We recently connected with Shannon Duffy and have shared our conversation below.
Shannon, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I have always enjoyed creating things, but starting a business was never my original goal. I just liked tinkering around, making designs, and seeing what I could come up with. I watched my maternal grandfather as he created amazing works of art from goose and ostrich eggs, or seashells he found while combing the beach. It was incredible to see the transformations of simple things into intricate objects right before my eyes. That got me hooked on being able to do something crafty with my hands, so I learned to make candles, jewelry, and eventually, after inheriting my grandfather’s supplies, my own beautiful eggs as well. However, all of this was just for me and no one else.
Things began to change when I bought several pieces of cute fabric without any idea of what I would use them for. After much deliberation, I thought they would make great pillows, so one Christmas I hand-sewed two dozen pillows for family and friends. Seeing how interested I was in this new hobby, my parents made sure there was a sewing machine under my tree that year! This encouraged me to acquire more and more fabrics and oversaturate my circle with pillows! A few years after that, when my sister got married, I thought it would be a fun idea to make her and my brother-in-law fancy bibs to protect their formal attire. This is when I realized I can make fun things that are also functional.
After making small gifts for a few years, I had an idea for a purse design, so I created my own template and played around with some style ideas using the fun fabrics I had accumulated. Since I had so many patterns to choose from, I decided to make these bags reversible with a handle that could be removed for easy washing. This was in 2004, and during that year the New England Patriots won the Big Game and the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, so I made a “Championship Bag” commemorating their victories. As with the others, this bag was reversible, so you could always show your loyalty no matter which sports season it was. Suddenly I found myself getting special requests to make bags for family and friends because they loved the designs.
Admittedly, the accolades really motivated me, so I was fired up to keep sewing (and selling), so this is when Joatmon Creations was officially born!
Shannon, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Joatmon Creations is an online shop featuring handmade accessories and gifts using a variety of different mediums. Joatmon is the acronym for Jack of All Trades, Master of None and it sums up my focus, or lack thereof, perfectly.
As mentioned, the shop really started with the handbags, but eventually I began using the fabrics for headbands. From there, I stumbled upon some great ribbons, which led me to making plastic headband covers, something that I had never seen before. Again, I loved the idea of making them reversible, so you get two headbands for the price of one. This is also another example of things being “fun and functional.”
As the house started filling up with bags and headbands, I moved on to key fobs and lanyards to use up the fabric and ribbon. Then after a while my love of textiles spilled over into other mediums, such as combining paper and fabric with bead embellishments to make special notecards. I also dusted off the vinyl cutting machine I had purchased years earlier and extended my repertoire to include decals and signs.
My shop has grown to over 15 product lines, including apparel, bags, decals, drinkware, kitchenware, fobs, lanyards, earrings, necklaces, bibs, and ornaments. I have even started selling my decorated goose eggs, though it is always hard to part with them since their fragility requires a lot more time and care. In 2020, when the world was faced with an uncertain time, I put things on hold and sewed over 600 fabric masks for first responders, family, and friends. Now that I can focus on my business again, I’ve invested in a laser cutter and engraver, so currently I am spending my time perfecting these new designs.
Each time I work on a particular project, it seems to be a gateway into other completely unrelated creations. All it takes is one person to say “hey, can you make something like this?” and a new product line is born! I always need to give it a try and see what I can come up with. I do truly try to live up to the moniker “Joatmon.”
On a personal note, I am married with one son who is in high school. Currently, the shop is just a part-time venture for me, as I work full-time as an Office Support Professional. but my dream is to one day open a small storefront when I retire.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Over time my clients have gone from just friends and family to their own friends and family through word of mouth. I am grateful when they post pictures of my creations, which then attracts interest from others. It has also led to some partnerships with local schools to create ornaments, lanyards, headbands, and more with their school logo. I am always happy to work with groups for special fundraisers. Even when someone doesn’t have that initial link to me, once they get something from Joatmon Creations and see other things I can do, I know they will be back for more. I make sure to keep a file on each client so I can keep the connections going. Knowing more about someone really helps me come up with ideas they may be interested in later on. It is very important for me to keep my brand out there, especially using social media, so I am hopefully the first person people think of when they need a special gift.
Through the years I have seen many experts say you should have a niche to focus on instead of trying to be everything to everyone, but I disagree. I love that my customers return to me time and time again looking for different things. I suppose you can say my niche is being a “one-stop shop.”
How’d you think through whether to sell directly on your own site or through a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc.
My primary selling platform is my own website, JoatmonCreations.com. Initially I will post a new item on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but then I direct the interest to my site. This allows people to also browse other products and it helps me track sales much better. It creates a customer file that will help me with future marketing as well. Originally, I had a shop on Etsy, which I still use occasionally, but I found that their fees were piling up, and at times they were unfair, such as charging me for shipping even though I would purchase my shipping labels through another source. Eventually all the fees make it hard to turn a profit on small items. The market on Etsy is also oversaturated, so unless you have a very unique product, it may be tough to be seen. I don’t want to discourage anyone starting out from trying Etsy first just to see what is there and how to market yourself, but I have never regretted having my own site. The cost to maintain it is expensive, but if you find the right host, then the benefits you receive, like marketing tools, reports, and payment solutions make it worth it.
Another selling platform is in person at vendor shows, which I try to do two or three times a year, especially around the holidays. They are a lot of work, especially with the number of items I offer (over 700 products), but it’s a nice avenue to get my name out there and meet other crafters in the area. Sometimes the time spent on preparing, setting up, and selling can be daunting, and I often wonder if it is worth the effort, but it is euphoric to watch someone appreciate something that I created.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.JoatmonCreations.com
- Instagram: @Shan_JMC
- Facebook: Joatmon Creations
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoatmonCreatns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JoatmonCreations
- Other: Tik Tok: @Shanalanahan