The First Step, and the Next Ones That Followed.

It’s hard to believe that what started out as a simple hobby and creative curiosity has somehow morphed into a full-time business of tying fancy knots…

For those of you who are somewhat new to the story of Meraki Macrame, I wanted to take some time to tell you more about how I got started, my process of early growth, and some reflections on the past three years of running a small business. I write these words to hope inspire people who are thinking about taking their craft which brings them joy and turning it into a business, encourage others who are in the early days of getting their small business venture off the ground, and cheer on those who are in the thick of running their small business. I am by no means an expert on all things small business, nor do I try to pretend I’ve got it all figured out. Three years is hardly enough experience to boast such claims, but I do think it’s still a big deal and worth celebrating. Never diminish your progress and success, no matter how small it may seem. Trust me, it all adds up in the end!

I started experimenting with macrame in late 2020. I was working at a bank as a teller at the time, but I was in search of a creative outlet. My husband was trimming some trees on our property, and he brought in a very nice branch. I loved the way it was sturdy and straight, and I decided to try my hand at making a plant hanger with it. I had some nylon cord from Hobby Lobby, and with the help of some pinterest and youtube tutorials, I made my first wall plant hanger. I am proud to say that it is still hanging in our bedroom today. This process was so fun to me, I tried my hand at different plant hangers. They were not the highest quality, but they successfully held plants, and that’s what I was going for at the time. My work station was a coat rack on our wall in the living room, and while it was an awkward setup, it was sufficient for making plant hangers from. I ended up making a few extra and posted them on my personal Instagram story and asked if any of my friends wanted to buy them from me. To my great surprise, they did. I quickly mailed out these pieces, and I felt the desire to make more an do it all again. I felt energized by the reality that people wanted to have something I made, and I wanted to explore this new idea. My next step was making a seperate Instagram page for my macrame. I wanted to have a space to share my work with others without feeling like I was cluttering my personal page. I also wanted to potentially reach out to other businesses, so I needed to have a public platform to do this. This is when I came up with the name “Meraki” for my business. I tried a couple of different name ideas, like “Knot so Great”, “Knot a Big Deal”, or even “Knotty Abi”. I felt like all of these felt pretty cheesy, and even a little negative. They also didn’t encapsulate the joy I felt in creating. This is where I came about the word “Meraki”, which means to do something with soul, love, and creativity; to put a little of yourself into your work. It was perfect. I now had the name, the Instagram page, and the hunger to grow. I posted each new project I completed, and people could now DM me to order the pieces they wanted. I was met with such support and excitement, it was so encouraging! I initially started the business as a fun way to make some extra cash to “buy a shirt or fun money”.

My next big step was contacting a local Makers Market to see about selling my work there. Mill Spring Makers Market in Jonesborough, TN was a shop that I had frequented quite often, and I noticed that they did not have any macrame. I reached out to the owner, Melinda, to ask if I could put some of my macrame in her lovely shop, and to my delight, she quickly said yes! I set my stuff up in her shop in March of 2021, and as I was setting up, I was informed of an upcoming Makers Faire that she was hosting later that year. I had never been to a makers market, much less participated in one, so I had no idea what to expect or how to prepare, but I quickly signed up. As the market drew closer, I ended up calling out sick from my bank job so I could spend an extra day preparing for it. It was becoming more and more obvious that I wanted to spend time doing macrame instead of banking… I borrowed a tent from some friends, I bought a single 4-foot folding table, and I even ordered a Square card reader for my phone. I showed up on a Saturday morning in May with a cardboard box full of macrame, and a heart full of hope. The day went by and my mind was blown at how many people wanted to buy my macrame. It may not have been a lot to people who do markets a lot or have been in business for some time, but for me, it was absolutely flooring. These people wanted to pay actual money for something my hands created!

After this market, I was inspired to reach out to other businesses to see if I could sell my macrame in their shops similar to Mill Spring Makers Market. I was met with some no’s and some non-responses, but I was also met with some yes’s. I kept chasing those potential yes’s. The fear of being told no was a pale feeling in comparison of the rush of excitement I felt when someone said yes. I quickly ended up having products in 4 different locations, and my followers on Instagram steadily rose. I was amazed at how many next steps presented themselves as I took each one. It all felt like it was falling into place for a reason, but I couldn’t see it yet.

