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

Jill, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

For me, the biggest obstacle to profitability is the time commitment it takes for each piece. People don’t often understand how time-consuming handmade can be and pricing can be an issue when you’re not making a fair hourly wage.

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 back background and context?

I first began working with felt in the 2010s when I saw some felt flowers and wanted to try making my own. In 2020, after having my first baby, I decided to get back into felt. At this point, I started out making felt pennants. There was lots of interest! My business model quickly evolved and I now offer nursery decor, such as baby mobiles, garlands and felt dolls. I also make pin cushions, bookmarks and banners.

A year into my journey, I was approached by The Felt Store to be an Ambassador for their team. I gladly accepted and I am now into year #3 as a Felt Ambassador. I love working with them!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media is a tough nut to crack. I’ve been at it for over 3 years now and I still don’t think I’ve figured out the algorithm. With that said, on the rare occasion that I’ve gone viral, it’s been due to a story that touched peoples’ hearts. In late 2023, I had a bird mobile go viral. This mobile was made up of Canadian birds that were loved by a grandmother. This grandmother was in hospice care and the mobile was for her to enjoy from her bed. I think this story really resonated with a lot of people with aging parents/grandparents and it was unusual for people to see a mobile made for anyone other than a baby.

As for growing my following, one of the best pieces of advice I can give is to engage with other accounts and to operate at a pace that works for you. At one point, I was sharing every single day and I was feeling burnt out and exhausted. I changed up my strategy and I’m much better off for it. I might not be growing at the same rate that I was when I was sharing every day, but what I’m doing now feels much more sustainable and I’m so much happier. It’s the only way that will work for me in the long run.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth and reels. I have had so many clients recommend my work to their friends and family members and that still seems to be the best way to get new work for me. Other than that, reels have given me a great reach and the ability to reach new audiences who might not otherwise know I exist!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @the.felted.fawn