We recently connected with Kristin Murphy and have shared our conversation below.

Kristin, 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?

In my mind success comes from hard work and a lot of it. It’s about making sacrifices and working longer than you ever thought you would, but enjoying it along the way. Because if you don’t enjoy what you do, then what’s the point? To me my job does not feel like work (until it’s paperwork time) which makes it enjoyable and something I look forward to everyday, which is also a type of success -being happy in what you are doing. Success is having a place where people can visit, smile while they are there and leave feeling happy and satisfied. It’s being able to help anyone and everyone because we can offer so much on many different levels.

Kristin, 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 name is Kristin and I’ve always been known as ‘the crafty one’. My family has a strong background in ‘craft’ related fields which is where I believe I inherited my talents from. I started crafting at a young age, receiving my first sewing machine at the age of ten. Even before that I was given creative outlets to give a hand at whatever I could come up with. I’ve dabbled in paper crafts, candle making, upcycling furniture, sewing and more. Several years later I was fortunate enough to purchase an existing flower shop and from there things took off. I revamped the store adding more handmade items and really broadening what is available in our gift shop. We hand create many items, build furniture, upcycle furniture, create gift baskets and so much more. Our shop carries items starting at $1 and range to $200+. We quite literally have something for everyone. We carry many decor items that appeal to many different tastes and styles, food items, household items, clothing for children and women. We also have a full flower shop where we create everyday arrangements, holiday arrangements, funeral services and micro and large scale weddings.
We do our very best to shop at places that you wouldn’t find in your normal chain store. We stock hundreds of items at one time, but importantly just a few of the same item. We turn over inventory quickly and the shop will most likely look different every time you visit us.
I am proud to be able to offer a shop unlike any other in this little town that we are currently in. There is something here for everyone, whether you have $2 or $200. We also like to offer a friendly atmosphere and love when our customers even stop by just to say hi!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has been through social media. We do sometimes advertise in our local paper as well, but social media and word of mouth have been great for our business. We are able to reach a large audience through our social media profiles in an easy and effective way.

Let’s talk M&A – we’d love to hear your about your experience with buying businesses

The business I purchased was an existing flower/gift shop. The business when I bought it was on a smaller scale than where it is at now. A friend of mine was running the shop and she decided to take on a new venture in life. I was actually at a craft show in the town where the business is located and while there selling she approached me and told me the business was going to be for sale. I was actually in between jobs at the time and my now husband said ‘why not? You don’t know if you don’t try’. 4.5 years later and here we are! We revamped the business from when we bought it and have moved into a location that is nearly five times the size. The acquisition process was not a bad process to go through looking back on it. Mostly just making sure that paperwork lined up and that it was filled out correctly as well as acquiring legal documents needed for forming and running a business in the appropriate state.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shopkaybirds.com
• Instagram: kaybirds_
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/kaybirds
• Yelp: kaybirds

Image Credits
Toni Walley Photography Leia Kendrick Photography Susan Elizabeth Photography