We recently connected with Leslie Taylor and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Leslie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later
In 2020 the pandemic was at its peak and I was working as an RN in PACU in a hospital. Coming home and changing my clothes in the garage, wearing a mask constantly and the lack of interaction with anyone aside from fellow nurses and my family was taking its toll. I needed to do something to de-stress. I had 3 things going for me. 1. with everything closed down I had time on my hands, 2. I always wanted to be crafty, and 3. I had a ton of plants! I told my husband I was going to try and make one of those “plant hanger things” and began searching YouTube for the easiest instruction video I could find. I ordered some jute cord and proceeded to knot. By the time I finished it didn’t look half bad AND it held the plant. What I most got out of it though was that I was able to shut my mind off and just let my fingers do the work. I have a few friends who are small business owners and they encouraged me to sell some of the plant hangers I was accruing. For me though, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that someone would want to buy something I made. Most people have hobbies, yet you don’t see all of them creating a website or going to markets. I just couldn’t buy into it.
In 2021 they finally convinced me to do a market. Even though my display was far from perfect. I used orange dumbbells as weights so the rack holding my plant hangers wouldn’t blow over. I did really well. It’s continued and grown from there.
I often think back and wonder what it would be like if I had started sooner but then I remember that if I did there’s a possibility, I wouldn’t have the maker and artisan circle I have now. I truly believe that everything that is meant to come to us will find us at the moment it’s meant to.
Leslie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a mother, wife, registered nurse, artist, and entrepreneur whose focus is to use sustainable materials to create goods while teaching others to make the same. While raising my 3 boys as a single mom and working as a nurse I pursued graduate school and a degree in Forensic nursing. However, my focus changed in 2020 during the pandemic when I found that working with my hands to create goods reduced my stress and stopped my mind from focusing on the tragic situations within my hospital work environment. I found that making plant hangers was cathartic, relaxing, and an activity that others could benefit from. When friends convinced me to sell my products, I knew immediately that not only did I want to create an experience surrounding her products, but I wanted to make sure each product was as earth-friendly and organic as possible.
This vision led me to build Maple Dragonfly Co., an artisan shop featuring handmade macrame items and boho decor for you and your home. Maple Dragonfly Co. is an experiential and product-based business focused on handmade products. At Maple Dragonfly Co. we provide a creative escape through our community building workshops where attendees get to spark their creativity through hand-crafted products that they create themselves. Whether it’s purchasing an earth-friendly product or creating memories at our workshops, we exist to bring people together to share stories and build confidence through a new creative outlet.
At Maple Dragonfly Co our products include not only plant hangers, diffusers, ornaments, and wall hangings made with 100% recycled cotton cord, but pottery featuring dragonflies made locally, and essential oil room sprays. While we are frequently adding new products the common feature is that they must be as sustainable as possible.
As Maple Dragonfly Co. has grown I have also found a love of collaboration with fellow artisans and small businesses to create a community that supports and encourages each other. This community also brings a heightened awareness of small business to the public. Not only is important to me that I create sustainable products with Maple Dragonfly Co., it’s also important for me that I create a culture of community and collaboration over competition. In 2023 you’ll notice more small businesses highlighted and hopefully get a bird eye view of the maker community being built.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
In February of 2022 I decided to really pursue Maple Dragonfly Co. as a business. Honestly, I had no idea where to start. Most books out there are for a service-based business such as coaching and the few books I did find on product-based businesses were out of date. Many of the resources that were advertised online would offer classes but the class itself would have limited information for about 8-10 min then they would try to sell you a product for the last 15. I had paid someone to do my SEO and copywriting along with building my original website. The problem was that anytime I wanted to change anything it took me forever to figure out how. I finally decided to jump in and hire a business coach. To be honest, even when I met with her, I was skeptical that I could be successful.
My coach Marina Middleton is no nonsense. She calls it like she sees it and doesn’t take any negative talk. She believes in authenticity and growing from where you are at. Even though I was already operating as a small business and as an LLC, she took me right back to the beginning. I identified Maple Dragonfly Co.’s mission, core values and services. Once I began, I felt growing Maple came naturally. Under her coaching I also learned the value of good product photography and while yes it can be an investment, since upgrading my website it paid itself back and then some. Speaking of my website, it was important that I learn all the ins and outs of how the website worked. To do this I completely rebuilt the site. It took many hours and as problems arose, I searched YouTube for video after video to enable a solution. Learning the ins and outs of branding, SEO, copywriting, website building, advertising and every other piece of entrepreneurship was time consuming but now when there’s an issue, I am able to identify the problem and come up with a solution.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
As someone who is naturally shy and sensitive it’s hard to put myself on social media. I struggled with showing my face and telling more personal facts about me. I was a single mom for many years and felt judged by many people I knew personally, so to put myself out there to a public audience was a fear I couldn’t shake. I would hear from people time and again that showing your face and telling your story made all the difference because people could connect to you and relate to similar struggles. I was still skeptical.
I began to put myself out there, and each time I did I became a little more comfortable. Yes, I still look completely awkward, and I do tend to say “um” a lot, but I am there and I am authentically me. I also realized when I started doing this that people following me talked to me through my posts and DMs more. They met me at markets and had conversations with me that were so comfortable because they had “met” me before. Those interactions have led me to be more creative. They’ve also made me more aware of how much a maker/small business community is needed. I’ve learned that if someone is unpleasant or unkind instead of letting it make me feel down, I can say that those just aren’t my people and move on. It’s a tough but important lesson to learn that you will not be everyone’s cup of tea.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mapledragonflyco.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapledragonflyco/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mapledragonflyco
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5y5lhNKF1LvbWF9sfBtS0w
Image Credits
Brit Perkins Photography