Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jacob Weerasinghe. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Jacob, thanks for joining us today. One of our favorite things to brainstorm about with friends who’ve built something entrepreneurial is what they would do differently if they were to start over today. Surely, there are things you’ve learned that would allow you to do it over faster, more efficiently. We’d love to hear how you would go about setting things up if you were starting over today, knowing everything that you already know.
Being in business for 10 years I have seen a lot of developments in the business world and within my business. I think a lot about things I would do different if I were to go back to when I started Alaska Creations. My business has gone through many stages due to my age and the nature of my market. It started as more of a hobbie but as I grew up I wanted it to be taken more seriously and one day turn into a professional business. With that being said my ideas on packaging, branding, and brand messaging would change every two years it seemed like. Now that I am a senior I have a hard decision to make, keep Alaska Creations through college and work with my family at home to help me or close it down and later on start something completely new and fresh.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
Jacob Weerasinghe was born and raised in Haines, Alaska. He started Alaska Creations in 2012 with an entrepreneurial spirit to embrace new ideas and dreams to design Alaska-made products. Jacob is a motivated self-starter and began by making jewelry at age 8. His earrings are inspired by the colors and textures of Alaska beaches. Slices of beautiful hand-painted wood and beach glass-colored designs are local favorites. Jacob is inspired by seeing what locals and visitors are delighted with discovering in his collections. Alongside his jewelry collection, soy candles came next into production as a way to offer natural soothing fragrances representing Alaska landscapes.
Jacob also started a clothing line with designs drawn by lifelong friends. T-shirts, hoodies, and sweats featuring a series of modern totemic original Alaska-designed artwork have been a huge favorite of locals and visitors! He also has an everchanging online store where customers from all over the world can explore his lastest offerings.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
When I began making candles I was producing them in 4 and 8-ounce mason jars. This lasted for many years but after some time I wanted them to look more professional. This is when I had to pivot from buying jars from our local grocery store to finding a supplier that would ship heavy glass jars all the way to Alaska. This proved to be challenging but after some late nights, I was a ble to find a supplier that offered a more modern look. This pivot took a lot of time but in the end the visual results were well worth it.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Social media is king when it comes to marketing but it is also confusing and complicated. When I started, the main two platforms were Instagram and Facebook. Now we have TikTok, Pinterest, and many others. Creating content and being active on all of them while still creating unique content for each can be almost impossible. This was found to be one of the weakest parts of my business at first but when I came across content planning apps like Planoly everything changed! If you struggle to post frequently I highly suggest investing a small amount of money to have a service like Planoly. I typically sit down Saturday and Sunday to plan content for the week so that during the week I can focus on school, sports, and other activities.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alaskacreations.net
- Instagram: alaska_creations
- Facebook: Alaska Creations
- Other: Tik Tok – alaska.creations