We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rachel Powell. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rachel below.

Rachel, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Fybe is a project that the cross stitch community has wanted for a while now. Etsy has become a drop-shipping and AI cesspool, and it’s become nearly impossible for customers to find what they’re looking for. There’s no transparency on an artist’s process, and no requirement for people to disclose ai content. Pattern mills are everywhere, and to the untrained eye, can result in poor product selection on the part of buyers.

However, I had been struggling to come up with a concept that was worthy of supporting over Etsy. Brands have established presence elsewhere and we needed to make it a) worth their while to come to us and b) make our company one that people will actually want to work for to keep it running smoothly.

Then, I came across an instagram account for a small business that said it operated under communistic/socialistic values of profit sharing. There was a specific name for the theory but I can’t remember it right now. But they were using it and it was working. And people in the company felt that they actually had a stake in the company’s success as opposed to just being “employed” by the company.

That got me thinking… what if we operated a fiber arts community like this — where the designers that brought their hand-made patterns to us… got a share of our profits? What if we paid people a living wage, no matter what their position was. What if we only had three levels of employees, no CEOs, and part time workers that all controlled their own schedules. What if we treated people with respect and see where that takes us?

When I pitched this, it blew up. It solves multiple problems. It creates none. And we’re building it now.

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’m Rachel Powell, a “stay at home mom” to two young girls. I use air quotes because I’ve always done more than that and wanted to do more. I started blogging in 2018 and ended up doing some work on Fiverr for several clients, one which I still have to this day. Over time, I’ve experimented with different brands to try to find something that resonates with me, but by far the greatest community I’ve ever been a part of is the cross stitch and greater fiber arts community.

The people in the fiber arts community (on the whole) are such authentic, passionate people. And we all really value human art and the ability to create. We’re at a pivotal moment in our society, due to AI, where the value of real human creativity is about to skyrocket. When everyone can be an “artist”, the human touch becomes more and more desirable.

I started designing cross stitch patterns in 2025. Since 2023, though, I’ve seen the decline in average pattern quality (not just in cross stitch, but also in other fiber arts) firsthand. It’s become harder to find good designers, since the market is saturated with garbage content.

Fybe, though not live yet, is going to be different. Human moderation of every single listing before it hits the site. Designers are going to get a share of our profits (on top of making their own profits) if they utilize our commune style listing. If they don’t want to use it, that’s fine, too. Our fees are lower than etsy and we won’t force sellers to compete by offering onsite and offsite ads. An equal playing field with seller-facing info on how to best optimize their listings. No guessing games.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

We’re currently crowdfunding the basic needs for getting the website up and running. After that, it’s mainly a matter of bringing creators to the platform and it’ll generate it’s own income of course. But it’s not a huge startup cost, all things considered, with the potential to be a huge money maker (not for me — for employees and for designers — I don’t want to be a CEO!)

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

I know this sounds cliche, but it’s actually so true. Authenticity as a human is incredibly important when trying to connect with people. We get caught up in the numbers of it all, but really each of those numbers is a person. Each person has their own struggles and identity and goals and dreams. When we connect with people in a real way, that isn’t just a number.

My advice for those just starting out on socials is to a) be your authentic self and b) don’t hide your values for the sake of “doing business”. By not taking a stance on issues, you ARE taking a stance. For example, if you’re pro lgbt as a person, make sure that shows — every month, not just in june. If you believe people should be paid fairly, show us how you’re making that happen in your business. Words are great, but actions are better. Show us that you’re a real person with a heart, and that’ll resonate with the right people.

Too many of us get lost in the sauce with marketing. It’s about human connection, and it always has been, no matter how digital our world becomes.

Contact Info:

• Website: fybe.art (under development)
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fybe_art/
• Other: threads: https://www.threads.com/@fybe_art

  I’m also @mainely_xstitch on insta and threads.