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

Jackie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Bringing The Adventure Dollhouse from dream to reality has definitely been the biggest risk I’ve ever taken. By no stretch of the imagination would I consider myself a risk taker; I prefer to play it safe and stick to my cozy routines. After hearing me talk about my idea for a modular dollhouse, my husband (the risk taker of our family) encouraged me to go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? Well, it turns out a lot of bad things can happen when bringing a concept to life. Every step of this risk has been plagued with problems, but it makes it all worth it when I see a child playing with my dollhouse. It took me over a year to work with a team of engineers to design the dollhouse and then navigate the complicated logistics of getting a dollhouse manufactured. I’m still a very small business so these dollhouses now take up half of my garage and are a constant reminder I brought my dream to life and that I need to get selling! I still couldn’t tell you if this risk has turned out well, but I try to remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and I’m working to grow my business authentically and organically. The best part is still seeing a child’s face when he or she realizes the dollhouse rooms break apart and snap together with magnets. They have this wonderful awe-filled moment that makes all the sleepless nights worth it.

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 background and context?

Everything is better in miniature. I thought so as a kid, and I still think so as an adult. I loved to play with dollhouses when I was a child, and that passion has carried into my mom life. For Christmas several years ago, I decided to fix up a dollhouse for my daughter. The second I started the process I was absolutely hooked and knew it wouldn’t be my last dollhouse. The most ironic part is that my daughter rarely even played with that dollhouse. Miniatures can be an expensive hobby so I started selling a few pieces of furniture and decor to fund my own purchases. Initially, my designs were mostly purchased by adult hobbyists; I realized I wanted my pieces to be used by kids so it was time for a rebrand.

I purchased my own laser cutter to make it easier to design and make my own furniture and decor. I spent months dreaming up designs that were kid-friendly and cost-effective. My relaunch could not have been more successful, and I knew I was on the right track. I sell modern and trendy 1:12 scale dollhouse furniture and decor for kids. I figured out how to get my designs manufactured so I slowly have been making my designs through a factory, which frees up my time for marketing and allows me to lower the price of my items. I now also offer a quarterly subscription box for kids to engage in small world play. These Adventure Boxes have fun seasonal themes and include DIY Kits and coordinating accessories. I now also sell my dream dollhouse, The Adventure Dollhouse, a modular dollhouse where the rooms can be rearranged in endless layouts and snap together with magnets. I love that play time starts with the dollhouse itself and not just the items inside. It encourages budding architects to create a new world each day.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I have the very best customers in the world. I am truly honored by the number of return customers I have. I would guess that more than half of my business comes from repeat customers. I honestly could not tell you what I have done to earn such loyalty, but I try to give my customers the best experience possible. I believe I offer competitive prices and beautiful designs. I am always responsive, speak kindly, and do my best to offer solutions when problems arise.

My mailing list is the primary way I am able to keep in touch with customers, and I try to keep those emails short, sweet, and to the point with engaging photos. When I’m offering a sale or special promo, my mailing list customers are always the first to find out. In every box that ships out, I include a thank you card that has a coupon code for 10% off the next order.

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 tend to be very frugal in both my personal and professional lives. It’s how I was raised, and it’s a hard habit to shake, but it’s not always a great business practice. When first starting out, I didn’t spend any extra money on packaging. I figured “What’s the point of making each order pretty? I just need to get it out the door. The customer doesn’t care.” I had to unlearn this lesson. The customer experience does matter, and it’s all about those little touches. These days, one of my favorite things to work on is new designs for my packaging materials. Plus, my oldest daughter loves to help me add the tissue paper, sticker, and thank you postcard to each and every order. It’s such an easy way to let my customers know I spent intentional time thinking about them and that I genuinely hope they love what I have created.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.miniadventuresco.com
• Instagram: @mini.adventures.co

Image Credits
Little Fig Photography