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

Hi Kelsey & Dan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

We’ve found that having a complimentary set of skills between the family members is a huge help to a small business. It allows for tasks to be delegated and completed in a more organic way. In doing that, everyone enjoys their bits of work even more, as it’s something they are naturally drawn to and enjoy doing. For example, Dan is more technical in his skills and Kelsey is more creatively inclined and our business allows for us both to shine in those ways. Some of the pitfalls of working with family is it can feel like workloads are uneven at times, that is where good communication skills are key. You also have to be able to talk through any money issues and not let that come between you in any way. Again, good communication is vital to working through any potential issues that may arise, even when they can be uncomfortable.
Neither of us have children currently, but some day if the business were to get larger, it would be fun to have them join in on certain smaller aspects to see if they have any interest in it.
We have seen relatives of ours have successful larger businesses and it’s inspiring to see what people you know can do. It gives hope to see them do well because it makes you feel like you can do it, too.

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 back background and context?

We really just kind of stumbled into the business actually, looking to use a laser machine for family gifts, etc. and it led us to thinking that others might enjoy these items, too! Kelsey and Dan are both owners of the business, a brother/sister duo, with our parents jumping in to help as well! Dan has a very technical background and Kelsey has been into art and all things creative since she can remember, and this business allows us to utilize both of those skill sets and interests. We offer a variety of products, ranging from home decor signs, ornaments, custom tumblers, coffee mugs, magnets, coasters, shadow boxes, plant sticks, cutting boards – and more depending on what season it is! All the items have engraved designs on them using the laser machine. We strive to help provide easy and meaningful gifts for our customers to give to others, or treat themselves. Custom items for furry friends are also always special. We are very quick with our turnaround time and strive to provide the best service for our customers. We also take the time to work with customers on design choices until it’s something that’s exactly what they are looking for. All of our items are handmade – which means if you see something painted, stained, etc. it’s something that we do all by hand. Our designs range from simple to extremely ornate and delicate, and everything from fun to functional. We are in the young stages of our business, and work on custom items as we are also a part of vendor shows throughout the year.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Friends and family sharing our products that they’ve purchased from our business with others has given us a lot of new customers. We greatly appreciate that and anytime someone comes to us from friends and family – they are our new friends too!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

We’ve participated in vendor shows and have met a lot of great new people that way, and other small business owners as well. It’s so nice to have a shared camaraderie between other small business owners, we love to share their products whenever we are able to!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/northernglowlaserworks
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/northernglowlaserworks
• Other: Anyone can email us at: [email protected] :)