Owning my Own Business // An Overview!

In March of this year I started Whimsy Brooke after my friend CeCe encouraged me to, she interviewed me for a class project and recommended that I start the business I’ve been dreaming and talking of for the past few months… I’ve always had an entrepreneur heart/mind and even with my previous business I learned a lot but I wasn’t ready then. This time around I was determined and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Did I feel like giving up? Yes. Did I have moments of dread? Yes. Was I scared? Yes. But the good outweighed the bad for sure…

Below I’ll go into what I learned, what I loved, and what’s up next for my business. If you have any questions whatsoever comment below!

What I Learned:

What may do well at some markets (Mystery Bags!!) may not sell at the others – so learn how to pivot!

That even if it gets hard (and, trust me there will be ups and downs!!) don’t ever, and I mean ever give up!

It’s most definitely a learning curve – you’re not going to get it right away. There’s a ton of trial and error – but, eventually it’ll fall into place.

Part of owning a small business is supporting other small businesses. Their successes, their wins, and so on! Don’t be all in for yourself.

You’re going to make mistakes. Don’t dwell on this – get up, and try again. You may have to pivot over and over again – but you’ll get there. Just keep at it.

Build a support system. Put yourself out there. Join or make a couple DM groups on Instagram so you can build a community of like-minded artists to support and grow together!

What I Loved:

1. Meeting new people and making connections. The art community in Windsor is the absolute best – I’ve met and made a few friends and I’m so thankful to have them in my lives.
2. Being able to create products for people who love them as much as I do. I love making people smile – and seeing their reactions at my booth makes my day!
3. Working on custom pet stickers for friends and family. I love seeing how they turn out – whether they’re for a current or passed pet I’ll work with the client to make a purrfect sticker!
4. Doing the markets and pop-ups!! I recently did a few pop-ups with POP collective and it was an amazing experience – the owner is oh so nice and the people I vended with were too! SO happy to have participated in this!
5. Packaging up finished orders, personalizing the envelopes and adding a few extra goodies inside! Happy mail is the best!!

What’s Up Next?

New products for sure! I have a few in mind and a few that were requested so I’m hoping by next year I can get them all phased out.

New booth setup possibly? What do you think? I’ll share a photo below of my current setup.

More reels on my Instagram… I loved doing stop motion “pack an order with me” and would love to do some more! Any ideas on what you’d like to see?

More giveaways and sales! Eep!

And, again – write in the comments below what you’d like to see, whether it’s a sticker or another product… I’d love to hear your feedback!