View this post on Instagram A post shared by Two of Wands ⤫ Alexandra Tavel (@twoofwands) on Feb 20, 2020 at 6:32am PST Alexi Tavel of @twoofwands A go-to mantra that inspires you:I have two: 1. Always speak to someone's highest good. 2. Knock on a million doors but pay attention to the ones that open What is your favorite thing about running your shop/brand?Watching something from my thoughts come to life. Greatest challenge?Underestimating how long it will take me to design something. Every. Single. Time. Your unique selling point (USP)?Modern, usually pretty easy knits that you can be proud to wear. Biggest "pinch me" moment?Getting featured in the Vogue Knitting Magazine Makers section (S/S 2018) A now-laughable mistake / embarrassing moment?Too many to count! I make mistakes all the time! Apart from the obvious, do you have a tool / app / product that you could not do biz without?wine View this post on Instagram A post shared by Toni | TLYarnCrafts 💕 Crochet (@tlyarncrafts) on Jul 30, 2020 at 12:49pm PDT Toni Lipsey of @tlyarncrafts A go-to mantra that inspires you: You never know what you can do until you honestly try. What is your favorite thing about running your shop/brand? Being able to share what I love and speak in my own voice. Greatest challenge? Staying organized and avoiding overcommitment. Your unique selling point? I genuinely believe that knowledge should be shared and simple is typically best. Biggest "pinch me" moment? The morning after quitting my day job. A now-laughable mistake / embarrassing moment? My first live stream on Instagram, lol. I didn't know what I was doing. Apart from the obvious, do you have a tool / app / product that you could not do biz without? My dot grid spiral notebooks View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ashleigh Kiser (@sewrella) on Mar 26, 2020 at 12:59pm PDT Ashleigh Kiser of @sewrella A go-to mantra that inspires you: “It’s hell yes, or it’s no” - there is no in-between! You know in your gut if something is right for you, your business, and your artistic expression. There are so many tough decisions when you run your own business, no matter the scale, and it can get overwhelming. When I feel myself spiraling into an extensive pro/con list and I feel really confused I step back and ask “Is it a hell yes?” - that is, do I feel good about doing this thing? Even if the odds are against me, do I ABSOLUTELY want to try it anyway? If I’m unsure or feel conflicted, it’s a no. Stick to the things that are your hell yes and leave the rest behind.What is your favorite thing about running your shop/brand? Endless creativity! The sky is the limit and I get to wakeup everyday deciding what I want to create. It’s a job that feels more like play than work.Greatest challenge? Getting comfortable with responsibility. Once my business got really big and I needed help to run it, I struggled with accepting help and being responsible for other people, their livelihoods and their careers. However the greatest challenge became the greatest blessing because now I have support and help which is incredible!Your unique selling point? I work as hard as humanly possible. Anyone that knows me knows that I work every moment I can. Another of my favorite mantras is “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” Sometimes it’s not about how skilled we naturally are but how much we persevere toward success. Every day isn’t a perfect day but what matters is that you keep showing up and you keep doing the work. Biggest "pinch me" moment? Wow, there have been so many! The relationships I’ve developed with other designers and yarn dyers over the years are the most important thing to me and I still want to pinch myself every time I have a glass of wine with T!A now-laughable mistake / embarrassing moment? Oh gosh. Again, so many. When I used to publish crochet patterns without listing the actual yarn used, just the color - that was pretty embarrassing!Apart from the obvious, do you have a tool / app / product that you could not do biz without? My C Stand! It’s an overhead tripod alternative (shaped like a giant C) that you mount your camera to for overhead photos or video. It keeps my camera hands free and perfectly above my table for those gorgeous overhead shots that are soo insta friendly. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Stephanie @AllAboutAmi (@allaboutami) on Jun 12, 2020 at 9:06am PDT Stephanie Lau of @allaboutami A go-to mantra that inspires you:I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! What is your favorite thing about running your shop/brand?I love expressing myself creatively through my designs whether that be amigurumi and wearable items. I love it when readers can identify me as the designer just by looking at a photo or a style of project! Greatest challenge?Finding time to crochet, knit, and blog while being a stay-at-home to my two daughters! Your unique selling point (USP)?Ryan and I are a husband and wife duo who love working together to create cute and stylish designs! We love challenging