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

Katlyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I know it sounds cliche but never give up. You are going to fail regardless of what you do. Take it as a lesson learned, take a step back and see what ways you can critique it to make it better.

Katlyn, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My journey started out with waitressing at a small tavern in Northern Georgia. If you have been in the service industry you know days are long and tiring. After a few years of waitressing, I started to crave a creative outlet. After working a long draining week, with a couple of days off in the near future, I decided to stop at Michaels the craft store on the way home. I really had no plan or goal in mind when I was shopping around there. It just felt so nice to be surrounded by all of the potential crafts I could do. As I was strolling along I came across a hand-stamping jewelry kit that really sparked my interest, Growing up I remember sitting at the kitchen table with my sweet grandmother making jewelry so I felt like I was going back to my roots when I came across this kit. That shopping trip really changed everything.

What happened next was an endless pile of stamped jewelry that sat in my house for far too long. I was just looking for a creative outlet right? Well, I found it and I had no other plans than just that. Until my creative outlet started to get noticed by my friends. At first, it started out with them asking if I could make them stuff, and then it started to grow into people asking if I could make gifts for their friends and family. I thought “well sure!! Why not!” STILL, the thought never crossed my mind to turn this creative outlet into a business venture. I was just overall thrilled that I was able to create again and now, create special pieces of jewelry for others.

To be honest I was completely oblivious to the fact that me, a waitress at a tavern in Northern GA could start a small business. If it weren’t for one of my friends reaching out and inviting me to a small pop-up craft show at a local brewery I don’t know if I ever would have realized it was a possibility. That invitation changed everything. Not only did I find a creative outlet but I also fell in love with the small business community. From then on a new mission started.

Between, working my shifts at the Tavern and applying to whichever markets I came across was my newfound gig. Not only was I now making items for my friends and family but now for the community?! I was ecstatic! After a year or so of getting into the small business field and getting crafty, I started to get serious…

I sat down one day and registered my growing passion as an LLC and also applied for an EIN.. Not only did I love creating jewelry but now I was starting to dream of owning my own boutique and incorporating clothing into the newly registered business. So far I have done just that. I turned a creative outlet into a full-blown boutique that I now work full-time for. As you can see it really started by accident and over time I have learned the ins and outs of the business. My takeaway for anyone that comes across my story is that I am no different from you. Your passions, your dreams, and your future connections are a possibility for you. Whether you try to plan it or it happens by accident you can do whatever you set your mind to. All it takes is a bit of hard work and a lot of passion.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Building Blue Skies & Ko’s reputation was like building blocks. First, it started solely with friends and family. Then by getting the business in front of the community by doing as many markets as possible. We had to get creative with how we wanted to get a following whether that was by doing giveaways, launching a sale, or handing out cards that had all of our information on them. The list goes on and on. We also make videos and post them to Instagram reels and TikTok for organic growth. We try to do all of it so we don’t miss out on any opportunities. We try to create a “Voice and Personality” for the business so we can build that connection feeling with our following base.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

The moment I really had to pivot was when I started to turn a craft into a business. It wasn’t just all fun and games anymore it had to hit a point where things had to get serious if I wanted it to grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.blueskiesko.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueskiesko/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueskiesko