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

Hi Shaina, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

In Fall of 2017, I started brainstorming ideas for my small business. I wanted my business to be something I was passionate about and could share that passion with others. So, I came up with the idea to open an online business that sells nerdy gifts for all ages, including clothing, accessories, iron-on patches, stickers, mugs, and everything in between. From there, I started developing my brand behind the scenes, ordering merchandise, building a website, and writing up a marketing plan. I then launched my business the following year on Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) as a tribute to one of the most famous nerdy fandoms of all time. For the past five years, I have been consistently growing my business through my social media platforms, my website, and promotional e-mails. I also set up at comic cons to help promote my business as well. It’s been a fun and rewarding business thus far, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for The Wilted Quill.

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 opened The Wilted Quill on May 4, 2018. Five years ago, I was working full-time, taking care of three small children and my grandparents, who lived with me at the time. I not only started The Wilted Quill to supplement my family’s income, but I eventually wanted to leave my full-time job to become my own boss. In the Winter of 2014, I graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, and that knowledge greatly aided me in my business start-up. Also, becoming an entrepreneur, which runs in my family, was always a passion of mine, so the decision to start a business was a given for me.

The Wilted Quill is a small online business that offers nerdy gifts for all ages. My merchandise is selected based on not only popular and/or current fandoms but also items that I love and that I am passionate about. I offer over 500 different items in the shop, which include items like clothing, accessories, iron-on patches, stickers, mugs, etc. I ship worldwide and provide fast and efficient customer service. Also, I take pride in what I do, and I treat my customers as though they are family, which is something they can’t receive from a large box office.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There have been many times in the past 5 five years that I just wanted to give up. Owning a small business is hard, especially in today’s economy. The cost of postage to ship my items and the cost of materials continues to rise every year, sometimes several times in a year. I’m happy to say that despite this, I have not had to raise my prices since I opened my business. Instead, I have chosen to cut costs behind the scenes with administrative costs, web design, and not hiring any help. However, I know there will come a time, probably in the near future, when I will finally have to cave and increase my prices to sustain a profit. My way of choosing to run my business is not a popular one, but it’s important to me that my customers are receiving the best quality item and custom service at the lowest price possible.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been operating multiple marketing streams at once. For example, I run and operate an Instagram, Facebook page, TikTok account, and website for my small business. However, these aren’t my only forms of marketing. I also include business cards and flyers in every package that gets shipped out and I set up at local comic cons throughout the year to not only sell merchandise but to market my online business.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thewiltedquill.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewiltedquill/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWiltedQuill/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewiltedquill