Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tianpei Ma. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tianpei, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Some of the most interesting parts of our journey emerge from areas where we believe something that most people in our industry do not – do you have something like that?

Human connection over automation.

Having had experience working on retail automation projects in a corporate environment, I still have mixed feelings about AI-powered automation — starting from but not limited to chatbots. While AI solutions can cut operational costs, I believe it takes away the sentimental values from retail by removing the “human touch.”

As a small business that launched on Etsy (humble brag — check out the 4,000+ five star reviews on Etsy), we’ve learned a few things along the way:
– Customization. Almost everything in our store can be customized. Want a one-of-a-kind tea rose silk headband that is the right size for your head? You got it. We have an in-house tailor because we believe clothes are meant to serve people, not the other way around.
– Conversations. We grew from a platform where customers and designers love talking to each other. I chose to take on a large portion of customer service because I enjoy talking to our customers. They’ve told me what works, what doesn’t, and what new products they want.

Tianpei, 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?

I’m Tianpei Ma, founder of Soft Strokes Silk, a Toronto based online store I created in 2020. A lot of customers, especially those from Etsy, know me as Ashley. The shop doesn’t specialize in one category; it specializes in one material: mulberry silk. We currently have silk bedding, apparel, and accessories.
Silk has a special value in Asian culture, and it’s a fabric my family has always loved.
When travelling to southern China (despite having a tight budget), my grandfather would seize the opportunity to get some hanglou (a type of silk made from traditional handicraft) so he could make the ideal summer tops — matte finish and cool to the touch. The love for silk runs in the family, and I started filling my closet with silk blouses in my 20s. So it was a natural choice for me when I opened the store.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I’ve had previous management experience from corporate jobs, so that helps. We currently have a team of 8, all Toronto women, all working from home with flexible hours. Here’s what I learned:
– Create a drama-free environment. Most of our contractors hold corporate jobs; they love working for Soft Strokes Silk because it’s fun, it’s simple, and there’s no office politics.
– Be respectful and flexible. Understand that everyone has a life and possibly another job aside from the one I give them; trust that they’ll work on the tasks without micromanagement.
– Apologize when I’m wrong. Don’t try to cover it up; use clear and simple language, such as “I’m sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done this.”
– Be generous with feedback, build strong working relationships and help team members to grow.

We’d love to hear your thoughts about selling platforms like Amazon/Etsy vs selling on your own site.

The first platform we joined is Etsy, which is a user friendly platform that has shaped us in so many ways. Our customer service continues to serve all customers in the unique way Etsy sellers communicate with customers: open, warm, casual, and always available for a good chat. Etsy customers never hesitate to reach out when they want to voice a concern, share an idea, or just let you know that they love your product. A brand management professional once told me not to start the business on Etsy because it is too “grassroot”, and shouldn’t be the choice of “real designers.” I disagree. The feedback we received from Etsy customers is worth gold.

We currently have our own website, powered by Shopify. Shopify collaborated with the Ontario government to help Ontario small businesses so we could build our store for free. Digital Main Street is the organization that delivered this initiative and has always been a great help to us.

Later on, we joined the marketplace of The Bay, Loblaws and Walmart. Each of these platforms has something special, and we are glad to connect with customers via different communication channels.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.softstrokessilk.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/softstrokessilk
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Soft-Strokes-Silk/100085503480260/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/81670104/admin/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@softstrokessilk