Happy International Women's Day! And Happy Women’s History Month!

In honor of International Women's Day and Women’s Health Month we, at The Felt Pod, convinced our founder to let us introduce her! We hope that her unfiltered answers help you in some ways in your entrepreneurial journey.

How did you start your business?

How important is your family in this journey?

Do you think your daughters are learning anything from you?

Is there such a thing as work life balance?

How do you feel about developing your business in the handcraft industry compared to other industries?

Who or what inspires you in your business?

Would you recommend for people to quit their jobs and start their own business?

Can you share some tips for other start-ups and small business owners?

How did you start your business?

I started my business as a side gig while I was working full-time as a statistics analyst for an economic consulting firm. I was doing great at my job and I liked it but it just didn’t float my boat. I needed a creative outlet. So, I began making handmade gifts for family and friends. I found myself looking forward to time off of work to get back to a different kind of work, making things. It didn’t feel like work even when I spent hours on my craft projects and that is when I began to wonder how I could do this full-time. It didn’t happen overnight!

You know that feeling, when you were a kid and you showed someone something that you created yourself, that butterflies in the tummy, first-date kind of feeling while you anxiously wait to see their reaction? That is what I felt every time I made a new hair clip. I felt excited to share it and motivated to create more. At first, I tried my hand at creating hair and shoe accessories geared towards the wedding industry, but quickly gravitated towards making accessories for little girls because they are more colorful. If you look at The Felt Pod site, you will quickly see I am all about color and cuteness! I made my first Etsy shop over 10 years ago and sold my hair bows and hair clips for little girls. This was how I first discovered my new obsession and love of felt! I would spend my nights and weekends sewing all these cute things and dreaming up new ones as I went. I was hooked when I sold my first item on Etsy within hours of launching the shop. I enjoyed every ounce of the creative process but there was still a problem. It was hard to get my hands on 100% wool felt and the pastel colorways I was dreaming of for my designs were non-existent. This is when I realized that other makers such as myself must be struggling with the same issues. I wanted to solve that problem so I accepted the challenge. That is when The Felt Pod was born!

When The Felt Pod started, everything was stored in white IKEA bins in my home office. Things took off quickly. My husband Anthony and our parents would help me roll and bag the felt as I still had my full-time job that first year. As the business grew, it started taking over the entire house, room by room. There was felt in the closets, felt in the den and metal racks inside the bedrooms stacked with yards of colorful felt. I think my husband was relieved when I said to him, "I think it's time for us to either go big or go home.�

How important is your family in this journey?

I wouldn't be where I'm at today if I didn't have the support and encouragement of my husband, parents, friends and my girls. I absolutely feel like this is a family business as we all worked really hard to make The Felt Pod what it is today. They also have kept me grounded when my enthusiasm takes on a life of its own! I tend to be the eager beaver type that jumps at opportunities and my calm and careful family have not only been super supportive when first starting my company. They have been there to help me rein in my expectations, logically evaluate risks and reassure me when things don’t go as planned. Whenever I have a new idea, I like to bounce it off of them first. They'll challenge what I tell them and poke holes in all my theories. They basically help me keep my wild ideas realistic. I know that if I can convince them of my newest “big idea� then I really am on to something. It is important to have people you trust that have your best interests at heart, who will tell you the truth but also trust that you can do this.

Do you think your daughters are learning anything from you?

Gosh, I hope so! I always tell them that I don't care what they choose to do (career wise) when they grow up. Whatever they do, I want them to do it with a sense of purpose and passion. I want them to discover something they can have a deep love for so that their "job" won't feel like a job. They have been with me every step of the way. Oftentimes they come to work with me and share their ideas and feedback on projects along the way. I hope that, through me, they learn that we need to set goals, work hard, work smart, and it is ok to fail sometimes. Failure is just a learning experience. It doesn’t define you unless you let it. The important thing is to bounce back.

Is there such a thing as work life balance?

If there is, I haven’t figured it out yet! Even though I have included them many moments with my job, I still have mom-guilt. I still have a lot of days where I struggle with thoughts about doing “enough� as a wife, mom or daughter. I still sometimes worry that I am working too much. But I also know that a lot of us feel that way even if we aren't running our own company. We might feel that way even if we are a stay-at-home mom. That feeling of inadequacy isn’t fair to women. I try to shift those moments into focusing on realizing I am doing an amazing job, I focus on how much I love my family and they me and I'm just grateful for what I have. During those moments where I feel like I need to do more or be more, I remind myself that I have been able to take my girls to school and pick them up from school every single day, all while having a full-time career and providing jobs for others so that they can provide for their family. So, I don't think you can call what I'm doing balancing work-life. I think of it more like haphazardly making it work! I'm happy and my family's happy, so in all, I think it's working. Luckily, I am a night owl and I can also get a lot done when everyone goes to sleep!

How do you feel about developing your business in the handcraft industry compared to other industries?

