We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Deets recently and have shared our conversation below.

Vanessa, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later

I started my business when I was 6 months pregnant with my third child at the start of the Covid 19 pandemic. Up until I was about 3 months pregnant, I had worked for other small businesses from home. My third pregnancy was very hard on my body yet inspiration struck me and I had a yearning to try something new for myself. What I assumed would be the start of a hobby quickly turned into a business. For the last trimester of my pregnancy, I was hypertensive, with borderline pre-eclampsia, and had pregnancy carpal tunnel in my hands. Rather than rest, I wanted to create and work. I would sit late at night bouncing on a yoga ball with wrist guards on my hands working on the craft of my business (macrame). After my baby was born, I would work around his sleep schedule squeezing in any time to get anything done, not to mention care for and entertain my other two children. My littlest is two now and if you told you told me I would be building this business all while having a baby in tow, I wouldn’t dare believe you. I have worked almost every day in some fashion for over 2 years. Sneaking in bits of work at my kitchen desk in the middle of making meals, creating content from my phone while the kids play, bringing light work in the car so I can get a few minutes in while I am at the school pick-up line or up until the early hours of the morning when the house is quiet. This isn’t a venture that is for everyone. Starting a business with a baby and young children at home is incredibly difficult and I find myself always wishing for more hours in the day. Despite having a thriving business, I often feel a couple of steps behind from where I want to be because my work time is so limited. I do not have a nanny or care for my kids so I am truly limited on the number of hours I can work in a day. In times of frustration when I wished I had a clone, I look back at the past two years and remind myself of what I have accomplished. I wouldn’t say I recommend the start of a business with a baby in tow however my business is proof that it sure is possible! Starting a business once my kids were older might have been the easier route but that day will come when all my kids are in school and I will have the time to fully embrace and grow my business.

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

My name is Vanessa. I am originally from Burbank, CA but moved to the beautiful state of Oregon in 2010. Starting a business was never intentional or even ever dreamt of! One day I simply wanted a macrame wall hanging for our living room. I placed an order on Etsy, fell in love with it and I wanted more. Rather than order again, I ordered a macrame kit to try myself. I instantly fell in love with knotting! Next instead of a kit, I bought basic supplies and created another. The next thing I knew I had friends asking for wall hangings. My first few pieces of art were either given to friends or given with a small donation for supplies. It was after 4 or 5 wall pieces that I knew I had something good start. I began selling to friends on Instagram. Not long after, I created a business name, business Instagram, website, and so on.

In the fiber art world, the focus and type of art made can ebb and flow. I create macrame wall art, jewelry, accessories, and various home decor items. A big offering of mine is also fiber rainbows in various sizes. Rainbows have been a core of my business and many associate me as the ‘rainbow maker.’ I also instruct DIY workshops. I am always open to new ideas, which are usually at the request of customers, and I like to keep things fresh. I add color to a lot of people’s lives and homes.

I see my business as so many things. Definitely not ‘just’ a crafting business but a self-sustaining small business. This business is so much more than creating. It’s marketing, it’s content creation, it’s being tech savvy, its being a graphic artist, a decision maker, a go-getter, a designer, a manager and so much more. I like to think of the big picture for my business and I want it to constantly be growing. I like to push myself into sometimes awkward growing positions that might be a little scary or risky but usually are so worth it!

I try to be very open on my socials about being a mom of 3 young kids (ages 2, 6, and 8) and what it’s like to run a small business from home. My favorite part about this business is networking and building a community. I try to provide resources, and a sense of normalcy to the crazy small business chaos, and be a guide/resource to anyone in the small business community.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I have found it most effective to be myself and be open! With my line of work, fiber art, things need to be professional but they can also be real, silly, and fun. Instagram and in-person vendor events have been key for me to growing my clientele. Instagram, mainly Instagram stories, allows me to show my life, what I am working on, and what I am struggling with and ask questions from my followers. Friends and customers are able to directly reach out to me and we can chat about all things. From weekly meal prep, what silly thing our toddlers are doing to me designing a custom piece for them. My customers and followers then kindly help spread the word about my business through gifting my items or simply sharing on their social pages. In-person events are also a wonderful way to meet customers who may have only purchased online and also meet brand new people to my business. Being a small business, people want to know the owners behind the brand. Building those relationships absolutely helps grow my clientele.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My biggest advice would be to be consistent. Show up on social media every day if you can, even if just in stories if you can. Play around with the different offerings between photos, videos, and reels. Read blogs and watch tutorials on how to best use all of the social media tools. Have a consistent look and vibe. Engage with everyone who engages with you. Engage with other like buisnesses. Collab giveaways with other businesses, makers, or influences are a great tool to grow an account as well. The number of followers is not a representation of how successful or busy a business is. Even when I only had a few hundred followers, I was busy as could be so try to not focus on social followers count.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.abranchandcord.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abranchandcord/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abranchandcord