We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Emily Carter. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Emily below.

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?

I started my business because of the support I received from my friends and family. The very first baby blankets I made were for my nephews as a Christmas gift. My sister greatly appreciated the thoughtfulness and personalization applied to each blanket design, fitting each of the boy’s personalities. Seeing the boys still use the blankets today, 6 years later, brings so much joy to my heart! As friends and family members expanded their families, I enjoyed creating personalized Lovey Blankets and Crinkler Ribbon Blankets for their new additions. I have so much fun creating designs that include theme related stuffed animals attached to patterned and sensory blanket fabrics. With every new creation, I felt more inspired to expand and challenge my skills.
Now that I have established myself as a seller on the Etsy platform, I have showcased my creations for clients outside of friends and family members! I am thrilled to share my love for creating and my adoration for the youngest humans entering our world.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I provide personalized baby goods such as Blankets, Animal Loveys, and Crinkler Ribbon Blankets for infants and young children. Customizing stuffed animal sewing patterns and applying them to theme related fabrics are my specialty. I use a variety of fabrics and sensory applications to my creations including cotton, jersey knit, fleece, cotton spandex, minky, plush and more! The Crinkler Ribbon blankets are an incredibly simple and effective sensory item for infants as they scrunch the blanket with their hands and listen to the crinkling of the material within the center of the blanket, and sensitize their finger tips with the multiple textured ribbons sewn around the blanket, as well as the soft sensorial fabrics on the front and back of the Crinkler.

Every item made is 100% handmade and made to order. This creates a truly unique gift experience. Knowing that no two items will look the same allows every order to be one of a kind.

Taking part in practical life tasks was a major part of growing up, starting at a very young age. My mother, a teacher and “Jill of All Trades”, instilled a strong sense of independence and self-sufficiency in me that motivated me to challenge myself in all areas of life. One of these practical life skills we worked together often was sewing. From simple hem repairs to making our own curtains and pillow cases, simple sewing fixes turned into more creative crafting projects as the years went by.

I followed my mother’s teaching career and began teaching young children in my adolescence. My love for caring and teaching young children guided me to where I am today, forming my own business to give babies and young children warm, snuggly, sensory items they can love for a lifetime!

The service and unlimited design combinations that I can create is exactly what sets my business apart from other companies producing similar baby goods. My willingness to work with my clients allows me greater opportunities to provide their exact desired creations for their nursery or child’s security item.

My brand and my business are nothing without the support of my clients, family and friends. The success and forward motion of my business model solely depends on my ability to provide my clients with their creative vision. I truly love what I do. Having the time and ability to get creative is such a special feeling. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity for artistic expression and I feel truly blessed to be in the position that I am in.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy so far for growing my clientele base is word of mouth! As the business is on multiple social media platforms and the Etsy selling platform, the greatest growth my business has shown is that of from current and return clients sharing their experiences! Gaining customer feedback is crucial in assisting my ability to serve future clients.. If a product or order is not to your satisfaction, it’s my pleasure to make the necessary adjustments that will satisfy your needs!

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

The Handmade Hive Co. sells primarily on the Etsy selling platform! I also take personalized order message through our social media page. I chose Etsy specifically because of their focus on small businesses. Their platform caters to creative artists and people around the world who enjoy all kinds of material crafts from wood to iron to fabrics. I have experienced many pros since starting my account with Etsy. Their overall platform is easy to navigate for seller and buyer alike. As my business is still fairly new to Etsy, I have fortunately not run into any cons in my new product uploading or selling process!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHandmadeHiveCo
• Instagram: @thehandmadehiveco
• Facebook: The Handmade Hive Co.
• Other: Find me on Etsy here! https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHandmadeHiveCo