Small Business Feature: Willow Crowns

Willow Crowns has probably been my favorite mama-made business I've watched grow over the last few years.  I started following Willow Crowns around the same time I launched my own Etsy shop and blog and Megan's hard work and resulting meteoric success has been such an inspiration!  Megan was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about how she got started, how she handles the work-mama balance, and where she hopes to take Willow Crowns in the future.  

BIRCH LANDING HOME:  Tell me a little about yourself and your business.  

WILLOW CROWNS (MEGAN): I'm a lifelong New Englander living in Texas with my husband and three year old daughter, trying to keep it all balanced! I love coffee (French press is my new addiction), hair and beauty products, and I honestly never thought I'd be an entrepreneur! Willow Crowns in my second baby and over the past 2.5 years has grown into what I like to think is the premier destination for stylish, timeless hair accessories for ladies of all ages.

Megan, the mama behind Willow Crowns.  

BLH:  How did you start Willow Crowns?  Did you always make headbands and accessories or was this a new leap for you?  

WC: When my daughter was ten months old we were newly relocated to Houston and I was struggling to find my groove. Being alone in a new city with a little baby was stressful and I was looking for something to help me decompress and fill my time, something that could me "mine." I was already (occasionally) making her some headbands and thought I'd give opening an Etsy shop a try! I ended up enjoying it so much and found it so fulfilling that I kept trying to grow, improve, and ultimately make it a full-time business.

BLH:  What does a typical day look like for you?  Do you set aside specific time for work and for family?  How do you handle the dreaded nap strike?  (okay.. that last question is mostly for me)

WC: There's really no "typical" day around here, but I try to dedicate my mornings as much as possible to Olivia. I'll schedule playdates, etc during that time. During nap time (or "quiet rest time" with the iPad during nap strikes), I handle the bulk of my administrative work, which means replying to e-mails, preparing social media content, and getting orders filled. Late afternoon is ideally earmarked as family time, prepping meals, folding laundry, etc. and I handle the rest (mostly production) after she goes to bed.

I have a part-time production assistant who comes to the studio once a week and she helps keep our inventory stocked, and I'll do the rest while my daughter is at a Mother's Day Out program two days a week. All this keeps my days pretty busy, but I wouldn't have it another way! I love knowing that there's lots to be done and I find it really gratifying to check it all off my list as the day goes on.

BLH:  What is your favorite part about owning your own company?  And least favorite part?  

WC: This is a tough one, and they're kind of the same! The flexibility of being able to work from home and set my own hours is huge. My family is my top priority and being able to adapt to changes in our life/schedule/whatever is going on has really helped me maintain a balance. On the flip side, since I work from home, I'm never off the clock. My mind is always racing with ideas, to-do's, and the studio sometimes calls to me late at night when I know there's work to be done. Finally, I have to add in the personal satisfaction as another favorite. When a collection does well, our customers are happy, and we continue to grow, it feels enormously satisfying to have my name attached to that!

BLH:  What has been the most exciting moment for Willow Crowns since you started?  

WC: So many to choose from! The most recent one is the one I'd have to award "most exciting moment" to, though! Over the holidays West Elm reached out and asked us to do a pop-up shop in one of their Houston stores. I love West Elm and the idea to work with such an established and respected brand was a huge of highlight of WC's short life.

BLH:  What advice do you have for people just starting out?  

WC: I usually give two separate pieces of advice, the first of which is photography is critical. If you have a great product, great service, and poor photography, your product just won't move. Investing in a photographer or working a trade with a local photographer can put you at a huge advantage when marketing your product. I've spent the two years working on my own photography skills so that I can combine my work with the photographer's we hire and have social media accounts and a website that always look top notch and the better our products look, the more they sell!

Secondly, hang in there! Growing a business can take time (lots of time sometimes depending on your market) and it's important not to compare yourself to others. Staying focused on your product, your brand, your shop, and working persistently even when times are slow will serve you well. Strike up friendships with other local creatives, be consistent on social media, be true to your aesthetic, and things will come together!

BLH:  What is your long-term goal?  Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  

WC: I'm so excited to watch WC grow over the next few years! A move into retail establishments is very much on my mind for the near future and I'd also like to grow our family in the next five years. Hopefully five years from now I can follow up and have another baby, a few more employees, and lots more ladies wearing Willow Crowns!

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All photos courtesy of Willow Crowns.  

Cheers to 2016!

Every time the New Year comes around it really gets me motivated.  I want to overhaul everything in the house, with Birch Landing Home, and my fitness goals and this year is no different.  

