Today we’d like to introduce you to Kara Bass.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always loved creating and working with my hands. If I ever saw anything that looked cool, my first thought was always “ How can I make that myself?” vs “ where can I buy that?”
I had worked enough office jobs throughout college to know that it wasn’t really where I wanted to end up, despite being a business major. I think deep down I always knew I wanted to own my own business someday.
One day, I decided it would be fun to just open an Etsy store on the side to see what would happen. To my surprise, within a week or so I had my first order. I still remember it was a set of wood slice ornaments I had made with a wood burner. It was a surreal a humbling feeling to know that someone out there saw one of my creations and amongst all the other beautiful things they could choose from in a sea of Etsy listings, chose mine. It’s a feeling I still get to this day every time I make a sale!
From there I decided I would open up my horizons a bit and purchase a scroll saw. I did a lot of animal cut outs. My custom dog breed cut outs were one of my most popular items. I was always busy with my other job and never really had the time or energy to fully focus on making it anything more than a small side gig.
Flash forward to February 2019. I made the hard, but exciting decision to leave my management job at a dog daycare ( which I really loved) to try and focus on growing my shop and try my hand at entrepreneurship. So that’s where I am now, working on growing, creating more products, and figuring out this new crazy, but rewarding new way of life as a small business owner.
Has it been a smooth road?
The road has definitely been challenging, but it’s also been rewarding to grow and learn from those challenges.
There’s a certain degree of self-reliance in owning your own business. This self-reliance can be really freeing, but also makes it hard to push through at times and motivate yourself when you’re distracted or life gets in the way.
Since I decided to put all my focus on the shop last February, I’ve had seasons where I feel strong, capable, and hopeful for the business, but I’ve also had seasons where some pretty intense life stuff was happening and business was the last thing on my mind.
My advice for anyone thinking about making the leap into business ownership would be to stay consistent. Find a routine and use a planner to ensure you’re doing something towards growing, maintaining, or learning about your business each day. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself in a slump, or if you need to take a little time to clear your head and get in the right place again. Have plans, but expect to get diverted from those plans once in a while. Being adaptable is so important in both life and business.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Out of the woods craft co. story. Tell us more about the business.
I mainly create wooden decor items. Anything from shelves to wall art or custom signs. I also do some paintings on wood from time to time as well. A lot of my design inspiration comes from my love of animals and the outdoors and I try to use reclaimed wood to create these designs as often as I can.
In previous years, custom cut out dog signs have been a top seller. This year, I came out with a wooden t-shirt clip that seems to be gaining popularity. I’m particularly proud of that because I originally made it because I wanted one for myself. I looked around to see if they were available anywhere and all I could find were the flimsy plastic ones or the bright neon ones from the 80s. I was so happy to find that other people like this too and so far I don’t really know of another company that makes them.
I think my flexibility and willingness to customize anything sets me apart from other companies. Even my dog breed signs are completely customizable. I’ve done a lot of mixed breeds and was able to work with pictures sent in by customers to get their dog’s silhouette just right. I also love learning new skills so the range of items in my shop is pretty diverse.
Do you have a lesson or advice you’d like to share with young women just starting out?
Consider everything you do a growth opportunity. Chances are, if it’s not growing your bank account there’s a good chance it’s still growing you as a human being so don’t be afraid to be uncertain or do something out of the norm. Try launching that new product, do something outside your comfort zone, create a design outside your usual niche. I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go with growing my business but I can truly say I am stronger, more resilient, and more experienced than I was when I started.
Contact Info:
- Website: Etsy.com/shop/outofthewoodscraftco
- Email: outofthewoodscraftco@gmail.com
- Instagram: Outofthewoodscraftco
- Facebook: Outofthewoodscraftco
Image Credit:
Kara bass
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