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

Kaitlan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

I think success comes from two categories: Are you willing to work extremely hard at whatever the business is, and is what you’re doing or making something that people want or need. You can have all the grit and determination in the world, but if your product or business is not selling you have to be willing to pivot to the market in order to become successful. Figure out what works and what people respond well to and focus on that within your business. If starting a business were easy, everyone would be doing it, Owning a business is hard and requires you to take certain risks. Sometimes they turn out, and sometimes you learn from them. If you have to take risks that scare you in order to grow your business, you are most likely doing something right

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

When people hear that I work with concrete, they assume that I pave roads or driveways. Instead, I create concrete minimalistic home decor items. The fact that I use concrete can be very surprising to people viewing the products for the first time.

I started into this industry in 2016 when I experimented with creating different concrete planters. My interest was peaked! I could not help but ask myself, ‘what else could I make out of concrete?’

Concrete home decor has become more trendy in recent years, but when I was starting I could not find many other individuals working with the medium in a similar way. I saw this as more of an opportunity than a hurdle. I was determined to see what other unique things I could create with concrete, and that determination has only grown. I have learned a lot of marketing and business principles along the way, but no tactics have been more important than surprising potential customers with our quality, creativity and craftsmanship.

I love to try new things and stretch what I can create out of concrete. Our current product line includes items you would use to decorate your home. We create decorative trays, candle sticks, planters, candles, jewelry, bookends, and more all out of concrete. Recently, we have started to expand our products into custom furniture pieces. We plan to create larger custom furniture items to expand what we are currently doing.

In six short years the business has grown from a garage experiment to a flourishing company. We are now a team of 5 and we recently purchased our own building for us to continue to create. This industry has gained a lot of momentum and as a result there will continue to be an increase in competition. Instead of being defensive when others learn our methods and ideas, we want to continue to push the limits of what we can create. I believe that constantly experimenting and designing will keep us relevant for years to come. We have noticed that others eventually get comfortable with what they know, but what if we never got comfortable? What would happen if we never stopped designing and growing? We plan on finding out!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

We find it very important to treat your people well. It is worth the extra time and energy to make sure that your team or employees feel seen, heard, and important. We believe that people will want to work hard for you when they know you and your heart for them and the business. We are also transparent with our employees. We do not have to share everything about the business, but we like to keep them in the know about what is happening and what we are dreaming up. If your employees can be a part of the growth and development of your company they will see that they play a large role.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I started out the business it was just a hobby based business. I was nervous to take from our personal funds and decided to grow it organically. It was not that I doubted whether I could succeed or not, but business was so new to me. I wanted to see it work at a small level and correct any mistakes along the way. This might have caused it to grow at a slower pace than others would have the patience for, but it still grew nonetheless. After about two years I felt competent and comfortable with our plan and we put all of our personal savings into our business. On paper it might have seemed foolish, but we knew we were ready!

Recently, we doubled down and sold our house to purchase our own commercial space! It is easy to play it safe, but some things are worth the risk. We believe our small growing business is well worth it!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.creamandconcrete.com
• Instagram: @creamandconcrete

Image Credits
Sarah Kriner