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

Hi Jacqueline and Jennifer, thanks for joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

Hone was created to make DIY home projects achievable for everyone. Our mission is to empower more people to hone new skills while they bring their home transformations to life.

As new homeowners, both of us (co-founders Jen and Jacqueline) are eager to make our homes our own. We’ve spent a lot of time scrolling Pinterest for interior design ideas and watching TikToks of DIY-ers renovating homes. We’ve saved, pinned, and made promises to ourselves to tackle a home project soon. But we never get around to it because of the intimidating DIY process – the Google black hole, endless YouTube tutorials, and hundreds of bloggers all claiming they know best.

As kids, we relied on our dads to help us build things, and as adults, we’ve leaned on our husbands. We never thought we would pick up a nail gun or learn to use a miter saw… until we did.

When we first embarked on this venture, we tested out a DIY home project like one of our customers would. When we first laid eyes on a miter saw, we panicked and considered going back to the drawing board. But then we asked questions, made an instructional video, and learned by doing.

We gained so much confidence doing all the things we never thought we could. Our first project – a wood slat accent wall – was a success! And now neither of us has any fear of trying new power tools, and we pretty much walk around the aisles of Home Depot like pros.

Through Hone, we want to change the perception of DIY-ing home projects and empower people to try difficult things. With Hone’s step-by-step instructions and planner, it takes days (not months) to complete a project. And with our guided videos, anyone can operate a miter saw (and many other power tools).

Whether you’re a homeowner or renter, we know how important it is to make your home your own. And though we are in the early stages of our business, as beginners ourselves, we know how much room there is for improvement in the DIY renovation industry to be more inclusive.

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

Both Jacqueline and Jen are second-time founders.

Jacqueline has spent the majority of her career helping brands tell their stories through traditional and digital marketing strategies. Her experience spans several industries, including progressive roles in media, sports, and retail. In 2016, she started her first business, Pressed News, a digital media company that made the news easy to understand for millennials. Pressed was acquired by Daily Hive in 2020. This experience taught Jacqueline how to face adversity and problem-solve effectively. It’s the reason Jacqueline fell in love with entrepreneurship and why she’s diving into a new venture today.

With over six years of experience in category management, merchandising, and e-commerce, Jen spent her career keeping a pulse on customer trends, discovering unique products, and bringing them to market. In 2015, Jen co-created the BVOY Travel Journal, a guided travel journal for those seeking a transformative travel experience. With a team of only two, Jen and her friend personally took on every role and self-funded this venture, transforming a simple idea into a product that was available across Indigo stores nationwide.

When Jacqueline and Jen met earlier this year to discuss the joys and challenges of entrepreneurship, both in search of a new problem to solve, they realized they were working on similar business ideas in the design and renovation industry. Together, they launched Hone to make DIY home projects achievable for everyone. As beginner DIY-ers themselves, they relate to the many hours spent on YouTube and Google learning every step of a project, and then the struggle of picking up supplies at Home Depot. The DIY process needs a new fresh and friendly approach, and that’s where Hone comes in.

In September, we launched with our first offering: DIY project guides – step-by-step instructions, a measurement guide, a scheduling planner, and a shopping list with direct product links. We currently offer three types of accent wall project guides and we’ll be adding more home projects soon. We only add projects that we’ve extensively researched and that we’re confident anyone can do on their own.

And this is just the beginning. In the next year, we will be launching DIY home project kits that include everything someone would need to complete a home project, including materials, tools, and instructions. DIY home project kits in a box!

Hone helps people save time (no more endless rabbit holes), we only offer projects that we’re confident users can do on their own, and we help people save money – Hone project kits are less than half the cost and 0% of the headache of hiring a general contractor.

In a male-dominated renovation industry, Hone stands out because we are committed to helping people Do It Themselves. From our brand tone, voice, and colours, to the products we offer, we are your friendly neighbour who will walk you through a DIY project step-by-step. No judgment and lots of fun!

Can you talk to us about your experience with selling businesses?

(Jacqueline)

My first business, Pressed News, was acquired by Daily Hive in 2020. When I started it in 2016, I was on a mission to build a massive media company for a younger generation; a generation that grew up with the internet, that never had a newspaper delivered, and that learned through social media. Pressed made the news easy to understand through its daily email newsletter, podcast, and online explainers. At the height of Pressed, tens of thousands of people consumed our content every day, and we were making money by working with well-known brands, helping them explain their products to our readers.

What I didn’t anticipate was how hard it would be to build a media company in Canada. Being a solo, female founder of colour didn’t help either. During my time working on Pressed, I was lucky to have worked with great people who helped me produce our content. But in addition to editing content every day, I was responsible for raising money and generating sales. After hours/days/weeks/years of writing applications, pitching, and getting rejected, I got really burnt out and decided to shut down the company. Of course, as soon as I announced that decision to the public, I received three acquisition offers.

I’m grateful for my experience selling Pressed to Daily Hive. I had to learn how to negotiate and prepare my company to be passed on to another owner. But the experience also taught me a big lesson – if you don’t ask, you will not receive. Had I tried to sell the business before announcing that we would be shutting down, we would have likely attracted more buyers and sold for more money. Some of my founder friends have also taught me to build your business to sell, even if you’re not planning to sell anytime soon. It forces you to keep your books in check and to build and grow to attract buyers.

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

We sell on our own website as well as on Etsy and all social media platforms. As a new business, we need to build brand awareness any way possible, and if we sell products at the same time, great. Our main platform will always be our own website because our brand is a key element of our business. We don’t just want to sell products, we want to influence an entire industry. The benefits of selling on platforms like Etsy are being able to tap into an existing market already searching for your products. But the downside is that once they buy your product, there’s nothing to keep them loyal to your brand.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://homewithhone.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homewithhone/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homewithhone/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@homewithhone https://www.pinterest.ca/homewithhone/