As you know, we are all about Etsy and we LOVE promoting the growing businesses found on the site! We recently connected with Anna, owner of the shop, Libbie & Winston, on Etsy and were able to check out some of her designs, as well as ask her a few questions to help you, our readers, get to know her and her business. We think she is absolutely FABULOUS and we know you will too!
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself + your business, Libbie & Winston.
A: I'll try and keep this short, sweet and to the point - I can ramble...Let's start with the business - L+W is named after my two dogs, Libbie & Winston (who make having a 12 month old seem like a piece of cake!). After finishing grad school (I earned my master's in interior design) and being pregnant I knew looking for a "real" job would be difficult. While I was pregnant I had made a few "iron-on" onesies, dog shirts etc for fun - after a few friends showed interest in the shirts through Facebook, L+W was born in one quick afternoon! I never really thought it would grow as quickly as it has, but it has been non-stop crazy fun ever since! I quickly realized my iron, cookie sheet (for heat) and biceps weren't meant for this business and traded in for a heat press to make things slightly more official. Although L+W started with only onesies and children's tees, I have recently started offering iPhone cases, melamine dinnerware, and other home accessories.
As for a little bit about myself - I spend most of my days chasing around my 12m old and am learning how to handle messes (I'm slightly OCD about clutter) and spend my nights attached to my computer working - (sorry for the 2am proofs). My husband is in his LAST year of medical school (hooray!) and is sometimes recruited to work with me - he's a great invoicer, packer and shipper.
Q: When did the light bulb go off for you to begin your shop?
A: After a few orders from friends, I started a Facebook page to see what would happen and have had a blast!
Q: What is the best part about being a small business owner and entrepreneur?
A: Being able to stay at home with my daughter and work on my own schedule is the best part. I also LOVE all aspects of doing every part of this business - I LOVE working with my customers directly to make exactly what they want for the product while also being able to sit back and just design products that I LOVE, too. I LOVE getting feedback from my customers and hearing that they are pleased with their purchases.
Q: What is up next for you?
A: Check back after Christmas - my goal right now is to just make it through the holidays and make sure all my customers get their items on time! One thing that keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the to-do list is my blog - I am dying to get it up and running, but more important orders etc have taken priority!
LOVE what you see here? Check out Anna's shop on Etsy - Libbie & Winston for these and her 50+ other designs! Thank you Anna for chatting with us!
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