Then it hit me with such a dramatic force, I couldn’t ignore it. While my macrame business was beginning to blossom, I was still trying to make my banking job work. This, however, was quickly becoming unsustainable. I began to become incredibly depressed and anxious at my bank job, and I was struggling to find joy in what I was doing for 8 hours every day. I was also struggling and making more mistakes at my job which only added to my stress and anxiety. I didn’t know if I wanted to quit though, because it was a steady job with a decent paycheck, and I had waited so long to have that job. Was I giving up on this dream of having a stable job, or was this even a dream of mine to begin with? Was the risk of quitting my banking job going to be worth the time I could spend on growing my new macrame business? These were thoughts I was wrestling with, until the answer was quite clear. I had made so many mistakes due to my stress and mental disassociation that I was on a final warning. I felt incredibly embarrassed and anxious, but it was also the clear sign I had been asking for. The next day, with a shaky breath, I handed in my two weeks notice. My time at the bank was coming to a close.

I now had time. I had time to do what I really wanted to do. I had time to create and grow my business. My next big step was to create my own website. I had an etsy shop, but I was quickly encountering a lot of issues with the platform, such as difficulty being visible, the increasing fees, and the competition between other makers. I wanted something that would set my work apart, something I could design myself, and something I had total agency over. That’s when I decided to go with my current platform, Squarespace. In August of 2021, I spent the whole month designing the website, uploading products, and figuring out all the details that having an individual website came with. At the end of August, I launched my own website. It felt like such a huge deal to me, because I could now direct people who may not have a social media to a place where they could buy my work. I could also hold special sales, list details about each product, have color and size options, and have an easier way to take payment and shipping details. It definitely improved my product sales and made my business fell that much more official!

As the year continued, I took more next steps. This looked like buying my own tent for markets, a rack to make macrame from, buying better quality cord from Amazon, and experimenting with different products. I participated in a few more local markets, set up in a few more shops, and even held a workshop. There were some great wins, and some hard lessons, but the general direction of things kept moving up and forward. It was tempting to compare myself with other people who were doing full-time small business work and seemed to be killing it, but I was encouraged by so many people to keep up my own good work. As I approached the first anniversary of my business, I was amazed at how it had grown from a creative outlet to a full blown business. I was so happy to realize though, that the joy of creating was still my biggest reason for running the business. I knew that as long as that remained my biggest “why”, I would continue to succeed.

As I sit here, 3 years later, I can honestly say that the joy of creating is still my greatest why. I have grown so much from where I started in March of 2021. Some of my biggest “next steps” look like having a designated creative space in my house to do my work, participating in higher end, juried markets, being more choosy with which shops I sell my goods in, switching my cord supplier to a small, woman-owned business which uses sustainable practices in their cord production, and opening a seperate business account. This is all after 3 years of learning on the go. I did not take all the steps at once, because they were not all there at once. I wouldn’t have known to take these most recent steps if I had not taken those first few shaky ones at the beginning of my business. If you are in the beginning stages of running a business, know that every next step you take is the right one, even if it feels insignificant. If you are in the middle of running your business, celebrate your next steps that you are able to make because of the beginning ones you took. If you are a successful business person who has worked hard to get where you are, share your steps with those who are working to get where you are. We can all learn from each other, and there is a special comradery that comes with being small business owners.

I am so thankful to be three years into this journey, and I am excited to see what my next steps this year will be.

Cheers to three years!

Five Things That Worked Well and Not-So-Well. A Reflection on 2023

It’s hard to believe that we have merely 4 more days left in 2023. Did I blink too quickly, or does sleep deprivation make time move differently? Either way, here we are. I normally take this time to do some year-end reflections on how my business did, what I learned, and what I want to take with me into the new year. Now that I have this fancy new spot on my website to share these thoughts with you, I figured I would do a brief recap of what worked well and not-so-well for me in 2023.

What Worked Well

I first and foremost want to point out that the biggest achievement I accomplished this year was birthing my beautiful baby girl, Annie. There’s no business success or win that will ever compare to the joy that she has brought to me, and It has been a delight to be her mother. I will say my biggest achievement next to that, is being able to continue to run my business while navigating the newness of Motherhood. My business was very up and down this year, but at the end of it all, we are still kicking and slinging macrame! Here are some things that greatly helped me thrive this year in my business:

I didn’t wait too long to get back into the Creative Space after I had Annie. I just took her with me!