ourselves and trying innovative techniques such as brushing yarn to create a realistic fur look and painting the fur with Sharpie markers (which we did for our Chinese New Year Dogs)! Biggest "pinch me" moment?Being invited to the Lion Brand Blogger Bash in New York City! A now-laughable mistake / embarrassing moment?All my amigurumi in the beginning were "inside out"- a reader pointed it out to me and I was shocked! Apart from the obvious, do you have a tool / app / product that you could not do biz without?I love my Clover Amour ergonomic hooks and I would not be able to crochet without them! They are so comfortable and come in all the different sizes! This is especially important when I am crocheting amigurumi with my tiny 2 mm hook! View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jewell Christine (@northknits) on Sep 7, 2019 at 9:08am PDT Jewell Washington of @northknits + @ourmakerlife A go-to mantra that inspires you:I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. What is your favorite thing about running your shop/brand?I love that I have the opportunity to inspire others, to encourage them to pursue faith, and to remind them that knitting and crochet is modern and cool. Greatest challenge?Having too many knitting, crochet, and pattern projects happening at once (i.e. forever projects).Your unique selling point (USP)?My knitwear is centered around my faith, and for the last 10 years I've created scarves and other pieces during my quiet prayerful time. Because my knitwear and patterns aren't rushed in a fast-fashion mindset, the quality and design is intricate, durable, and has a one-of-kind je ne sais quoi. Biggest "pinch me" moment?Meeting hundreds of makers from all over the world at the Our Maker Life events (which included that time I dined with Alberto B. Reyes, the co-founder and Creative Director of We Are Knitters!)A now-laughable mistake / embarrassing moment?Once, I sneezed so hard I hit my head on my craft desk - but I feel like right after I thought of the design for my True Peace cowl. Maybe I should have called it True Sneeze?, embarrassing but still a good hit of inspiration. Apart from the obvious, do you have a tool / app / product that you could not do biz without? My Bible - it not only keeps me centered but showcases my northknits brand within my personal opinions of faith. My MacBook Air - I think a good computer is essential for research, work efficiency, and good Netflix'ing. Iphone Notes app for those 2am strikes of inspo. Wunderlist app for list tasking and organizing. All of Google Drive. I also love Debrosse Pattern templates (game changer and I just would not love writing patterns without it.) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lauren Aston Designs (@laurenastondesigns) on Aug 28, 2019 at 11:47am PDT Lauren Aston of @laurenastondesigns A go-to mantra that inspires you:"If it were easy, everyone would be doing it" - I use it to push myself on difficult days.What is your favorite thing about running your shop/brand?The accomplishment of building something I'm proud of. (oh and going out for tea and cake mid-week)Greatest challenge?Forcing myself out of my comfort zone...constantly! Your unique selling point (USP)?When I started no one else was really doing the giant knitting so to begin with it had real novelty value which was great and then as time when on and more people began doing it, my USP kind of developed into what I could bring to my brand - it's now a mix of giant knitting, an adorable dog, a lot of tea drinking and a bit of a laugh.Biggest "pinch me" moment?Victoria Beckham hanging 6 of my stockings over her fireplace!A now-laughable mistake / embarrassing moment?I make mistakes on a daily basis and it's definitely a cliche but you really do learn so much from them that it almost doesn't matter. Last year for instance I learnt not to be so cryptic & that less is more - I did a giveaway to announce my new knitting book, I released a series of images and asked people to guess what my 'new project' was and if they guessed correctly they could win one of whatever it was... baffling I know! Anyway, I managed to select a range of images from it that all looked a little bit like Children's items and the most popular guess was of course that I was pregnant... why people thought they'd win my baby I'm still not sure but I was having to confirm to all my friends for weeks that I just had a knitting book due, not a child. I hindsight I really overcomplicated it and should have just announced it like a normal person. Apart from the obvious, do you have a tool / app / product that you could not do biz without?People are the key for me, both online and offline - the love, support and obviously custom online but also the friends cooking you dinner, the staff knitting santa hats until their hands hurt and the husband that sticks with you at Christmas when you haven't washed your hair for a week and are crying about literally nothing because you're so tired. Apps I could live without but the people who support us are invaluable.
