We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Maddy Kruse a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Maddy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
The legacy that I hope I am building with my business is being a fun, safe and supportive place for people to not only be themselves, but to celebrate who they are and all their differences. As a counselor, I highly value people embracing their authentic selves, and I try to promote pride in those differences through the products and art that I create and sell to my community.
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.
Moonberry Surprise! is a small business in Albuquerque, NM whose goal is to make products that help people feel beautiful, seen, offended, nostalgic, or at the very least, make them laugh. In my shop, I make and sell wearables and home goods that focus on Pop culture, New Mexican culture, Feminism, and Mysticism. It’s a place where body positivity is a way of life, social justice themes are loud, and most of all it is a place of joy and laughter. One of the best things about running my business is the energy and reactions to my products from shoppers. One of my fan favorite products that I’ve created is a “Calm Your Tits” prayer candle, that is decorated with different types of breasts on the outside, and are dressed intentionally with lavender and amethyst to promote calming. It makes people laugh, and it’s all about intention and healing.
What I love about Moonberry Surprise! is that there is something for everyone in my shop. I sell a wide array of products that appeal to different crowds, ages, genres, etc. I love it because the products I make represent my interests and likes, so it is an amazing experience to connect with customers through my art who enjoy similar things.
Out of everything, I am most proud of the brand that I have built in my city and how much my business has grown in the last three years. To be able to see the progress that I’ve made in terms of the complexity and quality of my products, my vending set up, the types of events I’m booking, my marketing, and all the little things in between are all reinforcers that I’m on the right path building a brand that I am proud of.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
There are a few crucial things that I came into the business game with that really helped me to build the reputation of my business. A lot of it was learned early in life in college where I was part of a national organization and always held an office. This gave me experience in running an organization as a young person, working with all types of different people, planning & promoting events, and it also taught me how important professionalism is and how the way one promotes themselves in-person and online is a reflection of the organizations they’re affiliated with. Something else I learned that was extremely important early in my life is the importance of networking. The power of talking, connecting and investing into other people is huge. Networking is how I got my first job after college, my first internship in grad school, and how I am able to book some amazing events in my city. Lastly, I sell quality products that are loud and fun and represent who I am. I’ve been told that people can feel that energy. I think when you can be authentically yourself, people notice, and it draws them in.
What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?
I’m proud to say that Moonberry Surprise! has now been a successful full-time business since January 2023. I started Moonberry as a side-hustle and creative outlet in May of 2021, but after dealing with a chronic health condition that was worsening with the stress of my career as a counselor, I was in a position where the profession I went to graduate school for would have to become my side-hustle, and Moonberry would become my main squeeze.
Leaving my full-time career as a counselor was never in my plans, and it was incredibly hard to accept. I’ve always been a creative, but I never thought it would be a source of real income for me until my health forced me to make it happen. It has been an incredibly hard transition, but it has literally paid off, and my health and quality of life are now so much better. While starting my business as a side-hustle, my main focuses were to get my name known, introduce my products to the public, invest in better materials/machines, and learn about which events in my city I might do best at. Focusing on these things helped a lot with my transition to full-time vending. At the point I made the transition I had already been involved in the vending scene for a year and a half, during which time I had participated in a ton of successful events and established meaningful connections with other venues, event hosts, and small business owners. Now you can find me popping-up at local events almost every weekend of the year in my city.
Some key milestones in my business involved being able to be more selective in the events I participated in, learning that sometimes you have to invest a little more than you’re comfortable with to get the outcome you want, and seeing my brand being promoted by other local businesses that I admire. Taking your business from side-hustle to full-time status can be terrifying. Be scared, but do it anyway. When I first started out, I was only attending events that had low-cost fees and I was happy if I came home with any type of money. I was almost honored just to be doing it. Now that my business is my main source of income, I have learned a lot, and often the hard way.
Now, I’ve learned how to choose my events more wisely. I make sure that if I am investing a lot of money into a vending fee, that it will pay off several times over, and through the bad events that don’t pay out, I’ve learned that it might not be for me the following year and I don’t take it personally. Along with investing money into events, I had to invest in better machines that would pay off as well. It’s really terrifying to invest thousands of dollars into something with a risk of it not paying off, but often you have to take the risk to get the reward. I have been able to increase the type, quality and quantities of products I make because of this machine, and am able to increase my creativity and profits as well. Networking and supporting other local venues, event hosts, musicians and fellow artists has also been a huge piece of Moonberry’s success. When you genuinely support other people, it’s typically reciprocated. I’ve made some very meaningful connections in my city that I am really proud of and grateful for that have helped my business thrive. I am eternally grateful for the opportunities that I have been given, and I look forward to continuing to serve my community in the years to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://moonberrysurprisenm.square.site/
- Instagram: @moonberry_surprise
