Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dana Mosley . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I have always loved decorating, DIY projects, all things crafty and just jumping in and trying new projects that require some sort of paint or resin to power tools and sanding. I remember having a very good job that could give me amazing growth and income. How exciting, but I knew with all that opportunity, it wasn’t going to fulfill that inner love I always kept on the sideline. So, I stayed with the company but decided to step into another position, activities director. Some would say it was a step down, but to me, it was a step up. For two years I was blessed to have one on ones or group activities, it was beautiful. I was able to give a crafting experience to a group of people and see the excitement on their faces, taking them to a place that took them away from life’s daily stress. At that moment, I knew it was now or never to put my love for crafting into action and work for myself.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

It’s never easy to step away from the security of a full-time income, but I have the biggest cheer team being my children and my husband that believed in me before I believed I could do it. Crafting and DIYing are just a natural part of everything I do and to have the opportunity to teach my passion to others is so over the top! During our classes we make sure our customers know you don’t have to have the experience to participate, just an open mind to have fun, and learn a new project. Our mission is to give you an experience, whether it is through us doing all the prep work, giving you a little extra attention during class, laughter, good company, and a project you can be proud of. We are excited this year to be able to offer more personalized classes in surrounding areas. We are revamping our online store and can’t wait for March to reveal what awesome new products we have, and how we have upgraded our current tumblers, mugs, wedding, and resin products. We are even more excited to be uploading tutorials, helpful tips, tools, and craft ideas for your DIY and crafting projects.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I remember I applied for my first small business loan, it wasn’t through a traditional bank it was a crowd-finding loan. So there was work that still had to be done on my end if you know anything about crowdfunding. The company was KIVA and it was an amazing experience and would recommend them to businesses that are starting up. During the process of this loan, I had ten days to connect with seven people that would give as little as twenty-five dollars. It wasn’t a donation, it was a loan and they would get the twenty-five dollars back. I reach out to family first and friends next, when I noticed I wasn’t getting that support I was frustrated and could figure out why someone I communicated with normally wouldn’t give such a small amount. What I had to unlearn is that this is “My” dream, if I want to make this work, I can’t let what someone can’t do for me stop me from pushing forward, you never know what someone else is dealing with a small amount could be a large amount to them. Also, behind every NO, there are double the Yes’s ahead.
Don’t take things personally, grow thicker skin and keep pushing forward. (PS, I did get the loan)

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I strongly believe it is so important to have at least one mentor. It is so hard to try and take this journey alone and not talk to another like-minded person to guide you through those tough times and to celebrate those big moments with. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it’s good to have another business-minded person that has been through it and know how to save you on some mistakes and connect you with other resources.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://danarae-llc.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/danaraellc/
• Facebook: facebook.com/DanaRae-llc-104294295552928/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/danarae-llc/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5rGGAqUxHCMydyQN22aNJw
• Other: Pinterest pinterest.com/danaraellc/