We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julie Hoff. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julie below.

Julie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

I currently make a full-time living using my creative talents creating custom gnomes. This surely didn’t happen overnight, it was a lot of trial and error but well worth the time and patience I put into it. I had been in the grocery business for over 20 years and had to retire early due to a back injury. I realized I wouldn’t be able to return to the line of work I did, so I thought about starting my own craft business. I started out repurposing wood spools into furniture, then took up making fleece blankets. After 6 months of not really making much money, I decided to try my hand at making gnomes after seeing some in Italy in 2018. I had the talent, creativity and the support of my husband. I think the hardest part at first was getting my gnomes out in the public. I created an Etsy account and began selling on this site. I then started selling at local craft fairs and realized, I can make this a full-time, year round business.

One of the hardest parts of the business was managing cash flow in the beginning and having to dip into our savings to build up stock. Covid definitely introduced many challenges from selling in person to purchasing supplies. Fortunately, despite the challenges imposed by Covid, my business has continued to stay strong.

Today, my shop has close to 500 designs and I continue to make custom ones on request. I have completed over 3000 orders on Etsy alone.

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

Hi my name is Julie, owner of Julie’s Golden Fleece N Crafts. I create themed gnomes and make custom gnomes upon request as well here in Utah. Did you know gnomes are good luck? Every home should have a gnome is my motto. These make great gifts for that hard to shop for special person or perhaps something to just make you smile. I take great pride in my attention to detail, quality craftsmanship and prompt service.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of my job is making my customers happy. I really enjoy getting messages from new customers when they open their first order. It’s even more exciting seeing repeat customers.

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

Credit needs to be given to my daughters, Sabrina and Nicolina who have helped me share my success on Social Media. Teaching me techniques to help increase sales. First, I created a Facebook business page and instagram account. Sharing stories, pictures, videos has all helped increase my business with repeat customers. Consistency is key I believe to keeping the audience interested in your product.

Contact Info:

• Website: Juliesgoldenfleecencrafts.com
• Instagram: @juliesgoldenfleecencrafts
• Facebook: Julie’s Golden Fleece N Crafts