We were lucky to catch up with Phoebe Morrin Gross recently and have shared our conversation below.
Phoebe, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I recently made a shift in my business and processed this exact question. For the first 2 years of growing my business I was part of the South Congress artist market every weekend. This gave me stability and I found out- most importantly, face to face interactions with my customers regularly. As a new business owner it was so impactful to get the positive feedback from my customers and peers, it fueled me and kept me going because in knew I had a good product.
I’m June of 2022 I chose to leave the market and shift the business to online and social platforms. I was confident in my choice but didn’t know how hard it would be to continue my journey with the affirmation I was accustomed to. And this is where the question of my happiness as a business owner came into my life.
Was I happy as a business owner or did I want a 9-5? Did I really NEED the constant affirmation to know my product was desirable or could I push onward with what felt like me myself and the internet? I felt disconnected and broke as a joke to be honest!
I processed and I made it work! I went deep down and thought about what success means to me. I reflected on the connection between monetary wealth and my happiness. I leaned into friends and family and allowed them to build me back up. And most importantly, I recognized that I was happiest when I was creating and working in my studio. Here was my answer!
I love being a business owner and it makes me so happy. As with most things in life there are ups and downs and sides to sides but now I know the corporate world is not for me. I’m happiest when I am doing what I want and being exactly who I want to be.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I am a welcoming and warm being who wants the best for everyone and is passionate about loving yourself and others (which includes Mother Earth).
My passion for fashion and sustainability brought me to this point. My goal is to provide affordable eco friendly clothing making it easier for people to shop slow fashion.
I’m most proud of my ability to visualize thrifted clothings possibilities. It’s not easy to source a piece of clothing and know that it will look amazing if it were only redesigned and upcycled. I love conceptualizing projects and seeing them come to life.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
I design and create all of my own products! I worked in retail management before I started my business so knew a lot bout production needs and inventory management when I got started so had a good foundation of applicable knowledge.
For about 6 months I worked with a seamstress who I found through a friend. I would bring her pre cut items and she would sew them with my direction. I started working with a seamstress because I was selling every weekend and needed a consistent inventory. I found that it took me out of my studio and I wasn’t creating as much as working in a production line trying to keep her and me busy enough that we could increase revenue. Now that I’m the only employee of my business again I am seeing that I am creating more and it’s not always quantity but quality these days.
Have you ever had to pivot?
See story one.
Contact Info:
- Website: Shopstreetnik.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetnik_/
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