Color Trend: Orange Gifts
curated by Buffalove on Etsy
Monday, October 13, 2014
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Monday, September 1, 2014
Did I really just quit my job?
I’m now two months into my journey and the world hasn't
ended. The initial fear that used to
pulse through me every now and then seems to have been more hype than anything
else.
That’s how fear works though. It
paralyzes the mind and body.
In this installment I wanted to touch on some things I did
prior to turning in my notice and walking away from a steady paycheck and
benefits. Doing these things have helped
me overcome the fear and have, without a doubt, helped me focus on the work at
hand instead of waiting for the end of the world.
About 2 years prior to turning in my notice I:
1.
Took a long hard look at my current position,
the state of the field I worked in (Higher Ed) and what the future was starting
to look like. I saw more downside than
upside. I began to think about changing careers.
2.
Tracked my spending for 6 months to get a better
sense of where my money was actually going. I kept a daily journal and logged
EVERY dollar I spent and what I spent it on. I broke it down into categories each
month. This really opened my eyes to some careless spending.
 |
| Attributed to Abe Lincoln (but there is no actual proof he ever said this!) |
3.
I began to pay more attention to saving money,
in case I decided to leave.
About 18 months prior I:
1. Started to cut back from the things I identified through my spending exercise
2. Began paying my credit cards down aggressively.
3. Adjusted the contribution I was making to my
401k plan by dropping to the minimum percentage that secured my employers
contribution and directed the rest into my savings account. I did this to save
as much “ready cash” as possible should I decide to leave.
4. I took what I learned from the spending exercise
and figured out what I actually spent on necessities (home, food, bills etc…)
in a year.
It’s a very interesting exercise. If you've never done it – do it. I
found out that the number is much smaller than I thought. You may be surprised
too. It made me feel more confident in taking the risk of working for myself. It helped me zero in on the exact amount of
money I needed to save to give myself a year (if I didn't earn another penny
during that year) to go on living close to how I was currently living.
About 6 months prior I:
1.
Decided that unless something drastic changed at
my current job, I would leave and start working for myself full-time.
2.
Started planning for my departure and putting
things in order (to help my co-workers as well as visualizing what my life
would look like how to best approach it).
I am not one to recommend just quitting a job without really
thinking things through. I do think anyone can leave a job they are unhappy
with though – I just recommend having a plan in place. Most people lock
themselves into situations without even trying to take a long hard look at
what’s actually possible.
You can read the 3 previous posts in this series here:
Next month, I will
update you on my progress since starting off on my own and some of the early
hiccups, lessons and small victories.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Buffalo Etsy Team Interview: Kelly from Nest Well
NESTING INSTINCTS
How long has Nest Well been on Etsy? What was your first shop offering? How long was it before you
had your first sale?
>>> We opened our shop in April 2013. In December 2012 I
received a sewing machine for Christmas from my mother in law. Once I ran out of things to sew around the
house, I thought it would be a great way to start making gifts, and covers for
others. Etsy seemed to be a natural
progression. We initially offered wine bags and a few pillows, vintage tea
towels and covers. Our first sale was
that same month, with a wine bag to a friend of the family, and then things
really started to roll. Over 180 orders
later and it is still a thrill to hear the cha-ching ring out from our
phones/ipad throughout the house!
Is Nest
Well your full-time job?
>>> No, it is not. Bill
and I both work full time—myself as a Physician Assistant, and Bill works for
a medical software company. We also have
2 little boys, who are the light of our lives.
We keep busy with our schedules but always find time to create, design
and push our company to the next level. Typically, most work is done after the kids are asleep so that we can
maximize our time with them, although I have been known to sew outdoors during
a nice afternoon of sprinkler time with the kids. The drive to constantly evolve and show what
we have to offer, keeps us going sometimes late into the evening.
 |
| My sewing den is in the basement and my table was a roadside find that I cleaned, sanded and stained.My chair (with the stack of fabric) used to belong to Bill's grandfather. |
Describe
your design aesthetic. Where do you find inspiration?
