Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hannah Harrigan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Hannah, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Growing up, I consistently struggled with finding a creative outlet for the ideas I had bouncing around in my incredibly active imagination. No matter what artistic avenues I tried, none of them felt meant for me. It felt as if I was forcing myself to be creative and began to doubt whether or not I had that artistic, creative spark in me. Was I boring or had I simply not found my passion? What drives me and can I build my life around that? Those questions bounced around in my mind for years.
However, sometimes inspiration comes where and when you least expect it. At the end of 2023, I find out BOTH of my best friends are pregnant! Two new babies to love and watch grow! As someone whose love-language is gift giving, I knew they both deserved something special to welcome them into this world. They deserved something unique and from the heart; it had to be handmade!
As I wander the craft store looking for anything that might spark my creativity, a display of plush, thick yarn caught my eye. Immediately I thought, “I could make baby blankets!” I buy a bunch of yarn and hurry home to get to work. After hours of hard work, I hold up a “blanket” with gaps, uneven edges, barely recognizable as a rectangle and certainly not a blanket. I quickly unraveled the blanket and sat there with yards of yarn in my lap, once again, discouraged by my lack of ability to create. I tried again, only to yield the same result. I showed my friend and she insisted that I let her baby have it anyway because, to her, it was perfect because I made it with my own hands.
That inspired me to keep trying. I kept playing with my yarn; knitting and taking it apart again. The blankets didn’t feel like they were improving but I loved the feeling of creating so I persisted. After many failed blankets, rather than give up, I thought, “maybe blankets aren’t the answer…” I attempted something three dimensional: a plush toy! As if the yarn and I were meant to be making plushies from the start, it flowed together perfectly. I knew this was my creative calling. I finally found it!
I started testing my limits and seeing what I was capable of making only to be met with friends and family asking if they could pay me to make gifts for their loved ones! I was in shock that my craft was something people were wanting!
It didn’t stop there! After making a beer mug plush as a Father’s Day gift, it caught the attention of a local beer & burger restaurant that I frequent and the owner requested that make a bulk order of beer mug plushies for them. After that order, I knew this was more than just a hobby for me to make gifts for my friends’ children. My sweet niece and nephew were the inspiration for what followed. From that, Silver Bee Design was born.
I knew I had something amazing on my hands but I had to make my product special. What makes my plushies different than any other small (or large) business who makes stuffed animals? That pushed me to branch out and I began making scented plushies! A bee that smells like honey, a coffee cup that smells like coffee, pumpkin scented pumpkins; the possibilities were endless! But would people want scented plushies?
I got myself involved with a group of women (The Beauty Boost), who invited me to be a vendor at one of their events and I knew this would be a good place to test out my product. Never did I imagine just how well that idea would go over. After one person caught a whiff of my scented plushies, more people followed. My space was full of people wanting my product and wondering what scents I’ll make next!
During that event, and every event that has followed, my scented plushies have consistently been among my top selling products. Due to that, I am constantly testing and creating new scents for my products!
Presently, Silver Bee Design is continuing to grow and has allowed me an outlet to express my creativity and entrepreneurial desires. It grants me an environment where I can channel my love and passion into everything I do.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Silver Bee Design started as a hobby and creative outlet. The drive to try my hand at this craft came after finding out two of my closest friends were expecting children at the same time and I wanted nothing more than to give them gifts that would hold value to them for years to come. My business was founded on love and that same love and passion goes into everything I create.
I create handknit plushies and decor using no tools. Every item made is completely hand crafted using thick, plush yarn to give my products a cute, cozy, and snuggly vibe.
Handknitting was when I found myself in my most zen state so I would frequently turn on something to listen to and light a candle or incense to create a calm and cozy atmosphere while I created. The relaxing aroma while I worked inspired me to bring that same cozy atmosphere to my cozy creations. That’s when the idea for scented plushies hit me. I experimented with various ways to make my plushies scented and make it last for more than a couple days.
Once I figured out how to add scents to my plushies, I tested how they would do when I put them on my shelves. I started with two scents in two products: honey scented bees and coffee scented coffee mugs. They quickly became my biggest selling products. I have since expanded my scented collection and even include seasonal scents for my seasonal products! I am often testing new scents in an effort to expand my scented collection even more.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Originally, my career was in retail. I had been working my way through the ranks at a high-volume business. It wasn’t what I dreamed of doing but I did it well and it was a sure thing. As I’m nearing my next promotion, I suffer an injury that prevented me from meeting the physical demands of my job which brought the trajectory of my promising management career to a screeching halt and then shifting into reverse. I knew a change had to happen.
As if divinely timed and meant to be, i discovered my hidden talent for hand knitting while healing from my injury. I was sitting at home with way too much time on my hands while, simultaneously, my friends were expanding their families which guided me to discover my new skill. As the door to my retail career was seemingly closing, the door to becoming my own boss began to open. Making gifts for the little ones in my life turned into friends and family offering to purchase my crafts, urging me to sell my creations and it snowballed from there.
Seeing what I thought was a perfectly paved career path start coming to an end pushed me to pursue other paths. Working for myself was always the dream but I wouldn’t have known where to start. However, I firmly believe things happen how and when they’re meant to so when a dream and a hobby came together while I had time to explore it, I knew I had to see where it would lead me. The path it has taken me down has been bumpy and came with a lot of hard work but I’m happier creating things I love for people who love them too.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
Making connections and networking play a huge role in building a reputation. One of the most difficult things about online shops is that the market is incredibly saturated but also full of false advertising and bots.
Having those face to face interactions gives people the opportunity to learn more about you and your business which builds trust and reputation. Word of mouth is some of the best advertising and if you build a reputation with others, that reputation will spread and that’s where growth happens.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://SilverBeeDesign.square.site
- Instagram: @silverbeedesign
- Facebook: Silver Bee Design
