We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Hade a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with a hypothetical question – if it were up to you, what would you change about the school or education system to better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career?

The educational system in the U.S. needs a lot of reform. I think we need to emphasize a larger variety of class offerings in middle school, high school, and college. We should be teaching children a second language and exposing them to a wide variety of subjects so that they are well-equipped to figure out what they’re good at and what they enjoy.

While my elementary school years did include art class and music class, it didn’t go much beyond that. In middle school we had one year of art, one year of environmental studies, and one year of home economics. High school offered some more options, but I remember being so focused on finishing the graduation requirments and taking AP classes that I never even thought to take coursed to explore topics I may be interested in. For that reason, I never took a single art course in high school despite loving creative subjects. And in college, I felt I had more freedom to explore for gen eds, but it wasn’t quite enough. I needed more time and more experience to decide what to major in, but I was never afforded that.

I don’t want future generations to have these same issues. I want them all, whether they go to public or private school, to be exposed to different hobbies, careers, and subjects so they don’t feel so lost when they graduate high school. I hope we encourage curiosity, teach a variety of useful skills, and support mental health to allow children to confidently grow into themselves.

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

Starting a business was somehwhat of an impulsive decision for me. I remember being lost after my graduation in May 2021, and I didn’t know where to start. My last 3 semesters of college were spent online because of COVID, so there were a lot of opportunities I missed out on. I was accepted into a study abroad program for Shanghai, China which obviously was cancelled. That was a huge letdown for me as I got my degree in international studies and was really looking forward to making connections abroad.

One night I kind of just decided to give entrepreneurship a try. My original plan was to sell handmade journals and planners on Etsy, but I realized within a couple of months of doing that that I wanted to do something else. So beginning of 2022 I started preparing an online website for my shop where I would be selling a curated collection of home and lifestyle products from small businesses.

The shop launched in April, but it was a slow start. My first couple of months I only received a few sales, but I was determined to continue growing my social media following to grow brand awareness. As more months passed, I increasingly received sales. I’ve also been trying new things out to discover what best fits my brand and what my target audience wants.

I’ve added a larger variety of products including an entire section for vintage items. I’ve added a quiz that users can take to find what style best fits them, as well as some free downloadable content. It doesn’t stop there though, as I’ve been collaborating with several Penn State student organizations for different projects and will soon be offering more vintage products as part of a collab with another local small business.

It’s been a year since I started selling on Etsy, and my business has already changed a lot. I’m excited to continue pursing this and seeing how it evolves. In fact, more big changes will be coming in the beginning of 2023 which I haven’t released yet on my social media pages. It will involve not only the vintage collaboration, but also a community group chat and some rebranding to steer my shop towards more feminine, coquette, and nature-inspired pieces. Think the elven kingdom from Lord of the Rings or fairy cottagecore.

I’m hoping these changes will reach those I think will love it the most. I enjoy being a small business owner, and I plan to keep Sonumbra that way. It allows the shop to provide that friendly relationship with its customers which I hope to develop further through the community group chat. I think these changes will really help set Sonumbra apart and provide value in our soon-to-be community members and customers’ lives.

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

I sell my products on my own Shopify website as well as my Instagram shop that’s attached to my page. At the beginning of Sonumbra’s journey, I was selling handmade products on Etsy but had to pivot my platform as my offerings evolved. Personally, I think having your own website is great. It’s fully customizable and provides a sense of legitimacy to others, but it’s also not necessary for everyone. Shopify in particular charges a subscription fee of $30 a month, which can be a lot when you’re just starting out.

I will say that I think Etsy used to be a lot better of a marketplace for artists, crafters, etc. Unfortunately, now it is overrun with shops selling goods from Shein or Amazon. They also charge fees that often require sellers to have to mark up their prices to cover. I do still think it’s a great place to start for a lot of people who want something low-risk and easy to just pick up. However, for the most part, it’s better to use it as a platform just to kick off from.

Amazon, though, I have a lot of feelings about. I think most people have ordered at least once from Amazon with many returning shoppers. However, while it is often cheap and provides quick shipping and returns, it continues to grow and take business away from smaller shops. It’s also severely oversaturated with products and sellers, so I couldn’t recommend this platform to anyone. It just doesn’t sit right with my hopes for the future of smaller businesses.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Social media is a fabulous way to get your content and brand out to people who wouldn’t know about you otherwise. It’s especially important for ecommerce businesses since we don’t have physical locations to advertise or to draw people in.

I primarily use Instagram, and although I don’t have a large following, it has continued to grow and get Sonumbra’s name out there. Social media can be exhausting, but making content that appeals to your target audience is such a great tool. It’s important not to oversell though, meaning you don’t need to always be pushing your products or services. The younger generations are quick to pick up on ads and are especially scrutinous of ads that come off as out of touch, ingenuine, or forceful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sonumbra.com
• Instagram: @sonumbra.products
• Facebook: @sonumbra
• Other: Tiktok: @shopsonumbra

Image Credits
Shirley Silva