Behind the Scenes of My Business: Blog Tag

From time to time, I get asked for advice on starting a handmade business. One of my favorite creative business gurus/mentors/all-around inspiring people is April Bowles Olin of Blacksburg Belle. I read her blog, enroll in her classes and follow her on social media. So when she invited her readers to join in on a “blog tag”  and answer a set of questions about our businesses, I jumped on the bandwagon. So here’s a peek behind the scenes of Catshy Crafts.

Question 1: What’s your two to three sentence bio? (You know, what the heck do you do?)

I’m a felt artist and creative business owner of Catshy Crafts. I make heartfelt decor – felt flowers, personalized hoop art and yarn wreaths – to cozy up your home.

Question 2: What’s your favorite part of your job?

Playing with felt!

Question 3: What’s your least favorite part of your job?

Bookkeeping/paying taxes. Math is not my favorite subject!

Question 4: What are the top three tools you use the most in your work?

Canon 60D dSLR camera; Photoshop CS2 (this version is ancient but still works for me); sharp pair of fabric scissors

Question 5: What business goal would you love to reach before the end of the year?

To sell my items wholesale at two local retail shops.

Question 6: Who are three creatives that inspire you?

Kari Chapin, Anna Bond, Sarah Cornish

Question 7: What do you listen to (if anything) while you work?

I need quiet to write, but when I’m cutting and sewing, I listen to podcasts -(I just discovered Elise Gets Crafty) or I watch a CreativeLive class on creative business advice.

Question 8: Morning person or night owl?

Morning person.

Question 9: How many employees do you have and what are the main things they do for you?

Does my super-supportive husband count? If not, I have none.

Question 10: What’s your favorite social media platform?

Instagram! Love the convenience of snapping a photo, editing and posting within seconds!

Question 11: What’s your least favorite social media platform?

Twitter. I have never mastered the 140 character tweets.

Question 12: What works best when it comes to marketing your business?

Sharing the day-to-day process of my business, revealing vulnerabilities (hello shyness!) and celebrating successes with my followers on social media

Question 13: What’s one thing about your business that your blog readers probably don’t know?

I credit my years as a scrapbooker for developing many of the skills for running a creative business – from photography to my Photoshop skilss to sharing my work on online galleries to submitting to magazines to packaging

Question 14: If your business were a fashion accessory, what would it be?

An airy but comfy-cozy cardigan that I can wrap myself in when I need warmth or comfort like this one.

Question 15: What’s your top tip for someone who wants to do something similar to you for a career?

This took me a while to figure out but my top tip would be to connect with other creative business owners like you! As a shy introvert (a double-whammy), I started with online forums and Etsy teams, but gradually I leveled up to  local meet-ups and conferences.

I’m tagging these four people to answer these same questions in a blog post on their own blog.

1. Christine of Christine Stoll Jewelry
2. Erin of wrenbirdarts
3. Kristina of Baby Bird and Bub Bub
4. You! (If you have a a creative business and would like to play, go for it!)

This blog post is a part of the ‘Behind the Scenes of My Business’ Blog Tag started by April of Blacksburg Belle. She began this blog tag experiment to build community among creatives, help us bloggers to connect more and get to know each other better. This month’s topic is all about sharing the behind the scenes stuff of our businesses. If you’d like to participate or want more info, check out this post right here.