Hello Whimsy Friends,
Tonight I am going to a #gatherthemakers dinner. I was invited by my dear friends Alissa who owns The Printed Palette. It got me thinking about my story and how I got here. In 2007 Lil Davis Designs was in transition of being sold to Fiskars. Having spent the 2004-2007 traveling ALL OVER and teaching with the product and coming up with classes and kits I thought starting a kit club would be perfect and I could add all my handmade goodness to them all. The name Polkadot Whimsy comes from my LOVE of anything polka dot and my creations everyone said where always whimsical so Polkadot Whimsy seemed like the perfect company name. In 2007 kit clubs were still pretty new {the concept} I unfortunately did not do much research which did lead to many growing pains down the whimsy road. In the 8 years of owning my own creative business I have seen amazing,good,bad and some ugly evil.
Our launch of the first kit was a HUGE success we sold out in FIVE minutes. Seventy five kits going to all new homes. {well for me 75 was huge} From that first shipment on it was a insane roller coaster. We seamed to have issue after issue and tears and lot's more tears. Looking back I was SO Unprepared! Unprepared for the quick growth, unprepared for the world wide web and how gross it can get and MOSTLY unprepared for how much work it really takes to run a business from home with a family and teenagers. I can admit all my failures now but in 2007-2010 ummm NO. I was in complete denial how bad the company was. I just kept trying to keep up with the "bigger" companies and not focus on what I did have, a amazing customer base and beautiful kits. I think that is a HUGE problem in creative business as women we want to compete and race and do BETTER when I look back it is all so insane.
In the middle of 2008 to the end of 2009 we were shipping over 500 kits and for me that not enough. I felt like "everyone" was doing better than me and I was failing. Even though when I look back that's a great number to ship a month and our kit's were amazing. Unfortunately not being prepared for quick growth will cause so many issues. You name it we probably dealt with it.
At the end of 2009 our kit sales were slipping due to the fact product was late coming to us which made the kit delayed and customers not happy. Why I thought a new fancy website would fix everything I am still not sure. In 2010 I took the plunge and bought a HUGE new site site for Polkadot Whimsy. Till this day it was one of our biggest investments and biggest failures. In my silly brain I thought I was keeping up with the big girls by having this fancy custom site {that never really worked}. We had a HUGE design team and online shop and the kit club. Hours upon hours were spent updating that site, hours that could have been used for more creating.
2010-2011 where kind of sad years for PDW, I saw it not prospering and I started to loose my love for something that I have loved SO much. It started to be a headache and very overwhelming emotionally and financially. I turned my focus from PDW to our Whimsy weekends {something new and fun} although as site traffic decreased and the kits collected dust I REALLY REALLY missed it I just had NO clue how to bring it back to life. There were so many kit clubs that had started and I didn't feel PDW was fresh any more and all the "custom" stuff that was being added in other kits clubs was to much.
2012-till now..In 2012 I applied for a "handmade market" called the Queen Bee. I was always a shopper at this market but thought of putting not my kits but all my handmade items out there was SO scary I had been making banners for friends and party decor. I got accepted as a vendor and I wanted to vomit. It went so well my booth was adorable and the the creative community {for the most part} where some of the nicest women I had met. I was so proud of myself for putting out my handmade creations and people bought them. I have since been hooked to handmade markets and have made some of my dearest friends through them.
As many of you know 2013 will go down as the worst year of my life. My mom passed away, I don't think anyone can prepare themselves for that. She was my ribbon cutter, kit packager, doo dah cup filer and overall cheerleader for me. That year I kept up on the website as I wasn't ready for that to die also but I was exhausted and just didn't want to be in the creative business any more.
Then something magical happened! While visiting the paper source later in the year of 2013 I got offered a job. A JOB outside my home away from my family. YIKES I took it and it re-sparked my love for creating {which I think I am pretty good at} and people. Oh how I love people. I missed that, I had my whimsy weekends still and they were doing amazing but I missed creating for others and sharing. My friend Alissa helped me re-do a simple site and get back on Etsy {where it all started} I am forever grateful for our friendship because she is such a follow your heart christian business women and doesn't mind helping others and loves to be your cheerleader! I quit the Paper Source at the end of 2014 to focus back 100% on PDW and it has flourished slowly like a business should.
Today, we are slowly getting back our amazing reputation for awesome customer service and speedy shipping, our follower base is growing and my LOVE {that was always there} is in full force with PDW. We are working on a New website {a simple one this time} it will grow as whimsy grows. I love our Handmade stuff and so thankful everyone else does also. We have plans to bring back our beloved kits in November {a small batch} and this time around I have a FULL BUSINESS plan, goals and a vision of what "I" want PDW to be. The days of keeping up with the other person are long gone, thankfully. I just want to create what I love and share it with all of YOU! So that is my story! I am so grateful so many of you have stuck around and still love whimsy as much as I do. THANK YOU FOR THAT!!!
If you are thinking of starting a handmade business feel free to email me if you ever have any questions. :) Glad to share my ups and downs with you.
Now for a trip down MEMORY LANE
Our very first Kit! Life is... Oh how naive I was ..lol All those pretty trims..
My 1st handmade market booth..Filled with banners, tags..kits..trims..
Got a job! Great times..if you are creative it's a great place to work..
My last handmade market..earlier this year..Thankfully fall is just around the corner..yummy fall banners already being made and pennant flags..OH I LOVE CREATING!
Me today at 41.. HAPPY,CONFIDENT,CREATIVE and BEST OF ALL..A BUSINESS OWNER following MY own path!!
I hope you enjoyed my story of PDW and I hope if you are a creator and want to start a business just do your research and right out a plan and goals. I have set monthly goals and yearly goals and for me they are WORKING!{ tomorrow I am sharing my goals in my planner.. I don't plan on being a millionaire {although that would get me to Paris} Just being happy and content in my creative life and sharing my passion with others.
{ALWAYS CREATE}
