We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Cafferty. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

I first said I wanted to work in the interior design sphere in a 5th grade paper. I also said that I wanted 4 shih tzus and a spider monkey, but that is beside the point. Ultimately, this has been a dream of mine for a very long time, and one that I couldn’t shake as I worked in the marketing world; no matter how much I enjoyed a job, I always felt called to create something of my own. I set the intention to start my business in 2015, and while 9 years of planning may seem daunting, you have to account for 3 cross-country moves and a pandemic amidst them. Over those years, I took every chance I could to learn from others in the industry, save ideas for various elements of the store, build a repository of potential makers to source from, gain experience through freelance projects, and frame up a business plan. Taking the leap to finally leave the stability of my career path was horrifying – it still is most days – but ultimately I know I am the type of person that would rather try something and fail than never try at all. Each day on my journey to opening Story & Teller is an exercise of navigating through fear and uncertainty. For me, the biggest thing that has helped me move from ideation to execution has been the mantra “do it imperfectly.” It is so easy to second guess every tiny, microscopic detail to the point that you either A) talk yourself out of it or B) spin so much that you never actually do anything. Take the step. Make the call. Do it imperfectly.

Rachel, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to tell us about Story & Teller for readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Story & Teller is a Minneapolis-based boutique that helps individuals make their home an expression of both their style and their principles. Through meticulous product sourcing and thoughtful styling services, we support people in creating their dream spaces where they feel rooted, inspired, and easeful. Each piece in our store is chosen for its ability to enrich your life for years to come, infusing beauty and character to your surroundings along the way. We welcome you to experience the allure of the handmade, and the delight of discovering a new treasure to call your own.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I signed the lease on my space in a new construction building, I never imagined construction would be delayed at all, let alone by 6 months. I’d expected to be open for the peak holiday season, and unfortunately ordered inventory volume accordingly. The timeline shift threw a huge wrench in my cash flow planning, so I decided to reprioritize and launch my website as soon as possible to help right-size a bit, and set the goal to launch the Friday before Thanksgiving. Given my limited budget, I ended up spending a month straight photographing all of my products, building and customizing my website, writing product and brand copy, and testing for errors to be live by my goal date. It was an absolute beast of an undertaking. For the final 2 weeks in particular, I was staying up until anywhere from 4-6 AM working on it. While my website is far from perfect, I’m so proud of what I was able to create on my own and the experience not only taught me a lot of critical lessons to be able to maintain the site going forward, but also allowed me to begin generating sales and growing awareness for my brick-and-mortar.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

As I mentioned, this has been a 9-year journey from when I first said I wanted to start my own business. It began as a design blog, which connected me with two individuals in the industry – a home boutique owner and an interior designer. I worked with them in my spare time on a freelance basis for several years, and it allowed me to realize that I wanted to create a hybrid retail and service business. I continued to plan the retail side and simultaneously hone the service side by taking on small projects with friends and family, which led to referrals, which inspired me to keep going. This also prompted financial conversations with my husband so we could prepare for funding a business, and I continued in my marketing career to give more time to save and plan. For me, it ultimately took a leap of faith to go for it as a full-time business. I wasn’t at a point where my “side hustle” was generating enough income to justify leaving, but knew my job was far too demanding for me to ever get there. This approach is far more susceptible to failure, but I intend to work hard to forge this path I’ve envisioned for myself for so long.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.storyandteller.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/storyandteller/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/story-and-teller

Image Credits
Story & Teller/Rachel Cafferty

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