I've decided to take most of January to focus on our home:  it's time to do our yearly closet purge, deep clean all the carpets, and reorganize the dumping ground that our basement has become.  While I haven't read the book myself yet, I have read a lot of articles on The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I'd like to try to use these techniques to purge more unused items from our home.  Though I can't make too many promises on this front.. I can be pretty sentimental about little things so we'll see how far I get.

I have big goals for Birch Landing Home too and I want to grow my Etsy shop and blog in many ways.  I'm planning on expanding to more New England-inspired decor in the shop including signs, handmade boxes, and painted sap buckets (don't worry, we'll still have our signature hand-etched ornaments available).  I'd also like to get our products carried at more local retailers too.  
The blog will still be a mix of DIY projects, product reviews, and lessons learned as first-time parents but there will a be a stronger underlying New England vibe to it.  I'd like to blog more about our favorite places to visit in NE as a family as well as showcase more great local products and makers (by the way, if you're a New England-based maker and want to collaborate this year please send me a message).  

And then there's fitness goals.. every year I say I want to get back into running and while I did run a lot more this year than I have in a while, I still didn't get to where I want to be.  So this year I want to make the push to finally run a half-marathon!  For those of you who aren't familiar with my running backstory, I was training for a half-marathon about six years ago when I suffered a couple stress fractures, mostly due to a structural issue with my foot (which I now wear orthotics for).  
We're hoping to expand our family again within the next year or two and so I feel this year will be my last chance to try for a half marathon again before I'm too pregnant or busy with a newborn to seriously run for awhile.  

Whew, so those are my top goals for 2016!  Wishing everyone lots of health, happiness, and success in the New Year - cheers!  

Merry Christmas from Birch Landing Home!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas with family and friends!

It felt more like spring than December here in New England today, but it was still a wonderful Christmas.

I'll be taking a little break from the Etsy shop until the end of January and am hoping to get some projects finished around the house in the meantime (like my annual New Years Resolution closet purge).  I'm also hoping to expand the Etsy shop in the New Year with more New England-inspired home decor items like painted signs and handmade boxes. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone! 

Thank a Veteran

Thank a Veteran, today and every day. Veterans don't get nearly enough credit for the sacrifices they gave and still give for us to have the freedoms we do.  

For those of you who haven't seen "Honor Flight" yet, watch it tonight. It's a documentary about a volunteer group who's mission is to honor the Greatest Generation by flying them to see their WWII Memorial in Washington, DC.  It's such a beautiful, moving documentary and the inspiring stories it tells will make you shed a tear.  

I've included the link to "Honor Flight" below or you can request it from your local library.  It will certainly move you and remind you of how lucky we are to have such brave men and women come before us.   

Featured on Life on the Shady Grove

Wendy from Life on the Shady Grove will be sharing her Christmas home tour and hosting a HUGE series of giveaways in December featuring 32 crafters, including Birch Landing Home!  She's just posted a little introduction to some of the participants on her blog so you can get a preview of some of the makers and items involved.  

I can't wait to see how she styles our hand-etched ornaments in her home and I'm looking forward to sending the lucky winner their own set of ornaments to use this Christmas!  

Don't worry, I'll let you know when Wendy's gorgeous home tour is up on her blog and when her 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways begin!  But in the meantime, don't forget to follow her on Instagram (@lifeontheshadygrove) so you don't miss another inspiring home decor post.  

Here Comes The Sun

I had to share this picture, I just love the sun that comes in the craft room in the morning.  It makes you want to get started on some projects.. now if only a little one would let me get some work done ;)  

Okay, so I totally framed it..

Okay, so I totally framed the December issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine along with the little feature of my Hand-Etched Maple Snowflake Ornaments.  

I felt a little silly about it at first but being featured was a huge honor and having it hanging in the craft room is just more motivation to keep at my little Etsy business and blog.  

And I have to confess.. it is fun seeing it hanging up :)  It's always been a dream to get into a big publication like Martha Stewart or Country Living and even though the feature was small I can now say I've done it. 

So tell me, would you have framed it too..? 

Loop Giveaway on Instagram

I'm partnering with five other small shops/creatives on Instagram to do a Spring Loop Giveaway!  It's the first loop giveaway I've been a part of and I'm excited to be working with these other wonderful ladies.  At the end of the giveaway we'll each be selecting a winner so there will be a total of six winners!  Each account will be choosing their own prize - mine will be a piece of jewelry from the Etsy shop.  

Please stop by my Instagram to join the loop and enter to win - with six prizes being awarded your odds of winning only increases!