We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kristin Ramirez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kristin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I think many business owners come from a “regular job,” or a “9-5.” My career after college was in healthcare administration— so I had the 9-5 and then some, because I was managing a 24/7 healthcare facility. When my priorities shifted after having my first child, I always felt like I wasn’t giving enough in either aspect of my life— If I was too committed at work, my personal life was suffering, and vice versa. There is a quote that has stuck with me for a long time: women are expected to work as if they don’t have kids and take care of kids as if they don’t have to work. So my path to starting my own business was truly driven by the fact that I wanted to be in charge of my schedule, protect my free time, and build the flexibility to be present for my family whenever needed. So in that respect, I feel happy with my choice to become a business owner, but as with every choice we make in life, there are downsides to it too. I may now have the flexibility and more manageable work-life balance, but I am now navigating an entirely new industry and figuring a lot of things out by trial and error, which is challenging and frustrating at times!

When I connect with other entrepreneurs and business owners, the topic of “things I miss about my 9-5” or “I should’ve just gotten a desk job” does come up, usually when commiserating over our shared challenges. However I do believe the consensus remains that the journey to success and the opportunity to “be your own boss” is all worth it in the end.

The most realistic conclusions that I’ve drawn from my transition is that there are pros and cons to everything. I miss my co-workers, I miss having job tasks related to my education/background and less things that were totally out of my comfort zone. But I love the low-stress environment of my new place of work, my children’s boutique, and love creating community & having the flexibility to be a parent first and foremost.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When I became a parent, I was immediately inundated with all of the STUFF that you are advertised to believe you need for your baby. It was overwhelming to sift through all of the information. As a self-proclaimed minimalist, I have always lived by the “quality over quantity” mindset, and allowed that to guide my journey into buying for my baby. As I began to peel back the layers, I realized that it was incredibly difficult to find any shop or marketplace selling baby & children’s items where everything was aligned with my values— so when I was feeling a need to take a step back from my demanding job in 2022, I decided to take a chance and create a little marketplace of all the wonderful brands and items I had discovered thus far in my parenthood journey.

My shop is very niche, but three years into it, it has aligned with the values of SO many other grown-ups also shopping for little ones. Everything I sell is genderless, as sustainably & ethically made as possible, and practical. I jokingly refer to myself as a terrible retailer, because you can find me regularly having discussions with customers and convincing them NOT to get something if I don’t believe they need it for their family. I want all of my customers to feel that they leave my shop feeling confident in their investment in my clothing & wares. There is nothing I sell that I wouldn’t use or put on my own child.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media presence is a must, regardless of whether your business is on-line or not. The term “social proof” is necessary for potential customers to assess your credibility as a business. When you’re starting from nothing, as I did, my best advice is this:

1. Remember that no one is watching: Seriously, when you’re starting out, only a few strangers on the internet will see your posts, so PLEASE don’t feel nervous putting yourself out there. Just do it.
2. You are your worst critic: If you’re a perfectionist or self-conscious, try your hardest to push that to the side. Post the reel. Make the voiceover. It doesn’t have to be perfect lighting. Your caption doesn’t have to win a Nobel Peace prize. Very few people will be as heavily critical as you are of yourself.
3. Consume content that is in your niche, and learn from it: people ask me how I learn how to post and my answer is always the same— I consume A LOT of content. Follow pages that are similar to you and watch what they do. Pay attention to their videos, the content of their posts (are they adding value? Teaching something? Just promoting themselves?), pay attention to the length of their videos & captions, the music or the voiceover.
4. Keep posting, keep trying new things: You will not grow a following overnight, and you will not grow a following by doing the same thing all the time. You need to post regularly—consistency is rewarded, and try new things! Step out of your comfort zone and put yourself in front of the camera, or try some fun new music, reach out to collaborate with a local influencer or business for a giveaway or contest.
5. Continue to interact with your niche & your potential customers on social media: Follow other businesses, influencers that are relevant to your niche (or maybe even just your geographic region if you’re a physical business). Message people who are doing well and ask them to chat. Comment back when someone posts a comment or leaves a review for you.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

There is no success just by existing. If you’re an online business, you won’t suddenly get customers just because you have a website & socials. If you’re a physical business, you won’t necessarily get *enough* customers just because you’ve opened your doors.

For awhile, I lived in the dream that just because I existed, I would organically acquire enough customers to survive. It’s simply not the case. Before I opened my physical shop, I used to spend money every month on social media advertising (about what I would have otherwise spent on rent) all to acquire new customers. When I opened my physical shop, which is located in an area with less foot traffic than I need, I realized quickly that I was going to have to continue to invest in geographically-oriented advertising and collaborating with local established businesses, makers & influencers to increase my exposure to the surrounding community.

I’ve quickly “unlearned” that you are going to organically acquire sales and that you have to constantly have a plan to market your business regardless of where or what your business is, and be ready to assess and adapt that plan when needed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.little-wares.com
• Instagram: @little_wares
• Facebook: Little Wares

Image Credits

Regina Miller/Origin Photo