Etcetera: All the ins and outs and in betweens

This is going to be a long one.....probably the longest post ever written on this blog, but I hope to share my life and heart completely. This is no small task, and will take many words.......but I hope it will speak to each and every one who takes the time to read it. This is my story.I don't have the "traditional story" that {it seems like} lots of other artists and creatives have. You know, the one where they say they were raised by hippie free spirits, ran around barefoot in the woods collecting foliage and mushrooms and creating artistic masterpieces from birth? Hah! I am totally being facetious! But you know what I mean.......and I say that to solidify the fact that I did not realize my passion for color and design until later in life. As a youngin' I did not spend hours re-arranging my bedroom, designing furniture, or creating with my hands....although, I did use a paperclip to carve a flower in my mom's beautiful oak telephone table once {sorry mom!}. ugh. I would have killed me.....but my mom obviously let me live. My daddy is a preacher, so I grew up being taught the value of hard work, pinching pennies, Saturdays full of garage sales, making do with what you have,  and a love of travel. My dad planned the best cross country trips where we saw everything from free range buffalo, to Mt Rushmore and beyond.Fast forward several years {ahem!} and I find myself married to the best guy in the universe and  a young mama to two toddlers ages 2 and 4. I was a stay at home mom, and we had just moved into a new home. The house is fantastic, but it was built in the 70's and needs some cosmetic updating. I have painted plenty of walls and trim at this point, but I have never tackled anything close to cabinets or furniture. The kitchen cabinets needed updating ...badly, and we could not afford to tear everything out and start new. So, I looked at my husband and said "I'll paint them!"....and paint them I did! I bought a few gallons of cream paint, a dark glaze, a plethora of paint brushes and got to work. This was in 2001/2002.....and mind you, there were no such things as design blogs, or tutorials.... so I literally read the Ralph Lauren pamphlet that came with the glaze and dove in. The rest is history. This project was a catalyst in my life, and opened up a whole new world for me. I was hooked.....completely, and could not keep my hands out of paint from this moment on. It took me a lot of experimenting, trial, and error to perfect my finishes, but all of it was such a new and exciting challenge.... I just immersed myself and enjoyed every minute .I don't remember how much time passed....it may have been one year or maybe it was two..{I can't remember now!}...but during this time I perfected my painting skills by painting pieces that I picked up off the side of the road, pieces in my home, and pieces purchased at thrift stores. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to try my hand at selling some of my pieces and  I got the idea to do a home show. I invited a couple of my friends to do it with me. We spent a couple months creating product: furniture, jewelry, and floral arrangements, and then we cleared out the front two rooms of my house and set it up like a shop. We invited anyone and everyone we knew to invite, and the first show was a smashing success. This is when my ideas for a business were born.I have always had a sincere desire to keep life balanced and to keep my family first, so with that thought in mind I determined from the beginning to grow slowly, organically, and to remain a debt free business so as not to cause financial strain on my family. I have been very intentional about the way that I have grown my business, and it may not be for everyone.....but it has worked for me and for my family.I continued the home shows for a couple of years, doing one in the Spring and one in the Fall. There was always a great turn out, but eventually I saw the need to reach out beyond friends and friends of friends in order to expand the network of people that were seeing my work. Each show took place in my home and it was getting harder and harder to rearrange my entire house for each event! I knew that in order to grow I had to be willing to step up to the next level and so I started looking into renting an antique booth. This is where I instinctively knew that location and consumer traffic would be essential. We have all been in those antique malls and consignment stores that are filled to the brim with everything but customers......and that is not where I wanted to be. I researched antique booths in my area and came up with the name of a store that had been in business for 25 years, was right off a major highway, and was well known for its sales and traffic. There was a waiting list to get in {good sign!} and I put myself on that waiting list. I was not really getting anywhere with the waiting list, but I found out that I had a friend with a booth there, selling rugs, and he offered to let me put a couple pieces in his booth. I put "a couple" pieces in, and my foot was in the door! I soon had a booth of my own and almost completely sold out the first weekend! It was really exciting for me to be reaching a whole new market of people and I was on my way!This is where the rubber started to meet the road. I had to start keeping track of purchases and sales, learn how to display my product, apply for business licenses, and learn the ropes of resale! This was a huge undertaking for me since I did not study business or marketing at all and just had to read a lot and  learn as I went. Thankfully, I am a pretty organized person so keeping track of everything was not a huge issue for me but figuring out the legal/business side of everything was really hard. I am thankful for the many people who helped me a long the way and for good books! Any time you have to deal with the government both on a federal and local level it is confusing and full of frustration but alas....it is a necessary evil. If I can stress one thing, it would be to make sure that you are properly licensed and staying on top of all of that! Better to be safe than sorry.....and you will be able to sleep much better at night when things are done right.I went from one antique booth to two over the next couple of  years and gradually became more and more confident with displaying and merchandising my furniture pieces. I was now making enough money to purchase more and more product and since  I was painting out of my garage.....it became really full of furniture! We could no longer park cars in the two car garage due to the fact that it was my workshop! I loved being able to paint around the family schedule though and