We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kellie Phelan. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kellie below.
Hi Kellie, thanks for joining us today. Crazy stuff happening is almost as certain as death and taxes – it’s technically “unexpected” but something unexpected happening is to be expected and so can you share a crazy story with our readers
Prior to March 2020 100% of my business was built on gathering in person. We closed our doors before it was mandated because it felt like the right thing to do. Then the question became, what is community when we can’t be together in person? And how can we continue to keep our vision alive when 100% of our revenue has disappeared overnight?
The obvious pivot for us was into teaching classes via zoom, but that wasn’t particularly compelling for my teachers and honestly, I think the world was zoom fatigued. Building on that concept though, we thought, what if we were to record sessions for folks so that they could learn on their own time? And building even further, we thought, what if we could ship them the materials that they need for their project. Our DIY kits were born in May of 2020!
We distilled the magic of our in-person classes into DIY Kits, complete with materials, detailed instructions, and a video to walk you through your projects. This kept our entire team safely employed during 18 months of not gathering.
Now my business is stronger than ever because we have diversified our revenue to include not just in person classes and events, but also corporate virtual experiences and DIY kits, which we sell both DTC and wholesale.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Growing up with the woods of New Hampshire as my childhood stomping grounds, I developed an appreciation for the natural world and our connection to it. I spent the first decade of my career working in environmental consulting and now I seek to change the world on a much more local level – by building community, connecting over passions, and sharing skills. I founded The Works in 2018 as a place to do just that. Growing from a one-woman pop-up into a brick and mortar location in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, The Works offers hands-on experiences through both in-person classes and DIY Kits.
I started The Works as a one-woman pop-up with the goal of connecting with others over shared passions. We call ourselves The Works because we do a little bit of everything, from cooking to gardening to creative crafts.
We went from partnering with local small business to offer classes in their spaces to having our own brick-and-mortar within 6 months of starting. We are able to achieve that milestone not with money but with partnership; we were invited to join one of the businesses where we popped up as their subtenant. This enabled us to hire our first team members and expand our programming. With just 18 months of operation before Covid, we were still a relatively young business when we had to close our doors.
Our hands-on classes are designed to be fun and engaging. Whether you want to paint a masterpiece, dive into the world of fermentation, or create a one-of-a-kind terrarium, we have something for you. Led by experienced instructors, we provide all the materials you need to complete your project. You can expect step-by-step guidance and support throughout the class, and to leave with a finished project.
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
Company culture is everything. Set the tone from day one. It is also important to set very clear expectations for each employee in their role, and what is looks like to do a great job. Then set your employees free to operate with autonomy.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Organic growth is where it’s at! Encourage folks to share about their experience at your business. I started with 0 followers in May 2018 and hit 10k sometime in 2023, so it was a slow road (slower further by not being able to gather in person for 18 months). Partnerships can be key to getting your brand (and socials) exposed to additional relevant eyeballs.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theworksseattle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theworks.seattle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWorksSeattle
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kphelan/
- Yelp: https://biz.yelp.com/biz_info/NjMegD8WK4hU7n8kq24edQ