Motivational Monday: Interview with Ann Westby
Today`s Motivational Monday is Ann Westby, a work at home mom and owner of Beadiful Things. She really does make some lovely jewelry, which allows her to stay at home and still earn a living. Ann has a great way to deal with the whole work/family balance . . . read her interview to find out what it is!
1. What is your business?
I make and sell hand crafted jewelry.
2. How did you get started?
By accident! I was at loose ends after having quit my job as a paralegal and was going crazy from the boredom. I walked into a bead store and saw that they offered classes so I signed up. An obsession was born! Eventually, I got to the point where I was making so much jewelry that I had to find an outlet for it. That’s when I started selling online.
3. What mistakes did you make when you were starting out? What did you learn from them?
I didn’t promote myself, which is job number one in sales. Now I do. I don’t leave the house without a piece of my jewelry on so that if someone admires, say, my earrings I can tell them exactly where they can get a similar pair. I regularly donate to fundraisers and auctions to get that little bit of local exposure. I advertise on Google and Project Wonderful. And I keep a blog on which I do giveaways and advertise any promotions I might be doing. [www.beadifulthings.blogspot.com]
Also, I probably should have paid more attention to learning new skills and building on the ones I already knew. Now I regularly take classes (including some that do not involve jewelry-making, but are just artsy-craftsy in general) to keep the creative juices flowing.
4. How long have you been working from home? (was this your first business or have you had others where you worked from home?)
Since roughly 2002. This is my first business, at home or otherwise.
5. What are your tricks for balancing work, kids and household chores?
Working at home is rough because you’re always working. You can be answering emails at midnight, or shipping a pair of earrings in the morning before you take the kids to school. The trick is to set hours for yourself and not deviate from them. I am not 100% successful at this (I still answer emails at midnight), but I rented a studio space about a year and a half ago and that has helped with the balance immeasurably in that at least I’m not also making jewelry while my kids are glued to the TV. When I’m home, I’m engaged with my children because there’s not as much work there staring me in the face.
The household chores just suffer in general. But they’d probably suffer whether I had Beadiful Things or not.
6. How many children do you have? How old are they?
Two children, a girl (6) and a boy (3).
7. When do you usually work?
When my kids are in school or in bed.
8. What is the best part of being a mompreneur? And the worst?
The best: I get a real sense of accomplishment that this is something I’ve done all by myself (with a bit of financial help from my husband, to be sure). I’ve come to realize that I am a woman of many talents, ranging from designing to accounting. With a one man show, you’ve got to be able to do it all.
The worst: there’s no one else to delegate work to. And my accounting skills are definitely my weakest link.
9. What are your plans for the future of your business?
I’d like to get my jewelry carried in more stores & boutiques, both locally and in other states, and when my kids are a little older I’d like to do more craft shows because it is huge fun to sell my jewelry in person.
10. What advice would you give new work at home moms?
Be patient (especially in this economy); success does not come immediately. And follow your bliss; if you’re doing something you love, it hardly seems like “work” at all.
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