that I’ve been freelancing, we’ve always pulled through and I’ve always found work. Basically you need to hustle and work hard, but you also need to trust. It isn’t easy and I am still learning how to do that.
What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
There really are no typical days because each day is dictated by how many orders are received and how many client deadlines I have, but there are always 2 constants: dropping off and picking up our older kid from school. Most of the other tasks revolve around this. Mark will often go into the kitchen to bake during the day, as well as make a trip to the post office to drop off packages that need to ship to customers. If I’m on multiple projects, it’s not uncommon that I’ll work 15 hours a day – I’m a night owl.
As far as keeping organized, we’re pretty low tech on that front! Mark still scribbles his to-do list on paper. Mine is usually all in my head. I’ve never been one to use paper or technology to organize my day.
Do your work from home? Or offsite?
I work from home. We operate our business from home, but Mark bakes in a restaurant kitchen in our neighborhood.
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?
I do miss the socialization of an office environment sometimes or the natural collaboration that happens when you’re working in an office with colleagues. Twitter has been a good substitute for that in some respects, but to prevent yourself from feeling too isolated, you have to make an effort, reach out to people and go out. That is my main resolution for the New Year.
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?
Depends on the month. When it is our busy season for the business – the holidays – no, the balance is totally imbalanced; we’re working around the clock. It’s easier other times of the year, but like most freelance it can be feast of famine, so when there are times that 3 projects will hit at once, I am constantly working and can be holed up in the apartment with my computer. But the one thing we always do is eat dinner together as a family every single night. I think that helps bring some normalcy to our life. We also try and take at least a few hours on 1 weekend day to do something fun as a family.
What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
In a way, this is counter-intuitive to how I normally make decisions in life, but in our first year we made a business decision with our hearts rather than our heads and it turned out to be the wrong decision that cost us business and money. Sometimes you have to put on your business hat AND keep it on. It certainly made us think more carefully about business decisions after that. We don’t want every decision to be solely based around money, but we are running a business after all – one that needs to sustain and support our family – so we’ve learned to make big decisions with our business hats on.
And now the best.
I’ve learned not to over think and belabor over certain details. I’ve learned to let go to a certain extent and push things out in the world instead of keeping them in production and refinement mode forever. This may seem obvious, but this was a big thing for me. Sometimes you just have to spring into action and not think too much.
Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
Be courageous in your pursuit of self employment, but do have fun. It’s good to weigh the pros and cons of self employment, but sometimes we have to go with our gut and not over-analyze things too much. I know for myself, I would never get anything done if I just went strictly with facts and numbers. It definitely is a leap of faith, but if you have a reasonable plan, ambition and a good attitude, it can be done. It’s also important not to get discouraged and give it some time (I still need to follow this advice!). You can always look for a job if things do not pan out, but at least there will be no regrets for not trying.
WHIMSY & SPICE ELSEWHERE
Shop | Etsy | Blog | Twitter | Flickr
Please welcome my online buddy, Jan DiCintio of Daisy Janie today – the first interviewee for the Green Motive relaunch. I could not be happier. With a love for designing geometric patterns myself, her organic fabrics and surface designs are right up my alley. I can also confirm she is one lovely lady too.
Welcome. Tell us about yourself and your business
I am a freshly turned 40-year-old, who moonlights as a mom, wife, doggie owner and fitness nut. I am a self-taught fabric & surface designer, having segued over the past 10 years from other creative pursuits that involved building, painting and sewing (not all at once). I produce my own line of fabrics as well as offer custom surface design services to clients.
What makes your business green?
The retail fabrics I currently design and sell in my etsy shop are primarily what make Daisy Janie green. They are printed on 2 types of organic base goods: one is an organic cotton sateen made with 100% cotton fibers certified by Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS); the other is an organic cotton/hemp blend canvas that is certified organic by the USDA’s Nat’l Organic Program (NOP). These are professionally printed in a digital format, using water-based, low VOC pigments. This method of printing also minimizes water consumption and fabric waste. Further, heat & pressure calendaring are used to finish the fabric rather than harsh chemicals.
I also have a collection of organic fabrics (Geo Grand) that will be offered at wholesale and will be available in early March. These organic fabrics, made from GOTS-certified cotton fiber, will also be self-produced. I am soooo excited about this line as it will allow Daisy Janie to make a more significant contribution to an industry (cotton fabric) that’s in desperate need of an overhaul. Conventionally grown cotton crops and fabrics produced from these crops are some of the worst offenders on the planet in terms of pesticide usage and toxic processing. Read “Cotton and the Environment” for more information.
Why is it important for you to offer products that are eco-friendly?
I offer eco-friendly products so I can sleep at night knowing I’ve done my part. I cannot remember a time in my adult life when I wasn’t a freakazoid about recycling, repurposing, clean living and protecting earth’s creatures. Choosing to offer green products is simply an extension of these ideals and a logical expression of my personal philosophies.
Have you found it easy to run an eco-friendly business? What difficulties (if any) have your encountered?
When I started my first solo venture in 1998 (JH Originals), it was much more challenging to procure green raw materials and market green products than it is for me today. The confluence of powerful and dynamic variables like Etsy, indie culture, internet as a mainstay for biz, green awareness and consumer acceptance has created a business segment that manufacturers can’t ignore & consumers can’t get enough of. Given that, I have definitely seen a nice shift in ‘what it takes’ to run an eco-friendly business.
The main difficulty in producing & selling a thoughtful product like organic fabric is price point. In general, organic cotton farming and processing requires more care and overall tending, so it costs *me* more to have it produced…which means it will cost my customer more as well. Not all customers understand this, and it has been a hurdle to effectively market and educate. (Interviews like this are a huge boost to that end – thank you Adele!)
What plans do you have to further your green initiatives?
On a smaller scale: I have planted seeds for additional eco-friendly product offerings using my surface designs. Haven’t gotten very far, but my research notebook is filling up! I also continue to find ways to package my products with a smaller carbon footprint.
On a larger scale: Daisy Janie is run out of my home (for as long as I can manage), and I’m very proud that we just made the switch to purchase wind energy for our electricity. There’s no way to know for certain if the electricity that makes it to the grid to power your individual house is that exact electricity you purchased. However, when you make this selection, you are casting a vote that dictates demand for this product. You are supporting the wind energy producers, and thereby taking a piece of the “electricity pie” away from coal/fossil fuel energy producers….much like choosing organic fabrics over non-organics!
Lastly, anything else you would like to add?
Eighteen years ago, I read this quote in a shop offering Native American art: “We did not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We are borrowing it from our grandchildren.” It hit me hard and solidified my desire to do what I could on an individual level to lessen my impact on the earth…a defining moment in my life to be sure.
DAISY JANE ELSEWHERE
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Image showing chair covered in Daisy Janie fabric is courtesy of Storefront.
