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

Lauren, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Operating your own business and working for yourself was the normal for me growing up. My dad and mom started a computer store right before the internet boom. It wasn’t uncommon for my father to have to go to the store at the wee hours of the night because “the servers were down.” Although I would be bummed to see my dad have to go, I never felt bad for him or myself, I understood that type of dedication as ordinary. My mom was the queen of sales, however initially, being that it was the 90s, she was often underestimated because she was female. My parents recall pitching a sale to a bunch of suits and although my mom was leading the entire thing, they would still direct all their questions to my dad. My parents laughed about how wrong they all had it, dad would simply direct the question back to mom until they learned who had the answers. These are the strong people who raised me.

I started in a career as a buyer. The work felt like my upbringing, managing my own product and category of business. I had the same amount of dedication as I saw my parents display, however it rarely led to financial, physical, or mental payoffs. I realized the difference was that I needed to be the one steering, that way I could feel the full rewards (and sometimes consequences) of my actions and decisions. I needed to start a business.

I dabbled with a few ideas, but I ran with CRFT CLUB. It was the only idea that felt absolutely in sync with who I was personally and professionally. Something that I found to be unique about myself and my family, is we love to learn many new crafts, while many stick to only one or are intimidated to try any. For myself, there is nothing more tantalizing than a craft project, and I knew once I boxed up instructions, supplies, and ideas, it would be irresistible to most! Our kits take the pre-planning, trips to Michaels, non-crafting part of out of crafting so you can jump right into the fun part where you actually make something!

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?

I spent many hours crafting throughout my life, and I have experimented with a broad range of mediums. My family and I would get sucked into a new craft, buy all the supplies, learn how to perfect it, and do nothing else with our free time for the following months until a new shiny craft caught our eye. These have always been my fondest memories in my life, and I started CRFT CLUB to share these moments with more people.

CRFT CLUB curates craft kits and experiences. We have DIY kits ranging from Polymer Clay Earrings to Resin Floral Coasters, and so much more in-between. Our tutorials and supplies will help you to create something you are truly proud of, all while having fun and learning a new hobby and skill. Through the wholesale division, I develop exclusive craft projects for large retailers. If you would like to join an actual craft party, I host craft workshops through Uncommon Goods monthly.

Funding your business – tell us the story of how you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I first began, I didn’t have a lot of money to invest in my business and was not sure how to finance it.

Instead of taking on debt or seeking outside investment, I decided to bootstrap it. I started small, by developing one craft kit and workshop. I used my own savings to purchase the materials, supplies, and manufacturing equipment I needed to make a small run of inventory. As my sales grew, I used the profits to re-invest in the business, purchasing more materials and supplies and expanding my product line.

As I continued to grow my business, I also focused on building my brand, by creating a website and improving my social media presence. As my online presence grew, I was able to reach a larger audience and eventually my kits were noticed by a few large retailers. Overtime I developed those relationships and increased my wholesale exclusive product line from a single product to over 30. My profits will always be allocated to any business needs first, anything that will fuel future growth.

I have been able to build a successful business from the ground up, with very little startup capital. By bootstrapping my business, I am able to maintain control and keep costs low, and focus on creating the best product, instead of worrying about the finances.

Funding your business – tell us the story of how you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

At CRFT CLUB we assemble all our kits in house. Some of the kits include supplies that are handmade, hand dyed, or even hand dried (like the flowers in the resin coaster kit). At first, I had no experience in manufacturing, but I was determined to figure out what each individual supply required. I would research different manufacturing techniques and materials for each different supply, and eventually decide whether it would be made in house or outsourced to another supplier. My basis for these decisions is always based around quality, the person who can manufacture the item at the highest quality and competitive cost gets the job. As my sales have grown, I have had to find ways to increase my capacity, and one of the best ways was to find more high-quality suppliers to take on manufacturing that I previously would own. I am regularly sampling with new suppliers, testing their quality, and building new relationships. I love to work with other small businesses and watch their businesses grow alongside mine.

Although I will continue to find new vendors to increase my capacity, I will likely always do final assembly in house. By doing this I can maintain control over my business, keep my costs low and ensure that my product is of the highest quality. It’s a hard work, but it also has helped me to establish a successful and profitable craft kit business.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.crftclub.com
• Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/crftclub
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-sadler/

Image Credits
Amanda Parmo & Betsy Jane Photography