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

Mary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

The inspiration for Mary’s Marketplace started in the spring of 2010 during a parent/child class. The topic of the life changing session was about “accomplishments”. During the class we discussed how so many people never follow their dreams and fail to accomplish the things they want to do. I had always wanted to start my own business, but was too afraid to try. I mentioned how much I enjoyed making jewelry to the group, and they asked to see some of my work. The next week I brought in a few items for my “show and tell” and the fun began.

I will be eternally grateful to the moms in this class who gave me the courage, motivation, and my first sale, to get me started! Because in July of 2010 I became the co-founder of Valley Girl Designs and decided in January to take my dreams one step further with Mary’s Marketplace.

Mary, 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?

It feels SO good to give a special gift, especially a handmade one. When my next door neighbor’s little girl surprised me and gifted me a handmade bracelet, I ended up loving it and the sentiment so much I asked if she could help me create some so I could gift them too. I needed to learn as much as I could so made frequent visits to my local library and every bead store soaking it all up.

I strive to create a high quality, affordable very customized pieces of jewelry. I want my clients to feel like they are getting the highest value for a very sentimental piece of jewelry. Just when you think it is perfect, I add the little bit of “extra” they weren’t expecting.

Having a willingness to experiment with different techniques is super fun and so important in a creative’s world. In order to stay relevant I always need to be one step ahead of the trend and learning is the most important part of it all.

I also feel like getting to know my clients is very key to success, what is important to them and hone in on what will really wow them is the key to success in so many businesses, especially mine.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

Building a social media audience is like constantly climbing a mountain with no top.

My social media posting isn’t always 100% posting about my art, people aren’t always looking for something to purchase. I also try to post things to create a connection. It may be a helpful hint, fun recipe, something to make their day brighter or sneak peek into how something is made. I want everyone to feel they have a reason to be here, a sense of belonging if you will. The key to keeping it going is to have variety, make it fun and interesting, fill their void.

My advice to anyone starting out it is don’t focus on the numbers. Quality is way better than quantity. 1,000 followers who are actively following and engaging your page is way better than 10,000 followers who never engage with your page.

Plan your posts out ahead of time, this makes managing them so much more tolerable. I make a point to post something, at least a few times a week. I have found running a contest to be a very fun business builder as well.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think society is shifting to focus more on the artists and creatives. I think more and more people are recognizing art may cost a bit more, but the quality and craftsmanship is much better and it means so much more to have a handmade product.

I believe simply things like sharing or posting about a fellow artists can work wonders. I am always willing to help a fellow creative out. The “shop small” movement has been strong and so helpful in the last few years. When the media reminds of the local artists and when we get the opportunity to be in the media it helps all of us,

Contact Info:

• Website: www.marysmarketplaceonline.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marysmarketplace
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marysmarketplace
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-waschek
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/marysmarketplace