We recently connected with Pamela A Goodwin and have shared our conversation below.

Pamela A, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability in my industry is, customers not wanting to pay the asking price for my handmade crochet pieces. A lot of people do not understand what goes into making and selling crochet as a business. Some brands of yarn are more expensive than others not including the fact of how much yarn it takes to make one piece. Some brands of yarn range from $3.23 a skein. So if you’re making a sweater that requires over a thousand yards of yarn, and each skin of yarn is $3 to $10 a skein, with 200 yd of yarn it can be pretty costly. Then you have to factor in your time and labor.
Most of the pop-up events I do are in urban areas. I like to go online and see what other crocheters are selling their handmade pieces for, and charge a little less. I like being able to tell people, “well if you go online, you’ll pay more with someone else.” I try to be affordable as possible for the communities that I sell in, but sometimes I have to remember the words and quality of my one-of-a-kind pieces. And I also understand a lot of people just don’t have the funds they would like to have an order to purchase from me. That is why on my website, I offer afterpay to help them afford and be able to purchase what they want from me as an option.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started crocheting when I was a little girl. A neighbor down the street from me taught me how to crochet when she was making a blanket and I asked her what she was doing. It started as a hobby and towards the end of 2019, I decided that I was going to learn how to make other items from my skill. It got to the point where I had made so much and I knew I couldn’t stop. So I had to do something with the pieces that I had that would be beneficial for me and my addiction.
It made sense to start a business because I understood there were people out there who would love and appreciate my work and we’re willing to pay for it. And that way I could have a reason for continuously purchasing yarn! And I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it anymore. I also understood that a lot of people have own likes as far as colors and design, and it is also necessary for them to have their own comfort in sizes. So I decided I would have to offer custom orders for those who want to have a uniqueness to their fashion sense.
I’m happy that I have an understanding of how important it is to work with acrylic yarn for cool weather seasons versus cotton yarn for warm weather seasons. I see a lot of crocheters making summer pieces out of acrylic yarn and I think that is not a good move. That will have the person thinking they’re sweating their skin off because it’s hot, when really the acrylic is keeping them warmer than usual when they should be wearing cotton. And then some people like to use certain yarns for purses and that too is bad because that yarn will eventually stretch so much that the bag is no longer useful. A strong, durable cotton is best, in my experience. But who am I to judge!
My customers love the fact that I am knowledgeable about my pieces, they are washable either by hand or in the washing machine and they are also dryable in most cases, in the dryer on low heat. Making it more comfortable for them to purchase my pieces knowing how they can be cared for and not just a one where item. I like the fact that I can provide multiple ways of paying for my pieces because I understand that not everyone is comfortable with carrying cash nowadays. The flexibility I offer for my customers make them feel as if I care about them and how they like to spend their money.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

I am a single parent so it became necessary for me to be available to my kids, even during school hours. There’s been several times where my kids called me because they left an assignment at home or they needed me to bring them something to school to help them with the project or they were sick. So I decided that becoming a Lyft driver would be the flexibility to benefit me as a single parent. So throughout the day, that is the routine I was use to having through the years. I make sure that once my bills and priorities are taken care of, I would buy the yarn needed for a current project and even catching a sale here or there would be helpful in having yarn for a future projects. Once I downloaded the Jo-Ann fabrics app, I learned they have a payment plan program called Klarna. That also allowed me to purchase yarn in great amounts but make payments on it over time. Also, I am a proud Gambler of slot machines at the casino LOL so if I ever had a good day at the casino, I made sure to bulk up on the desired yarns. I currently have several plastic storage containers for my yarn and some are still in paper or plastic bags. I do pretty good with maintaining my yarn and my money. There’s times that I refuse to buy yarn until I have used up a good amount of what I already have.

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

I do have a website through square because they only take a 30-cent card fee plus a 3% fee of the purchase amount. I don’t have to pay a monthly fee or anything else. Only when a purchase has been made on my site and that works for me. I find that helpful because my POS is also through square so it’s convenient. I also do a lot of pop-up events in my area including those within 50 miles or more of me. I have done events in the state of Nevada as far as Las vegas. I enjoy getting my business out in front of those who may not have social media. People love to look at my crochet pieces, feel the yarn for its softness, and even try them on to make sure they like the fit. I feel the pop-up events work best for me because a lot of people are not familiar with crochet apparel and they don’t know what to think. And with me being present, they can ask all the questions they like and need to to feel comfortable about making a purchase with me. A lot are happy when they learn that I do custom orders and I feel that really helps my business because I cannot make pieces for everyone’s size. So I pride myself on telling them that I can make something they see in their color and size if they like. Giving them a more personal touch to their fashion sense.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://that-geminis-creation-101526.square.site
• Instagram: @that_geminis_creation
• Facebook: @that_geminis_creation