1: Childcare. Pretty obvious one. I am so thankful that my craft allows me to be able to work at home, so even with trusted childcare, I can be close by in case my baby needed anything. However, having intentional child-free time to focus on my work saved my sanity time and time again. I am so grateful for the sitters who have helped me out this year with my daughter for a few hours every week. While the sitter would be watching Annie, I’d pop on my headphones, put on a good audiobook, and hit the cord. These work sessions meant a lot to me, especially when preparing for markets and restock runs. If you are a small business owner with young children, I can’t recommend finding trusted child-care for your kiddos enough! Even if it’s just for a few hours every week, having some intentional time set aside when you have the energy and mental capacity to focus on your work makes such a difference. It also frees you up for the rest of your day to be fully present with your family instead of scrambling every spare moment you have to get work done.

2: A Good Show or Audiobook: A little fact about me, I am pretty ADHD. It can be really hard for me to focus sometimes on one particular task. Something that helped me this year was having something to listen to while working. During my afternoon work sessions while Annie was being cared for by the sitter, I would listen to a good audiobook. This way I could pause it whenever I needed to check on Annie or come to a quick stopping place in my work. In the evenings, after Annie went to bed, I would usually watch a classic movie or a reality TV show. CBS Survivor and Hell’s Kitchen were my favorites this year! When it comes to a movie or a show, I tried to play things that didn’t require me to focus on a specific story or plot line. If it was a movie, I’d watch something I’d seen a million times before. Musicals were my favorite types of movies to play! Reality TV was fun to have playing during evening work sessions because it doesn’t require me to keep track of a plot line. The benefit of having episodes playing during my evening sessions was that it gave me a means to measure how long I would spend working in the Creative Space. After a few episodes, I would call it a day and end my work session with the episode I just completed. This would keep me from working too late and cutting into my precious sleep time.

3: Taking October off. I made the conscious decision to take the month of October off so I could enjoy the beautiful Fall weather with my family, and also get some rest before the craziness of the holiday season snuck up on me. It was nice to know I didn’t have any events (Save for one market in Chattanooga) to prepare for, and I didn’t need to spend the lovely days inside working on inventory. I could take things as they came and enjoy the small, magical moments that October brings. Now, I still got work done in the Creative Space. I just took things much slower and got work done when I could. I slowly built up stock for the holidays and planned which markets I would participate in. Something I have learned about myself as a Creative, I need down time to just be able to do nothing. This allows me to have renewed passion and drive when I get back into the Creative Space. The last thing I want to experience in my craft is burn out. Taking intentional time off helps to avoid that! I write more about this in my last post, Why I Didn’t Do a Fall Collection.

I took Annie to Fender’s Farm for the first time in October! We both had a blast.

4: Doing High-Quality Markets. I didn’t do as many markets this year, for obvious reasons. However, I tried something new this year, and applied for some high-end markets. Interestingly enough, I didn’t get into any of the Spring or Summer high-end markets I applied to, but that ended up working out for the better. Trying to prepare for those kinds of markets and then having to travel to the venues while my child was still entirely dependent on my body for her sustenance would have been a bridge too far for all of us. I did, however, get into the two high-end markets that I applied for in the Holiday season. I had the joy of participating in the Retropolitan Holiday Craft Fair in Knoxville, TN, and the Made Market in Franklin, TN. Both of these markets gave me a first-time experience in a small, indoor set up for high traffic markets. I greatly enjoyed these types of markets for a number of reasons. First off, a smaller booth means shorter set-up and tear-down. Secondly, I made me get creative with how I displayed my products. It can be hard to fit the entire idea of your work in an 8x8 space, so one has to figure out how to make it cohesive and not overwhelming! I got a few new items for my booth display this year which made that easier, such as my folding hanger rack, and a standing towel rack that doubled as a plant hanger display for some of my specialty hangers.

This was my last market of the year, the Made Market in Franklin, TN. I busted out some new disco ball hangers for it!

5: Relaunching my Website and Redesigning my Logo. I realized this year that I hadn’t really done much of an update on my website since its initial launch. I had some products and colors on the website that I had discontinued, and some of the product pictures did not reflect my current level of skill. I decided to make my summer project one of rebranding. I got my dear friend, Grace Friar with Osnap Photography, to come up and do a rebranding photoshoot with me. She did a phenomenal job in giving my business a fresh look! I also took time to photograph my products in better lighting, better setup, and better labeling. I know there will come a day when I will probably need to do this all over again, because I never want to stop improving my work. For now, however, I think the refresh for my website was exactly what it needed. I also took time to redesign my business logo and get new business cards and stickers printed with it. I am very happy with how they all turned out and I’ve been delighted to hand them out at markets and in order packages!

From my Photoshoot with the amazing Osnap Photography!

