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

Wellsley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started thinking about opening a small business during prime Covid season. I felt isolated and wanted something to make the days easier and more fun. During this time I adopted my first cat, Winnie. She is a lot of the inspiration behind my small business. She has brought me a lot of joy in this past year. Around the time I adopted her, I also began to learn to crochet. Crochet is something that has brought me comfort and joy while at home and isolated. I decided to try making an item for Winnie and I loved it! One crochet project led to another, and I started making items for her all the time. I wanted to share my love for animals and crafts with others. I decided to start my business. I knew I needed to have Winnie in the name since she is what started all this love and joy.

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 first started thinking about opening Winnie’s Wonders after seeing how much joy a small business can bring. It excited me that I could share my passion with other animal lovers. Winnie’s Wonders offers a variety of items to choose from. Most of my items are for pets, but you can find items for humans. Some of my most popular items are pet hats and sweaters. My clients are able to specify size and colors. All my pet hats and sweaters are custom made to the animal’s size. Clients can also choose to do a complete customization, where they design their own item and I bring it to life.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building an audience on social media can be a daunting task. I built my audience by building connections with similar brands and ideas. Something that really helped me was doing brand deals. I would send a pet Instagram page an item and in return they would give me an honest review on their Instagram page. I would then share that review and photos on my page. My advice for those just starting a social media presence is to build connections. Make friends with other social media users and boost each other up. If you want support, you need to help support others.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

My clients are very important to me, and I care about their input. I like to keep in touch with my clients by following their social media pages. Some clients have signed up for my email list, allowing me to send them special discounts and news on my business. I also run giveaways on my Instagram page.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://shopwinnieswonders.myshopify.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopwinnieswonders/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopwinnieswonders
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@shopwinnieswonders
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/shopwinnieswonders/ Pinterest