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

Alright, Katie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?

I guess an unexpected issue that has recently came up is that we moved out of my mom’s house where my equipment is at.

Leading up to Christmas, I stayed busy filling custom requests, making random Christmas inspired items. After Christmas, I always take at least a month break before I start back up again. I was also working 40+ hours a week traveling for work up to 2 hours away from home. I was exhausted. On top of not having my equipment, I didn’t have the energy to go over and get to work. I wanted to have my weekends to relax before starting the long week ahead of me.

I’ve recently taken a new phlebotomy job with a different company. I’m hoping once I settle in, my husband and I can figure out a place for my stained glass stuff at our apartment and I can get things going again in my free time.

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 background and context?

My mom is how I got started making stained glass. I remember her making things when I was a little girl. At some point she stopped and got rid of all her tools and glass.

In 2012/2013, she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Eventually the chemo treatments took a toll on her and she wasn’t able to go to work. To earn some sort of income, she started making stained glass again. She started teaching me. I started by tracing the patterns on the glass. Then she taught me how to break the glass. She would grind the edges, it took me a little while to get the hang of that. I would help her foil and it wasn’t until a couple year ago when I took over the business that I got comfortable soldering the pieces together. I didn’t enjoy it though back then. I was battling my own sickness with addiction, without her knowing. She was too sick to realize anything was going on with me. I’m happy to say that she is in remission and I’m 6 years clean.

After I got clean from drugs and my mom in remission, I needed something to do. I felt like I needed to take care of her after all she done for me while I was in active addiction and all the side effect she acquired after treatments, I began the stained glass business again and make things I could be proud of, while still being at home with my mom and daughter.

Growing up we loved video games and my brother asked me to make the Hylian Sheld from Zelda. That was the first piece I made under the name “KM Glass Creations”. That’s where I found my passion for video game, comic, “nerdy” things.

When anyone messages me about an order I really want them the be completely a part of the process. I ask them what they want, send them a draft of what I come up with. Once they agree I send them pictures of glass. Multiple pictures of glass and I try my best to describe each piece as glass doesn’t photograph well sometimes. Once we are all in agreement with glass choices I send them progress pictures from start to finish.

I really hope I can get back to this work soon. As I’m typing this all out, I’ve come to realize I really miss it. Unfortunately, I’m not at a point where I could make this my full time job.

How did you build your audience on social media?

The Facebook page was originally my mom’s, it used to be “Custom Stained Glass”. Once I took over and started going in a different direction than she did, I renamed it it “KM Glass Creations”.

I started my Instagram brand new. I currently have 812 followers. No where near as much as much as some of the popular stained glass pages, but that’s 812 people that like what I do enough to want to see more of what I make.

My brother helped me a lot I feel like, not only with my Instagram but with everything really. He gave me suggestions on hashtags and how to get people more engaged. How to take better pictures. Things like that. I’m proud of my 812 followers :)

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Luckily for me, all the tools I needed my mom already had. She did help me with my first glass order financially and she bought my ring saw.

I don’t know how I would have done anything without her. I honestly would have never started doing stained glass if she didn’t already have the stuff just sitting there.

Contact Info:

• Website: Kmglasscreationsshop.Etsy.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/km_glass_creations
• Facebook: Facebook.com/kmglasscreations