We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Anne Sheeler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Anne, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I think when I started my picture frame business, Framed! I started small with no real plans. I intentionally planted seeds in different areas around Nashville: non-profits, school fundraisers, designers, small businesses, new artists.etc. I networked and focused on building relationships instead of looking for ‘the sale’.
For the first 10 years, it was just me. Sometimes my husband. Slow and steady growth, lots of trial and error, patience, hard work, and long (non-traditional) hours. When asked to do odd projects, I had a ‘why not?’ attitude. I think success sometimes takes doing the things you didn’t want to do (preparing budgets, labor, intensive projects, etc), sometimes when you don’t want to do them. That eventually led to people calling more and more frequently so I hired part time people I could trust to come alongside me which led to full time people.
Many of my clients are now friends, sharing the details of life together; because of the art they bring in to be framed, there’s always a story. Whether it’s to be resold, repurposed, or capturing a moment in time, the memory is important to them. These moments have been my reminder that if you truly do what you enjoy, you will never work a day in your life.
Anne, 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?
About Anne:
Having practiced the art of framing for 30 years, I use my skills, efficiencies, and a side of fun to make it easy to work with me. Our team loves what they do, which keeps us working around the clock at our two Nashville locations. I have worked hard to build close relationships with collectors, artists, designers and galleries across the region. Some things I am so proud of are working on the Southern Living Show homes in Atlanta and Kiawah Island, Fundraising partnerships with local schools and organizations, a boutique hotel, many local artists, and most recently opening some small bars in downtown Nashville. Most rewarding are the projects that hold sentimental value to my clients – being able to create and honor their memories in a visual way that is displayed.
About Framed!:
Framed! LLC is a small woman owned business located in the Nashville area. Since 1995, we have been framing whatever people bring us. From photos and paintings, to instruments and shoes, we’ve seen a lot. Here at Framed! LLC, we want to help you customize your space in a way that complements the artwork and highlights what’s important to you. Something you might not know about the team, is we do installations in addition to framing. We have installed art for artists, designers, galleries, offices, restaurants and a lot more.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I have always had a knack for the creative. Living in Nashville it’s a very creative place to learn and grow which I have loved. In the 80’s, I worked at Michaels in the framing department. In the 90’s, I ran a frame shop for a mom and pop company. I tried to make a change into the corporate world – I had my securities license but quickly found a 9-5 office job was not for me. So I reached out to some of my former clients (small business owners, designers, artists) , maybe 50 people in total, that I had already built a relationship with letting them know that I was going to try framing part time on my own. This was about the time that Nashville was about to explode – Hatch Show Prints became very popular, the Bridgestone Arena was built, and restaurants were opening left and right. I honestly think I was just brave enough to try and differentiate myself – no traditional marketing, no building, no branding per se. Just me at home, in my converted garage. Shortly after the letters went out, I got very sick and needed insurance so I worked part time at the mall while doing my side hustle for almost 10 years! During that time, I kept planting seeds and would get new clients through word of mouth, ‘someone told someone about Framed!’ or someone changed jobs and took me along to the new company, etc.
In the 2000’s we had two kids which led to class art projects, auction items, non-profit events, etc, expanding my little client base even more. I would guess in year 12, I took on a part time person, then another, and decided my side hustle was a real job and I enjoyed doing what I do. In the beginning, I went to the client’s home with frame samples, discussed, brought the art back, frame, then returned. Now I have 2 locations, one in my house, and one in a commercial space where we can do larger scale production. Currently we have 8-10 employees, part time, full time, and seasonal.
I think a defining moment for me was about 10 years ago when I looked around and all the seeds I had planted were becoming fruitful beyond what I could have ever imagined. My willingness to do it differently has worked. I was fortunate to grow by word of mouth to 3500+ clients from all walks of life by treating everyone the same – treating them as the valued people they are. In return, they have repaid me by trusting us with what is important to them. I think willing to do it “differently” has worked well for me.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
I’m not sure that I had a strategy for growing my clientele, well, other than doing the right thing, sharing my honest thoughts. By doing that, it became a human connection. By learning the ‘why’, it was important for them to frame their art, connections and partnerships were born. Building these connections was beyond building my business, it was creating an environment where these people could feel safe bringing their most treasured and sometimes most painful memories, where they knew they would be listened to and taken care of.
Early on, it started with the people I initially reached out to. Then it was moms and small artists painting on their kitchen table, doing their side hustle. The discussions became how to get their art framed and out the door feasibly. We would discuss quality vs quantity in their production. Maybe doing a mat + sleeve instead of framing everything so that the client can frame in their own style. As the relationships with these artists continued, we worked on projects together, talking to them, understanding their goals, getting their framing style into a portfolio, as well as strategy for art shows. It was exciting to see them grow and several years later, seeing those initial time investments lead to collaborations.
We have worked on several local Nashville restaurants (The Southern, ACME Feed + Seed, Hank’s Boogie Woogie Bar), a boutique hotel (The Hyatt Centric w/ the Nashville Artist Collective), fulfillment orders for artists, clients for interior designers and many more projects over the years. Currently, we have clients in multiple states, both corporate and individuals.
I found that building relationships organically builds the clientele.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://framedllc.net
- Instagram: @annetheframer
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annetheframer/
Image Credits
Terri Watson