Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lynn Chalk. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Lynn, thanks for joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
Success is a rollercoaster of ups and downs and pivots, while maintaining your determination, drive and belief in yourself. It is not a specific goal but the whole journey with all its twists and turns and unexpected situations. Creativity involves experimentation and not everything works out as expected. Some things that initially seemed like a “failure” and almost caused me to give up, ended up being course corrections that led me to very unexpected paths which led me to a success that I did not foresee. So patience, perseverance and the ability to adapt are all part of achieving success.
The Financial Crisis of 2008 killed my local Custom Window Treatment business which up to that point had been doing very well. With no local business coming in, I decided to launch a mail order business as a last ditch effort to see if people would order them through the internet. My business is now bigger than I ever imagined, and I would never have gotten into the mail order business if I had not almost lost the business altogether. This is part of the ups and downs of the journey. Success waxes and wanes, and you have to constantly adapt to the ever changing environment.
It took a few years before I could afford to hire people, so I worked 24/7 doing everything in the beginning. Now I have an amazing group of people who love the work and care about my clients as much as I do and who have been with me 10-15+ years. I treat them with respect and make sure they know how much I appreciate the work they do, and I pay them what they are worth. I share success with them, it is a group effort.
It is helpful to have a niche that you specialize in, which sets you apart from the other companies providing similar services. From the beginning, my customer service has been very personal. My clients appreciate how much time I spend communicating with them and how detail oriented I am, to ensure they are getting something special that they will love and will fit perfectly. Each person’s home is their own personal sanctuary and I love creating something special and unique for each client and they feel that energy. They send pictures after everything is installed, and leave me wonderful reviews. We produce work of the highest quality and workmanship consistently, and my clients keep coming back and sending referrals That has been a big factor in growing the business, but it takes time to build that trust.
There is a multitude of decisions we can make with multiple outcomes and that can get overwhelming. I meditate daily and in that quiet space is where I tune into my intuition which overrides my head with all of its conflicting thoughts. That is the “gut feeling” many of us experience, and that guides my creative decisions when I hit a wall and don’t know whether to turn right, left or backwards. This journey is very spiritual for me, and I believe that all our answers can be found within. It takes time to develop and trust that inner voice. The answers don’t come right away. You can be stuck in limbo for a while. But with faith the answers will come at the right time. Now that I have been doing this for decades, I can look back and see how everything connected. People can offer great advice, but ultimately we have to make the decision with confidence, even if no one else understands or can see our vision. If we keep looking to the outside to guide us it is very easy to veer off track. When I followed my inner voice and trusted it, I was eventually led to the right place. Even though my family and friends loved me, most of the time they did not have a lot of faith in my success. That is where it gets tough…..making the decision you FEEL is the right one, even when no one else understands. The definition of success changes as you gain experience, wisdom and growth as you overcome each obstacle. It is a life long process. “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas A. Edison
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.
I taught myself how to sew and design clothes at age 11. By the time I graduated from high school I had designed and handmade all my clothes. I attended Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC to learn more of the technical skills as up to that point I was self taught. After I got out of school, I taught myself how to work with leather and do metal and chain inlays, and started making stage clothes for rock bands. I was never interested in mass production, the fashion industry was cut throat and chaotic. I loved the slow meditative process of custom handmade clothing. Because it is so labor intensive, I knew I would not make enough money to live on, but that was what my heart and soul wanted to do. So I got a job in the Corporate World to supplement my income so I could do what I loved on the side. I moved up the ranks and was making great money and benefits, but my soul was dying. For 10 years I worked in an office during the day and at night was designing and making custom clothing. I learned a lot about how to run a business in the Corporate World so it was an important part of my journey.
My boyfriend, who I had known since I was 14 died suddenly. That experience made me realize how precious life was, and I did not want to waste any more of my life doing work that was unfulfulling. I left the Corporate World and moved to Los Angeles and got a job in the Entertainment Business at the William Morris Agency in Beverly Hills. I started designing and making a whole new line of clothing different from anything I had done before. I took a class on Tambour Beading and fell in love with it. I launched a new line of clothing that was one of a kind hand beaded tops, vests and dresses. Someone at the agency noticed my clothing and set up a meeting with the buyer at Fred Segal and also at Maxfields. Both buyers bought everything I had and wanted more. This was finally my dream come true, and I was able to make custom clothing full time, My clothes were being worn by famous musicians and actresses to award shows and in videos. I was working night and day doing everything myself. Success was beyond what I imagined. But after a few years I hit the wall of creative burnout.
I worked so hard for this success, but creatively I needed to do something new and take a break from handbeading. I wanted to learn handweaving. I also wanted to leave Los Angeles, which meant I would have to start over again. I met my husband in LA and his mother was a handweaver which was quite serendipitous. I bought a 16 Shaft Computerized Loom and learned how to design fabrics on the computer. I fell in love with weaving. It felt so natural to me. I spent two years teaching myself how to dye yarn and how different types of dyes react with different fibers. I learned to how to develop variations of hues and intensities of color, as well as creating patterns and textures on the computer. Through this journey I came to fully appreciate how beautiful quality fabrics are created.
