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

Mimmi, appreciate you joining us today. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I absolutely love owning my own business. I love to create each of my products, and seeing them in people’s homes. I also love being my own boss, having the freedom to make my own schedule, and actually getting paid for the more I work.

From time to time I do miss being an employee at a stable company because of the security. Being an entrepreneur and business owner is a constant stress to make money.

I think my goal might be to work as an employee for just a couple of days a week, and then run my business in the other time. That way I will still have a little bit of security, but can also do what I love!

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 started my company a few years ago after spending a summer in South America. I fell in love with the culture and the boho style. I bought a bunch of crystals and string in Peru and Colombia, and started making necklaces and bracelets. I started selling some during my vacation, and then turned it into a small business when I got home.

After a couple of years I got interested in learning macramé, and self taught myself just like I did with the crystal and necklace techniques. I realized that the mix of macramé and crystal worked out great and I made more and more products. Last year I started making purses which people seem to love. I will also start making clothes this fall, and am currently learning crochet as well.

I always knew that I would start my own business and that I wanted to donate some of the profit to a non-profit social business. After researching online I found LivelyHoods (now merged with Solar Sisters) who is a organization in Kenya, helping women and youth find jobs. I donate at least 10% of my sales.

 

Have you ever had to pivot?

When I started my business, I lived in San Diego, CA, and most of my clientele lived there as well. I could market myself on farmers markets and festivals. However, in 2020 I moved to Sweden, and had to start all over again. I had to find new suppliers, new clients, and new ways to market my business. This was very difficult for me in the beginning because I was scared to reach out to stores about selling my products (and farmers markets are not a thing in Sweden). Eventually, I just had to decide that my fear couldn’t stop me from pursuing my dreams, and I am now selling my products in three-four (depending on the season) stores in Sweden, as well as my website.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

I used to sell my products on Etsy, and have for a long time planned to upload them there again. However, after I started selling on my website I have prioritized that instead of Etsy. I loved Etsy though. It’s easy to sell there, super low cost, and very convenient. Hopefully I’ll get my Etsy page up and running this fall again.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.mimmiscreations.com
• Instagram: Mimmiscreations
• Facebook: Mimmi’s Creations

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