I love the DIY craft industry because it feels like a community to me and even when I get to my warehouse, it still has a home feeling. I get to come to work in a rainbow filled room. It is hard to have a fully bad day in that setting! I also get to work with so many amazing, creative people and see firsthand some of their mind-blowing creations. There is just so much inspiration in the handmade craft industry and I feel so blessed to be a part of it. Over the past ten years some of my customers have also become my friends. They are people who are like-minded and like-hearted and it's truly amazing because we are each other's cheerleaders. It also seems to me that my customers and peers in the handcraft community tend to be kinder people and easier to develop genuine connections with. I own other companies in different industries, so I actually have real experience to base this comparison so this isn’t made-up fluff. The craft industry rocks!

Who or what inspires you in your business?

Ok, this might sound cliche' and I think even my friends will be surprised to read this but I LOVE watching Shark Tank. Especially when I’m up burning the midnight oil working late. I’ll put on an episode of Shark Tank in the background and it gets me pumped! I have a strong competitive side for sure, but I also love seeing other people reach for their dreams. I totally tear up during those moments when someone is pouring their heart out about how much it their business means to them, especially when they don't get an offer. And, before you ask, my favorite shark is Mark Cuban because of the challenging questions he asks. I later find myself asking myself those questions and it has for sure helped me grow in business.

Of well-known businesswomen today, I actually admire what Taylor Swift has accomplished when it comes to business. She has provided jobs and changed the music industry landscape in a way that is beyond anything preceding her as woman in her industry and I find that to be inspirational. Her recent world tour has saved the hospitality industry in some towns. Whether you like her music or not, it has had a very positive impact on our economy. Unfortunately, there are too few visible women in business. Less than 20% of all businesses are woman founded. We need more of us! We need to change that statistic! We need to be lifting each other up and helping each other rise to the top. When I first started my entrepreneur journey, I didn't have anyone to guide me, no one to show me the ropes or prepare me for the road ahead. I would have been so grateful to have a mentor so I genuinely love sharing my journey and my experience in hopes that it can provide even an inkling of help for any other aspiring female entrepreneurs.

Would you recommend for people to quit their jobs and start their own business?

No, absolutely not. Quitting your job is not something I recommend for entrepreneurs that are just starting their journey. If you do quit your job, make sure you have somebody else in the family who is making a stable income to help cover the bills in case things don't work out the way you imagined. If you're flying solo, make sure you have savings that will cover 6 - 12 months of your bills if the business goes south. If you have a full-time job already and you want to try starting your own company, just be prepared for some really hard work that lies ahead. To be honest, you're probably going to work harder than you've ever worked before to get the company running. I just want to be realistic with everyone who might think that being your own boss is all flowers and roses. Don't go into it thinking you get complete freedom to wake up late and do what you want, when you want. It's actually the complete opposite. Instead of maybe answering to one boss at work, you'll be answering to hundreds of bosses, aka your customers! You'll probably find yourself working 20 hour days, 7 days a week while you try to grow your company and wishing there are more hours in a day. You'll know if having your own business is the right thing for you if you've done the daily grind for a while and you still love what you do every single day. You know that entrepreneurship is meant for you if you don't resent giving up things like get-togethers, vacations, and dinners with friends and family because you had to work. On the flip-side you also need to have a strong sense of self, a good moral compass to make it long term, I think. Sure there are a lot of companies who are run unethically but for small business owners it does not work if you try to cut corners or cheat your customers. You need to be prepared to stand by your word. This goes a long way in small business and the small business community.

Can you share some tips for other start-ups and small business owners?

Yes! Don’t undervalue your time! Your time is worth money. I know that many people start their craft business because they love it and their creations are absolutely amazing. If you want to make things on your spare time and not feel bound to a schedule, gift your creations to those around you and enjoy their joy at receiving it. But if you are serious about making money off of what you create, you have to value your time. I have literally timed myself to the minute on how long it takes me to complete something to see if it is worth doing. You have to value not only how long it takes to make that masterpiece but also think about the sacrifices and things that you are giving up while you are working on your business. For example, how much would you need to earn to miss out on your son's soccer practice or your daughter's dance recital? Or if you sold your goods for $10 but had to forsake your morning hike or walk and your health suffers as a result of that, is that a good trade off? These are real costs and need to be taken into account.

I say this not to discourage anyone. When I started The Felt Pod, it was in part to encourage dreamers to follow their passion. From personal experience, I encourage you to think about your road ahead so that you can make a conscious decision before you leap. Roadmap your success before it happens so you have your strategy and game plans in place. I have seen so many makers become really successful quickly but then all of a sudden, they just disappear. Some of them I know disappear because they didn't plan on how to scale and suffered from burn out because they are trying to do everything themselves. Perhaps they didn't price in the cost to hire help or simply the financial payoff wasn't worth what was given up in their personal lives. It utterly guts me when I see this happen. There are a lot of little factors at play so asking others for advice, being prepared to pivot, and planning ahead are crucial.

#internationalwomensday #womensmonth #womenownedbusiness