Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Asa Smith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Asa, appreciate you joining us today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?

ABSOLUTELY!! I feel like as small business owners the image of us is to be ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days of the year. I had to learn that is just not possible. The best thing that I could do for myself, business and family was to set boundaries for my business. I would find myself responding to inquiries anytime of the day no matter where I was or what I was doing. That had to stop, I was stretching myself beyond my limits and putting unrealistic expectations of myself and my business. The best thing I could have done was to set the boundaries for my business. The specific days and hours that I would be available were the main boundaries that I applied. If any inquiries happened outside of that window, it would have to wait. The next boundary was VACATIONS!! You feel like you need to be readily available to your customers at all times no matter what. Take it from me, GO ON THAT VACATION!! We all have one life to live and we still have to find and do things that make us feel great too. Plus if you don’t take the time for yourself to rest and recharge, how can you be all of what you need to be for your family, business and customers. TAKE THAT VACATION, YOU DESERVE IT!!

Asa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Ace’s Classy Creations was created by Asa Smith, a wife, mom, and entrepreneur. Crafting has been a passion all my life. Growing up, I would spend my summers in Louisiana with my late great grandmother Luella watching her sew dresses, make dolls, and other hand made crafts. I would help her from time to time and that’s when the creative bug hit me.

Every summer that would be our thing, crafting. From there, I started doing small crafts here and there for my mom around the house growing up. That same creative bug has followed me through life from making my own wedding decorations to making shirts for my kids. When my friends would start asking me to help them with making different crafts, that’s when I realized I can turn my passion into a business. With the help of my mom and husband in coming up with a name, I started Ace’s Classy Creations in 2016 and have never been so excited about what I am doing. Ace, for my nickname and Classy Creations because I take pride in making everything with class and care while giving a little “Lagniappe” in everything I do.

Entrepreneurship is not for the weak. You definitely have to have to heart, drive, and determination for it to be successful. Starting off in this line of business was definitely rough. From trying to figure out local resources to learning new ways to improve what you are already doing was a challenge in itself. There were definitely days where I wanted to throw in the towel, but I’m not a quitter and giving up is just not an option. There are always going to be bumps in the road or different things to try and knock you off your path. It’s what you do in those moments that will defy who are in your business. You are allowed to have your moments, just don’t have them for too long. Shake it off and bounce back stronger than you were before.

We make t-shirts using Sublimation, as well as heat transfer vinyl. Whether your shirts are for family reunion, sports team or any other event, we got you covered. I also specialize in Glass Etching, Custom Drinkware, Small Business Branding, Ornaments, Car decals, and many other items.

The most important lesson my business has taught me is to never give up and to always believe in yourself. There’s always going to be other businesses that are out there doing the same thing you are doing, The most important part to being successful is to never give up and believe that no matter what crosses your path, you can handle it like a boss.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Social media can be so tricky at times. You have to worry about those pesky algorithms that are in place when you post content. I found that videos and hashtags are the best with social media. There may not be any comments, but there are views. Those views mean that someone has seen the work that you have done. It gives proof of what you are capable of. The hashtags will also bring you views. Who knew that using #Customshirts would attract so many views. Those hashtags help you audience to narrow down their search of what they are looking for. Which means, that’s right, they will find you. The content you create can help you to gain followers and new customers. Small business is mostly word of mouth and social media. It took me the longest to do videos. I didn’t want to show my face or my process. What if I made a mistake? What if I say the wrong thing? Fun thing about a video is you can start it over, mute it and put some music over it! I found out that customers and fellow viewers like watching the process behind what you are doing. It makes them feel apart of it knowing that you are sharing the behind the scenes views with them. So don’t be shy, step out of your comfort zone and create those videos and use those hashtags. #YouGotThis

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I sell on my website that is powered through Shopify. I found that this website was one of the easiest for me to use with setting up the look I wanted. There are so many platforms out there but you have to find what works best for you. My background is in the medical field, I knew nothing about building a website. I went with what was the easiest and least stressful. While I thought about using other platforms like Amazon or Etsy, however I wanted to optimized getting the biggest bang for my buck. While those websites may work for other I didn’t feel like it would work for me with the additional fees. I wanted to maximize my profit as much as I could because in small business, every penny counts. The best advice in an giving with choosing a platform to see, on would be to do your research and find what will benefit your business in the long run.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.acesclassycreations.com
• Instagram: @acesclassycreations
• Facebook: Ace’s Classy Creations