What
inspired you to start your business?
I’ve
never been one to sit still long! Even with three young children, I
was always working on something else and usually taking on too much!
I’ve always been a crafty person and when my youngest was around 6
months; my sons kinder announced they were planning a Kids Market. I
had done my fair share of studying so I thought this sounded like my
next new challenge.
After
3 months of careful planning and creating, my Facebook page was
created. The market came along which was an overwhelming success
within my local community, and so from that, I decided to givethis
new venture a decent go.
What is your handmade business all about?
I
wanted to create something unique. There are so many gorgeous
handmade businesses out there that make the most beautiful clothing
and baby wares so I decided to put my educational background to use
and create children’s toys and games.
I
always try to keep products practical, what can I say, I’m a
practical person! From thinking about easy product storage and
convenience from a parent’s point of view, to making sure they are
fun and engaging from a child’s point of view. And as much as
possible, extend the game so my customers get value for money. For
example, I spent many long hours designing my I Spy Bag cards to
include images and text (for younger children), plus also lots of
extra challenges to appeal to older children. When every I Spy Bag is
different, this adds considerably to the manufacturing time but it’s
definitely worth the extra effort!What do you enjoy most about your business?
First
and foremost, this has to be being able to work whilst being a stay
at home mum for my three young children. I feel so blessed to be able
to do this!
I
love my wide range of products and the variation of crafts I use. I
work with many different materials: fabric, wood, paper, ribbons so
it’s always fun to jump from product to product. Although, the down
side of this is I have so many product ideas that I want to get to,
and a lot of work in progress!
I
have my Facebook page; my hand-made shop; attend quite a few local
markets; as well as selling through two physical shop outlets. This
keeps the selling part fun too. I have wonderful loyal customers
through each of these avenues and having a variety of outlets means I
never tire of just the one selling point.
What is your favourite product to make?
Hmmm,
this is a hard one! I don’t think I can choose just one as I’m so
proud of all my products. With so much variety, all the different
processes required allows me to move between them to keep it
interesting. One day I’ll be polishing with beeswax for my dancing
rings, laminating cards for my travel games, creating cards for I Spy
bags, printing stationery, cutting fabric or ribbons for a range of
things, ironing, sewing, overlocking or working on new designs. I
even have some paper products on the way. Like I said earlier, I
don’t sit still long!
How did you learn your craft?
Like
a lot of handmade lovers, I inherited my love of craft from my Mum.
She is extremely talented in sewing, drawing, knitting, card making
and painting. I’ve learnt handy tips from her along the way but
otherwise I’m a self-taught sewer. Before starting Lolli Poppits,
in terms of fabric, I had only made some basic items: simple
drawstring bags for my son’s toys, some tracksuit pants, reusable
cloth wipes and a lot of padded bibs for my daughter who was a
terrible dribbler. So I think I have come a long way in 2 years! I
also loved working with paper and card, and have created albums and
canvas collages, which are crafts which haven’t yet found their way
into Lolli Poppits. Well not yet anyway!
What handy hints do you have for people who are starting up a hand-made business?
I
find it a little funny answering this as I still see myself as
“starting up”! But what I would say is definitely do your
research. Firstly into the products you are thinking of making, and
whether many other businesses already are making them. Especially
consider local businesses if you are going to attend the same
markets. Keep yourself unique and true to what you love to make. Also
research into finding great suppliers, as well as methods of selling
and online and local business support groups. You will find that
people that are your competitors can also be your greatest assets!
Be
prepared to spend money to make money, particularly when starting
out, even though it’s a risk to take when you don’t know how your
products will be received.
And
lastly I would say, work hard but make sure you remember to take some
time out and don’t forget the other things that are important!
What
plans do you have for your business in the next year?
My
short-term plan is to keep doing what I’m doing: keeping stocks up
of my popular products for my online store and local markets, and
occasionally getting a chance to introduce one of the numerous new
product ideas I come up with. I’m happy with my workload at the
moment as I still have 2 of my 3 children at home. I have busy
periods and quiet periods, which are great for family time and for
building up stock. I’m loving that my business is growing at a
steady pace but I’m excited to see how it can develop further when
I get some child-free days!
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