>>> Our design aesthetic is that of industrial vintage with a
cozy cottage feel. I tend to sway in the
direction of soft linens, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. We love shopping for inspiration and pouring
over design catalogs. There is also
something about the look of a beautiful piece of wood or a rusted piece of
metal. Inspiration can also come from a
spin around the neighborhood, we are never opposed to picking up a roadside
beauty or sifting around a dusty vintage shop. It is nice to find lost treasures, give them a new life and then
transfer that to a new idea or product.
Your
husband, Bill, is the other half of Nest Well. Describe the division of labor.
>>> Bill is a huge part of our
company. He does all the woodcraft, partially
because I do not yet trust myself with a saw or drill, but also because he is
really good at it. He loves to figure
out a new design, and all I have to do is make a suggestion and he creates it
the same day. He processes and ships
most items. We make major decisions
together, like pricing, wholesale orders and new products. I do most of the shopping and also the
sewing.
 |
| Bill's work station was built by him and is out in the garage. |
How much of
your time do you spend on business versus inspiration?
>>> Inspiration
is a constant throughout the day. That
never stops, but hands-on work and labor is usually just in the evening
hours. Weekends are a bit different,
depending on our schedules. Emailing and
working from our computers and mobile devices is a constant as well and we try
to be swift about customer inquiries. We
always appreciate a new customer finding us in the vast Etsy world and want to
keep their business. In the future the
shift and division of time may change but for now, this works great for us.
Describe
your greatest success. Any epic failures you can laugh about now?
>>> Our greatest success has got to be our beer carriers. We started those because my husband
enjoys brewing and drinking craft beers. Being in our 30s, carrying a ‘bag of beers’ or throwing them in the
diaper bag seemed a bit outdated, so the carrier was a great solution! Thankfully others feel the same way! We have
not yet had any major fails but we do have a lot to laugh about. I call us attic-addicts because of our love
for ‘junk,’ as my dad calls it. Once my
mom called me on my way home from work, it was about 9:30 and dark. As I was on my Bluetooth I had pulled over on
a busy road to haul old fence posts into the back of my car. I thought she would die. Just the other day, Bill ran out to pick up a
set of vintage lockers from Craig’s List, and each time I make him call me to
let me know he is still alive.
Any new
products on the horizon?
>>> I would love to add a Nestwell Baby line and a home
fragrance line. Organic wraps, fun
pillow covers and linen crib sheets are on the horizon. Right now, we are trying to gear up for the
fall and holiday season. We recently
launched a 22oz carrier for the home brewers, which has been a request for
awhile, and seems to already be a popular addition.
Are your
products available locally, and if so, where?
>>> We offer our products at Patricia’s Back Barn in Wheatfield. We are also planning on offering our carriers
at Niagara Tradition Homebrew Supply in Tonawanda. Custom
requests are always available by contacting us, and local delivery/pick up is
always free of charge. We are signed up
to attend the Sharon Springs Harvest Festival in September, we are looking
forward to it as it is our first outdoor show. Etsy will also be attending that show so we are very excited to show
them in person what we can do!
Lastly, and
just for fun: In what stores would you love to see your products?
>>> If we ever had the opportunity to work with a large company,
we would be thrilled to keep it local initially. Premier Gourmet would be a dream, especially
because of their vast array of beverages for the beer lover, I think it would
be a perfect fit. A partnership with Wegmans for a summer line
would also be fabulous.
 | |||
| Colin is our 5 year old watermelon loving boy, Keegan will be 3 in 2 weeks and is our firecracker. Parker is our golden doodle who never sits still long enough for a picture. |
Here's where new
friends and followers can find Nest Well online:
Many thanks to Nicole Johnson of Mealy Monster for initiating the original Buffalo Etsy Team interviews!
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