We were lucky to catch up with Emily Aleman recently and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

I think it can be very rewarding and helpful to have friends and family who support your small business. There are times when asking family to pay for your product can be awkward, but I have found that in my case most of my family and friends are more than willing to pay for my embroideries. They tend to boost my confidence, boost my product on their own social medias, and act in very supportive ways. When I started embroidering I was doing it for myself and for my own mental health. However, once I started posting them online I received so much love from family and friends that I decided to start selling them. Most of my customers tend to be friends and people I went to school with. There are a few people who have taken my designs and hung them up in their place of work. This has led to their clients showing appreciation for my work and seeking me out to create embroideries for them. It is really inspiring and really warms my heart to have others who are so supportive and appreciative of my craft. It is what continues to drive me!

Emily, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

A few years ago I was going through a really tough time in life and I needed something to keep my mind occupied and to cope with my anxiety and depression. While I was out shopping for christmas decorations as a way to keep myself busy, I noticed an embroidery kit for sale and thought I would try it out. It turned out I had a real knack for the hobby and I started buying multiple sets of embroidery kits. After a lot of practice I started to create my own designs and found that after posting them to my social media, others were very interested in purchasing my work. I based most of my work around plants and florals because that was what seemed to be very popular and pleasing to most people. I was able to grow my business more by participating in local markets and pop-ups. I have recently been more successful selling my embroideries through Instagram and offering to create custom orders. My work has developed and become much more advanced than when I first started, but I still continue to enjoy it. It helped me through some dark times and continues to bring happiness to me and many others.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

I wouldn’t necessarily refer to him as my cofounder or business partner, but my husband has been helpful and supportive throughout my embroidery journey. He has encouraged me from day one and continues to make suggestions and give notes that have allowed my side hustle to become successful. He was actually the one who named the business! I was trying to think of cute and clever names when I decided to create a social media platform for my embroidery, and he was the one who chose You Gotta Be Stitchin Me, which turned out to be a huge hit. I am the one who creates the art, however he has a hand in choosing designs, colors, and marketing strategies that have been helpful in the long run. He would even come with me to the local markets and pop-ups to aid in selling my products. I am always appreciative of the ways in which he supports me and I would not be able to continue the business without his help!

Have you ever had to pivot?

In order to sell my embroidery I typically would take the products to local markets. This was a great way to get my name out there and promote my online presence. However, after a while the markets were no longer as profitable, especially when the weather started to get warmer. Where I would once sell out of embroidery hoops, I was now only selling 3 or 4 at a time. It was very frustrating, especially at markets where I would pay for a spot and stay for multiple hours. As time passed I also had less time to spend working on embroideries due to my job as a middle school mental health counselor. My husband suggested that I have a big sale through my Instagram to help get the business back on track. So, recently I advertised a sale on my social media and posted everything that I had for sale. Much to my surprise, every single hoop was sold. I realized how it could be more profitable for me to create a large batch of embroideries and promote them through Instagram sales, rather than attending multiple different local markets. It also allows me to be more flexible with my time and receive more commissions for custom orders as well. I plan to continue this strategy into the future.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: you.gotta.be.stitchin.me
• Facebook: You Gotta Be Stitchin Me