It was a difficult decision, but after 9 years in LA I decided to leave everything and move back to Connecticut where I grew up. After years of the city life, I needed peace and quiet and to be surrounded by nature. My husband cut down trees on our property and built me a timber frame studio. The next phase of my life began when I had a baby and started decorating the house my husband was building around us and making custom window treatments. This led to other people wanting custom window treatments. So I decided to create this part time business until my daughter went to school. I taught myself everything about the window treatment business which is very different from fashion. But both use the same sewing techniques and craftsmanship I perfected through the years of making Couture Clothing and my weaving skills taught me how to recognize beautifully made fabrics. What started out as a temporary career diversion, has turned into a very successful business that I have been doing now for 20 years. This type of business was never part of my life plan and its success is beyond what I thought was possible. I have been so fortunate to work with so many wonderful clients creating something special for each one of them. I still enjoy making clothing, and though I haven’t had much time for it, I have plans for my next reinvention! I am not done yet. My mind is always creating something new. I have found that anything I create or make with my hands expresses the passion of doing what I love, whether it is clothing or home décor. Everything I make is a part of me and it has been a beautiful journey so far.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I started my Custom Window Treatment business, I was very busy with plenty of local work in New York and Connecticut for several years. When the 2008 financial crisis hit, my business completely died overnight. So many Interior Designers and others in this trade went out of business.
In the midst of all this I found out I had breast cancer. That is when you have to dig deep and find out what you are made of and overcome any fears personally and professionally. I focused intensely on Health and Success, and did a lot of inner work to manifest the inner strength I needed to reinvent myself yet again. Failure is NOT an option!… was my motto. I had a double mastectomy and was home the next day because of a blizzard and immediately started rebuilding a new website to launch a Mail Order Custom Window Treatment Business so I could reach a lot more clients. I had plenty of doubts as to whether people would spend thousands of dollars on custom window treatments via mail order through someone they did not meet with. But this was what my gut was telling me to do. I also knew I would regain my health. Cancer was something I had, I removed it, and got on with my life. Health and Success are mindsets we create within ourselves. It taught me what was truly precious in my life and to be grateful for every day and every person and never allow myself to retreat to defeat or fear. I knew I would be OK on every level.
Amazingly, business started coming in right away, it was gradual growth, but continual. Excellent Customer Service is crucial for something like this, and I take the time to personally correspond with each client and go over every detail and measurement. They send pictures of their windows and rooms and I have developed a system of ensuring everything we make is perfect. Errors are rarely made because we take the time before the order is placed. Customer Service and Satisfaction has always been more important than money. The money comes as a result of my priorities. Through referrals and hundreds of 5 Star reviews I have been able to continue to grow the business and hire wonderful people who love the work they do. I worked 24/7 for years to get the mail order business on a secure foundation, and I am successful because of that effort. Fortunately my studio is part of my home, so work and home life have always been integrated. I could work, watch my daughter grow up and never miss an important event.
When Covid hit, I was ready for the business to die again as I thought with so much uncertainty about the future, people would not want to spend money on things that were not a necessity, so I prepared for that. What I was not prepared for was that in 1 month my business would double because everyone was home and decided they wanted to finally get those home decorating projects done they had been thinking about for so long. It seemed like everyone was redecorating their home, and for the next 2 ½ years the business exploded. I was back working 24/7 trying to keep up with it. This journey has been full of the unexpected, and resilience is why I am still here.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
I have been on ETSY 14 years, and each year, I reach more and more people. As ETSY has grown, so has my business. And right now ETSY sales account for about 35% of my business. Through ETSY and their advertising, so many people are looking for unique hand made items for their home and also have a conscious desire to support small business owners which has been wonderful for all creative people trying to launch a business doing what they love.
ETSY has been a wonderful avenue for expanding my reach to clients that may have not found my website. In the first 4 months of this year it has brought me 87,000 visits to my shop. There is so much more competition now in my field, but because I started in 2010 over the years I have been able to build a reputation and a following that brings me more business than I can handle. The Wall Street Journal did an article on how so many people are decorating their homes entirely through ETSY, and they interviewed me for that article because I was one of the businesses who started doing it on line before anyone else.
Another important part of success is knowing when you have grown to a point that is sustainable professionally and personally. Having a successful business that pays the bills but also allows you to enjoy your life with minimal stress is the ultimate success. I never have to advertise or market my business, but if I did I could easily double it. Doubling my business would generate more money, but also double the stress and anxiety and take over my life. Knowing when you have reached the perfect balance and stopping is key to success. My philosophy is there is plenty of business for everyone if we are not greedy and just take what we need.
I am grateful to ETSY for being part of my success and highly recommend it. I support all those other people trying to succeed doing what they love. Thank you for posting these fascinating interviews. When I started working for myself I did not know anyone who was an entrepreneur. I had to figure out everything myself. So it has been fun to read other people’s stories. I hope my story inspires others to keep going forward and know they are not alone!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lynnchalk.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lynnchalk99/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LynnChalkDesign