We were lucky to catch up with Caitlin Bentley recently and have shared our conversation below.
Caitlin, appreciate you joining us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
I don’t think I would have been ready if I had started my business sooner! When I started Feral Notions, I was reeling from postpartum depression, the onset of chronic illness, and serious burnout from my job as an animal shelter veterinarian. Oddly enough, what I went through made me braver — I had faced some really scary times, so trying to sell sparkly quilting rulers on the internet didn’t seem like too much of a risk! Putting myself out there with my business seemed daunting before, but after that dark period, it was small potatoes.
I’ve read a lot about “cringe mountain” since those days. This is the idea that to get to a place of success, you first have to climb Cringe Mountain – really put yourself out there and risk embarrassment. After facing down demons, Cringe Mountain didn’t seem too bad. What’s the worst that could happen – flopping on the internet? I can handle that.
If there’s one thing I wish I had sooner, it would be trust in myself. That was the missing ingredient I needed before starting my business. Several years in, I can see that I can put in the work, I do possess something special, and I can make a business work. You have to have that trust and belief in yourself to start a small business.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I started quilting in 2018 after having my son. I was struggling with postpartum depression, and quilting gave me a piece of myself to hang onto. When I felt like I was flailing so many areas of my life, I could turn to quilting. I could make something beautiful, learning a new step every day, collecting tiny wins, and at the end, have an heirloom to wrap my son up in. I started posting my creations on Instagram, and joined a community of creative, generous, hilarious quilters. I started thinking – shouldn’t these incredible artists have tools that are just as dazzling as they are?
Quilting rulers tended to be purely utilitarian, devoid of fun, and weren’t made to last – many quilters complain of the measurement markings wearing off of their rulers over time. So I got a secondhand CO2 laser engraver from CraigsList, and set to work making prototypes. Today, I make quilting rulers from iridescent acrylic, gold flecked acrylic, and confetti acrylic. What used to be a quilter’s least favorite part – cutting- is now enjoyable with a beautiful tool! I’ve expanded to making thread cutters, seam gauges, and snarky stickers.
What I hope our customers get from Feral Notions is a shared love of our craft. Quilters are glorious, gorgeous, hilarious artistic baddies and they deserve tools just as cool as they are.
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
I sell on three platforms: Etsy, my own Shopify site, and Faire for wholesale. Etsy gets a lot of flak for their fees and ads, but you can’t beat the discoverability there. I continually have customers discover me on Etsy, then continue to my own site down the road. It’s also great for gifts – many family members of quilters find me on Etsy around the holidays.
I love Faire because it’s made the wholesale game very accessible. Forget line sheets and cold emailing, stockists can discover you easily on that platform, and their direct link means I can avoid paying a commission. I’ve grown my wholesale side to the point that it accounts for over half of my business. Buidling those relationships with small sewing shops is incredibly rewarding, and they tend to be repeat customers who promote us in turn.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I’ve learned that I don’t have to please everyone! My products aren’t for everyone. I can now quickly identify who’s going to be my kind of gal and who isn’t. There’s a certain look I get at trade shows, when someone is staring and trying to figure out my products. That’s when I know we’re probably not for them! Our ideal customers squeal when they see our products and just… “get” it. I say the girls that get it, get it. And we don’t need to be chasing after the girls that don’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.feralnotions.com
- Instagram: @feralnotionsco
- Other: TikTok: feralnotionsco
