Like lots of small businesses I have found the last few years have been incredibly tough. With new tariffs when posting overseas, the cost of electric and materials rising, and customers being more cautious when spending on luxury items, it's safe to say it's been an uphill struggle. The business wasn't going in the direction I wanted, and I found myself attending market after market in a desperate attempt to make some money. Something had to change and that meant moving things back home and looking for some paid work. For a while I felt like I had failed, but there was also a lot of relief once the decision had been made. I wanted to write this blog post to share some of the factors that lead me here, and to be open and honest about running a handmade business.
Left: The shop space in Unit 2. Right: My studio space with embroidery machines working away
The Shop/Studio Space
It has been over two and a half years since I started renting a unit at Chilvers Coton Craft Centre, and it has taught me a lot. One of the reasons I took on the space was to move things out of the house, have a better work/life balance, and get my home back, and this did work for a while. It was nice to shut the doors at the end of the day and switch off from orders. I thought being surrounded by other small businesses would give me the opportunity to bounce new ideas around and be part of a creative community. Unfortunately this didn't work out as planned. I didn't realise how big an impact other businesses would have on my own when we were in a shared building. Maybe it would have been different if we were individual shops along a high street, but visitors would view us all as one entity under one roof. The wins were everyone's wins, but any negative feedback tarred us all with the same brush.
I also found I was less productive. As the space was a shop as well as a studio, I found myself spending hours talking to customers who just wanted a chat. Don't get me wrong, I love talking to people, but when those that visited didn't purchase anything, I found myself working later and later into the evening to complete online orders, and taking on jobs that were not my style or specific skill set, which I ultimately ended up underquoting for.
The final straw was just how restrictive I found having to stick to specific opening hours. I struggled to find time to photograph new products, take important phone calls and work uninterrupted. I had tried and tried and I was done. Moving everything home and trying to fit it back into the house has been a challenge, and I know at times I was a real grump about it all, but thankfully I'm nearly there. And I must say, the peace and space to concentrate is haven.
Left: The fifty year old, twelve head, Barudan embroidery machines I am currently being trained on. Right: The embroidery machine control panel. No touch screens here!
A New Job
Normally my sales from September to Christmas bring in the money I need to keep me going through the quieter months. Unfortunately as the year progressed it was obvious January was going to be a struggle. With this in mind I asked the company that embroider my Reusable Christmas Crackers if they needed an extra pair of hands, and luckily they said yes! I am now being trained to use a twelve head Barudan embroidery machine that is over 50 years old, and I am absolutely loving it.
As someone that completed a degree in textiles which barely touched on digital embroidery, the tools I now use to create my designs are completely self taught. I have always had a bit of a complex about this and often wonder if my way is the best way. Working within a more established company (Toye, Kenning & Spencer were founded in 1685!) has shown me that the high tech and low tech definitely work hand in hand, and I'm not too far off the mark with my own way of working. Think computerised embroidery machines, but templates hand cut from scrap cardboard.
Lastly, the absolute nerd in me has had the opportunity to play around with Wilcom embroidery software, which I believe is the software most commonly used when digitizing embroidery motifs. When I started out I picked Brother PE Design, and due to the cost of embroidery programs, have stuck to what I know.
Research images and possible colour palette for the rebrand
The Rebrand
For quite a while I have wanted to update my branding to better reflect my products. Over time my style has developed but my logo never did, and I felt like I needed to bring it back in line. With a steady income and less outgoings, investing in a rebrand was less of a risk. I have known Tamsin for years through selling on Not on the High Street, and having followed her progress on social media when she set up Monroe Creative, she was the prefect woman for the job. We are currently working on the rebrand so I don't want to share too much at this stage. All I will say is I am beyond excited and Tamsin absolutely gets my vision. I cannot wait to share everything with you at a later date.
A New Year and a New Start
After all the worry over these big decisions, this January has been my busiest so far! The absolute irony! I had the chance to work on a very special commission for a customer's birthday celebration, and I have made so many Valentines Keepsake Envelopes I could sew them in my sleep.
It took me quite a while to be okay with some of these changes, but there were a few things had to keep reminding myself of:-
- You can learn just as much from things not working out as from things that went 100% smoothly.
- Surround yourself with those you aspire to be like.
- Every opportunity is an opportunity to learn something new.
- You're never doing as badly as you think and your toughest critic is yourself.
So here's to a fresh start and finding my creativity again!
