We were lucky to catch up with Nicki Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicki , thanks for joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

About three years ago I was searching for a craft to do with my daughter. I came across a ton of tutorials online to make donut charms from polymer clay and decided to take on the project. I’m not one to always follow instructions, I tend to watch what other people do and then figure it out on my own (which I have learned can be good and very bad). We bought supplies went to work and had adorable donut charms within an hour of making them. Through that project, I couldn’t believe how versatile Polymer clay was, so I started researching other ways that artists have used it. I found that artists have used polymer clay for many years in housewares, jewelry, and 3D wall art. From there I decided to try making earrings with my favorite color combinations and shapes. My earrings provide color combinations that can evoke bright and positive emotions. They are also very lightweight and easy on the ears.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Nicki Turner and I’m the owner of Cori Rose Handmade. Cori Rose Handmade was started three years ago when I started making donut charms with my oldest daughter. I started using the

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

Cori Rose Handmade is a side hustle turned job. Before launching last year I started offering my products for free to friends and family. But as I learned more about the medium and grew in experience as a maker I began to wonder if I could make a profit from selling my work.

I was terrified of starting my own business. There was minimal risk because I don’t have a storefront. Yet gathering the courage to show my art and then ask people to purchase it felt terrifying. What if they didn’t appreciate it? What if they didn’t agree with pricing?

I eventually made the decision to sell my products because my kids cheered me on. I launched an account on IG last summer and then signed up to do a monthly pop up market in town. My first story sale on IG I was so excited, but also scared. But I made the leap and have been selling my products ever since.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Social media can be a sore subject for some businesses. Especially for makers and artists. We just want to make things people appreciate. However, when you are a business you have to market and social media is one of the greatest platforms for it. So I’ve had a slow growth within social media, but I’ve been showing my work. Every time I show my work and the process on my social media platforms, people become intrigued. I have also made an effort to hashtag and tag my city so that local buyers can find my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: Corirose.com
• Instagram: Http://Instagram.com/corirosehandmade
• Facebook: Facebook.com/corirosehandmade

Image Credits
These are all my images – Nicole Turner