logged many hours in that garage!In 2007 I was approached about a possible studio location. This was about a year after I opened my second antique booth, and even though I was super excited about the possibility of having a studio, I was not sure about running two booths and a studio. I had never had to pay rent before at either of the antique booths due to great sales, so the possibility of rent, utilities, etc. had me a little nervous. I looked at the first studio space with one of my friends who had participated in the home shows with me and I knew the second I walked into the space that it was meant for me, but it was not so clear for my friend. I knew that I could not do the studio space alone and so I thought it was a dead end for me. I told the building owner that it was not the right timing and walked away with a lump in my throat.Fast forward three weeks and my husband and I were visiting family in New York. We were staying in East Village, and I had never been to East Village before. I set out to explore, and absolutely fell in love with the village. The sweet shops tucked here and there.....the grit.....the grime....the graffiti...all of it. I drank it in. I met a shop owner there named Grace Kang....she owns Pink Olive which is a little shop on 9th st... and the day I walked into her shop my creative life  path changed and I am forever grateful. Because of the conversation that we had, the excitement that I saw in her eyes as she had just opened her shop, and the way that she encouraged me to follow my dream I came back from this trip with a whole new excitement and resolve! I called the building owner of the studio that I had looked at just a few weeks earlier and told her that I could not rent the space alone..... but really wanted to rent the space.....so she suggested that I look for another artist who would be willing to split the space with me. This is when Lily Pottery entered the picture. Lily had been looking for studio space as well, and also wanted to split with someone....{how convenient!}.... so when I approached her about it, she was all in with both feet. This beginning, 5 years ago, is what we are celebrating tonight! I can't believe it has been 5 years already....and the things that have happened in those five years could fill a couple of books! I remember those first days and weeks in the studio. I remember the excitement as we talked about the "what ifs" and the "Wouldn't it be cools".....and to see our thoughts and dreams exceeded above anything we could have hoped for or asked for is simply overwhelming!As you all know, I am now on my third studio, have pieces in homes all across the country {and world}, have magazine features, blog contributions, and will very soon be a published author! I have a hard time putting into words the blessing and gratitude that I feel to all of those who have crossed my path, taken me under their wing, taught me, challenged me, protected me, and ultimately helped me get to where I am today. I could not have done what I have done without my amazing husband, family, and friends. I am excited about what the future holds for Knack and am absolutely loving my new location at 11 Lois Ave. Tonight is going to be so special as we celebrate the journey that has taken place over the last 5 years. So special.So if I had to sum up my best advice, it would be this:> Read! There are so many amazing sites on the internet that lay out specific plans and guidelines for opening your own business! Man, I wish these had been around way back when {wink!} Seriously though, I visited my local state government sites about small business requirements and I read lots of books. My favorite books are shown in the picture above. I highly recommend them all.....but the very first ones that I read were Marketing for Dummies {no lie}, The Girls Guide to Starting Your Own Business, Craft Inc, and Tribes. I just recently read The E Myth Revisited, and it is an amazing book about why small businesses fail and how to steer clear of that!> Know your point of difference> Know your target market> Know what the market in your area will bear> Be original! I can't stress this enough. In order to stand out, you simply cannot knock off someone else! You have to be  a leader in your industry...always out in front. Seek to be different and don't let other peoples work "inspire" you to just create identical work. Put your own artistic vision into everything you do.> Be willing to take risks.> Don't encumber yourself with big loans from the bank. Build your business with cash and stay debt free! There is so much freedom this way! You may grow more slowly doing it this way but I stand behind it!> Build your tribe. These are your people......you know, the ones that are with you through thick and thin.....your biggest supporters.....positive influences.....truth talkers......movers and shakers!> Keep family first> Only do what brings you joy. The rest is just not worth it.> Be passionate about what you do> Work hard. Play hard.> Be ready to work harder than you have worked in your entire life> Hire a book keeper if numbers aren't your thing. This movement frees your mind and allows you to do the things you love and make money at :}> Invest in your brand! Hire or trade out with a graphic designer and nail down a logo,  get a website. Get printed materials like business cards and brochures! This is so important!> Start a blog> Self promote your work by submitting it to sights that you would love to see your work featured on, and whose platform is larger than your own.> Don't give up when you are told "No". Regroup and try again.> Use social media! Create a Facebook page for your business, tweet, tumblr, instagram, blog, flickr.......whatever it may be.....it's all FREE....and hugely successful in getting your name and work out to the masses. It takes time, but it is well worth the time.> Be honest> Be kind> Practice good ethics> Never let other people's ideas make you feel inferior or like you are not doing something right. Business looks different for each person, so trust your gut, get advice from people that you trust and respect....and let everything else roll off.> Be generous. Give to others....it will always come back.> Remember, the customer is always right. Most of the time.......hah!> Pay your taxes :}> Collaborate with others. Don't be afraid to reach out!I can't even tell you how hard it is to try to sum up my business story in a blog post.....and I know there are things that I have left out....but I think most of it is here.....and if you have any specific questions, I would be more than happy to answer them!Have a great weekend! I will have party pictures for you on Monday, and a new furniture piece! Yippee!!xo,Barb