What Worked Not-So-Well

Now onto the not so glamorous side of things. Like I said earlier, things were very up and down with my business this year. Between having a new baby and living in a struggling economy, I counted on that. I have been doing this small business gig long enough to know that things don’t always go hunky-dory. You’ve got to have some learning experiences along the way to know how to do what you do better. The saying “You’ll never know if you never try” rings true in many ways. So while the following things are things I tried that ended up not working the way I hoped they would, I don’t regret doing them! They added so much to me and my business this year. If I end up trying them again next year, I will know where I want to do things differently. If I decide to not try them again, I can say it’s because I gave it a shot, and it wasn’t for me. I try to have a posture of looking at the less-than spectacular moments as learning experiences, not failures.

1: Trying to Prepare for Markets the Week Before They Happened. Ah, time management, my old enemy! To think I was bad at it even before I had a kid! If there’s one thing that causes me huge stress in my line of work, it’s procrastination. I have often struggled to prepare adequately for my upcoming markets, and this has often led to late nights in the Creative Space and even pulling inventory from shop locations to be able to fully stock my booth. This is something that can easily be avoided, but I am also giving myself a lot of grace, knowing that I was trying to navigate taking care of a baby while still running a business. Both of these are time-consuming activities, so no one is going to get it right the first time. I am hoping next year I can come up with a more sustainable routine which will enable me to be more balanced in both of these areas!

2: Saying Yes to Too Much. There was a time in my business when I went searching for any opportunity and saying yes whenever it came along. Whether it was a shop asking to put my product on their shelves, a market asking me to be a vendor, or a business placing a wholesale order, I said yes to it all. Now, I still do take opportunities like this today, but they require me to have a lot more discretion about it. This year, since I was not participating in as many markets, I thought I needed to pursue different means of getting my product out there at all costs. Sometimes the opportunities that presented themselves where a very quick and easy “Yes”. Other times, they were a hesitation, but ultimately a yes. Looking back, I don’t regret saying yes, but maybe I should have given them more thought before commiting. Each thing I said yes to required something of me, and I didn’t always have the flexibility to meet those needs. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing! Going forward, I may have to take a good long look at where all my spoons are, and take a few back where they aren’t giving me a good return for the effort I’m putting towards them.

3: Not Being Consistent with Social Media. My social media engagement took a pretty steep dive this year. I’m not surprised, because I didn’t put the effort towards it that it requires. I love managing my social media and coming up with content for it, but along with everything else, it does take time. It’s no surprise that some businesses hire social media managers for their platforms! I am hoping this coming year to have a plan for social media postings to make it more consistent and manageable for me. It can be a tricky balance to find when posting on social media. I don’t want to post too much to where my content just becomes part of the buzzy noise on Instagram, but I also want to post consistently enough to where my content doesn’t fall behind!

4: Not Planning Sales and Collections Well. Something that I didn’t plan for very well was product releases and sale advertising. Each year, I try to be on top of business planning. I even get a very special business planner which helps me lay out my goals and vision for each week and month throughout the whole year. I started out my year quite on top of all of that, but as things progressed, my dedication to the planner slipped more than I would have liked it to have. This resulted in me not giving myself enough time to work on new product releases, collections, or special sales for my customers. Things felt much more “spur of the moment” and thrown together, which lacked momentum. I am hoping that going forward in 2024, I give myself some time each week to dedicate to business planning. This will give me the mental game plan I need to have better product releases and sales, as well as managing my work time throughout the week.

5: Underestimating Myself and Undervaluing My Work. This will be something I will probably struggle with for the rest of my life, honestly. Sometimes the load of being a small business owner can feel so big that I question my ability to do what I do well. It can also be tempting to feel like I am charging too much for my product and it’s an inconvenience to ask people to pay for the work of my hands. A fellow maker and small business owner told me something very helpful this year: “Success is not linear. You won’t get there all at once, but you will get there.” Sometimes when the sales are slow or the creative block hits, I wonder if what I am doing is worth all the effort that I put into it. When I stay in this mindset too long, it truly does affect my creativity and my ability to show up in my business as well as my personal life. I hope that in this coming year, I can have the confidence in myself to take big leaps, make scary decisions, and value myself better. I truly believe that making changes in this direction will have a positive impact on my work.

Going Forward

Now, obviously, there are more things in both of these categories that I could have added, but I believe that these topics do a good job of encompassing my year as a whole. I went through so many changes this year, and I do believe I am an older, wiser, and kinder person because of each of them. Going forward into 2024, I want to take each of these lessons and build on them. I also want to keep my eyes and mind open to whatever new lessons may come my way. I never want to take for granted that I get to do what I love for a living, and I always want to learn ways on how to do that better. And of course, none of these things would be possible without you being here. You have played a crucial role in my small business growth and learning curve by showing up for me and giving your support in all the ways. It is a joy to make art for you, and I want to continue to do so as long as I am able.

