… Pretty much from then time I wake up till I go to sleep I’m either sewing, coming up with designs, or thinking of ideas for my business. The only time I take a break is to eat or workout. In the morning I sew til about 2, eat lunch sew till about 7 then eat dinner. After that I might sew till I go to bed but lately, I’ve gotten in the habit of jumping on my laptop fixing up my website, drawing designs, researching other companies.

…I sell Yamato Indigo Dye, a natural indigo dye. I import the dye from Japan (I have an exclusive US distribution agreement with its manufacturer) and repackage it for the US market. I create kits designed to appeal to absolute beginners. The kits are for people who have never tried indigo dyeing and looking for easy kits to start with, which will achieve satisfying results.

…I have finished fashion design/knitwear design in the MFA program at Academy of Art University. I have learned great lessons from one of the top teachers in the industry while I was in this program. I also had an internship with a local designer while I was in school. This experience was a great asset for me to develop a commercial sense of products.

…Instagram is what I use the most! I love holding contests and giveaways. Tag a friend, follow my IG account. It’s a great way to market yourself, get people excited about your shop and show people behind the scenes look of you at work :).

…Fears and doubts are of course part of the process when starting such an online business. The way I see things is that there are moments in life where you just close your eyes and jump into cold water knowing deep down in your heart everything will be alright. I overcame some fears by simply writing down important questions about starting an online business and searching for answers online.

…I always liked to create lovely things. When I was 9 years old I have made my first handmade skirt using old mother‘s Singer sewing machine. From that time I have tried various sewing techniques including cross-stitching. I have made lots of nice handmade things for myself and my friends. From 2012 I have discovered Etsy and started to sell my handmade products there.

…I think the main thing about our success is our ambition to make customers feel happy and satisfied. Every time we make the product we imagine how the customer will wear our shoes or slippers, what will be the first impression, how long she or he will wear them. I think this is the main thing we still have many returning and new customers.

…I sell fabrics and yarns, especially for crochet. I love sewing quilts and crocheting baby blankets. I absolutely love the Catania yarn that I am selling and I use it for my projects too. I don´t have much time nowadays to make things for sale, so I usually just create for my family and friends. I love, however, to sell these products that I know are good quality and are hard to find in the US.

… Selling fees and advertising are our biggest expense. While we buy our supplies in bulk to save money this requires the use of several different companies to get the job done. When pricing products we look at all the costs involved and the amount of time it takes to make it to decide on a fair price.

… Since my product is a personalized product, communication with the customer is constant from the moment they make the purchase and throughout the entire production process. In many of my products, they send me photos, in other texts, names, or numbers, so it is essential to understand each other so that the product is the desired one.