I hope 2024 is a kind year for you. I look forward to seeing what kind of lessons and successes it will bring with it! Here’s to looking back and moving forward. As always, thanks for being here.

Why I Didn’t Do a Fall Collection

The first week of October is here. It hasn’t been very “Sweater Weather” outside, but cooler weather is on its way. The Autumn flavored drinks are now on every coffee shop menu, and people are wearing their favorite flannels as they go to the local apple orchard.

Normally around this time of year, I have a plethora of Fall-themed macrame items in my shop. Not this year. Even though I had some very popular items in my collection last year, I made the conscious decision to skip the hassle of creating macrame foliage, petite ghosts, and multicolored tapestries. Why? For two reasons: I didn’t realize Fall was so close until it was actually here, and I already need to start preparing for the holidays. I love Fall, and I genuinely love creating the macrame to welcome the new season, but this year just kind of snuck up on me overnight. Having a baby to care for on top of running a small business certainly makes time fly by quicker than a witch on her broom!

While I haven’t put out a Fall collection, I still plan on staying busy this October. Actually, I should say that I plan on spending my time intentionally this month. November and December are always busy months, as any small business owner can tell you, so I plan on using my time this month to prepare, rest, and plan. I have four big markets coming up in the next two months, and I would rather go into them with plenty of stock built up instead of scrambling the week before to scrounge together enough keychains, wristlets, plant hangers, and a wall hanging or two. On top of these markets, I will also have holiday orders to fill as well as shop locations to keep stocked. There are going to be plenty of reasons to be busy! As you can probably imagine, these will all take time to prepare for. I am so very thankful for how my business has grown this year, even with having a baby. I want to be able to manage it well, and show up for my customers with everything I can give them! I want to use this month to prepare for the holiday rush now, so I can actually enjoy the season festivities instead of stressing out about them the whole time. Becoming burnt out is a very real thing for makers around the holidays, and it’s something I would like to avoid where I can. This will be my first Thanksgiving and Christmas with my daughter, and I want to be able to be as present as possible as we build new traditions together as a family.

Speaking of which, another way I want to spend my time this month intentionally is by spending it with my family. October is such a magical month! There are so many fun things to do, and I want to be present with my family as we enjoy this enchanting time of the year. I want to have weekends free to go hiking, visit family, do a day at the pumpkin patch, and rest! It can be very easy to fill my calendar with events, but I have made the conscious decision to keep my weekends as free as I can so I can enjoy time with my loved ones. It can be easy to assume that as a small business owner, you have to take every opportunity to make money, but it’s equally—if not more so—important to prioritize personal and family time. If you want to do what you do well, you have to give yourself a break every now and then so you don’t get sick of your passion!

I will absolutely be filling orders this month, and making sure my shop locations are well stocked, so don’t hesitate to shop! I just am taking an intentional break from markets this month. I can’t wait to share with you what I am working on for the upcoming Holidays, and I hope to see you at some of my upcoming events!

I hope you all have the magical month of October, and it’s filled with all kinds of Fall Festivities!!

Much love and a Pumpkin Spice Latte,

Welcome to the Creative Space

The Creative Space is where Meraki Macrame comes to life! It is a special room in my home where art happens, messes get made, and thoughts and ideas are formed. I wanted to have a spot on my website to share some of these thoughts with you. Don’t expect any kind of scheduled posts, themed topics, or organized thoughts here. This is a little corner of my world that I want you to be a part of, dust bunnies and all.

I will be using this space in the future to share ideas about my business with you, process lessons I’m learning, struggles I am wrestling with, victories I’m celebrating, and sharing random life hacks that I’ve found helpful in this small business adventure. This may look like “10 things I absolutely must have at markets”, or “Good ideas I had that turned out to not be very good ideas at all”. I am excited to have a space where I can more fully expound upon my thoughts as a small business owner and a creative. I know there are those of you who are starting out on this journey yourself, and you want some insight on how it went for me. There are also those of you who are also in the trenches with me in this endeavor, and this can be a place where we try to figure it out together. Then there might be some of you who are just plain curious or even nosy about my life as a small business owner, artist, mother, and cat-wrangler. This space is for you too!

I hope to share thoughts with you here as often as I can get around to it. Thanks for joining me in the Creative Space!