How did you grow your business when you first started it?
- Social media is the best way of growth for my business that I’ve found so far. I started an art Instagram page before I started my business and have seen the most growth and sales from this platform. To be more specific, Instagram, Reels, and TikTok are the best social platforms for growth in my opinion! Posting consistently on Instagram stories, feed posts, making engaging reels, and keeping up with TikTok trends have been some of my best techniques for growth.
What made you want to start your business?
- Honestly, boredom. I started my business in July 2020, right in the height of the pandemic. I started lettering on my iPad for fun, decided to share some of my work on Instagram, began to gain a following, and decided to start selling products with my designs on them. I can honestly say I’ve never looked back! I absolutely love running a business and having a creative outlet! Starting HWD has even inspired me to take extra entrepreneurship and marketing classes while in college on top of my nursing major specific classes!
What is the average quantity you order when you restock?
- Anytime I do a restock I add more inventory for the items than I had when they first launched. My main goal for a restock is to have enough for every customer to get what they want before sizes/quantities sell out.
What are your top tips to increase sales?
- Find a niche and a style that is unique to your business. While following trends does increase business short-term, uniqueness and developing a niche are the best tools for long-term business. Posting consistently on social media platforms has also been a key to gaining more sales for my business! Anytime that I get busy with school and have less time to post on Instagram and TikTok I see major declines in my sales.
How did you know you were ready to make your business official?
- I would say I never had a “feeling” that I should make my business official, I just went for it. It definitely started out as more of a hobby that developed into a business, but I knew I wanted to give running a business a try so I did research, watched YouTube videos, bought supplies, made designs, and got to work!
Did people doubt you at first?
- I never had people make doubtful comments to my face, but the thought may have crossed some peoples minds. I mean, doubt has crept into my mind on multiple occasions, too! People will always have judgements and opinions on everything you do so my best advice is to do what you love, do it well, and prove them wrong.
Where do you find manufactures?
- Google is your best friend! I’m more than willing to share some business tools I find on my Amazon store-front and in my Instagram reels/Tiktoks, but it is definitely important for us all to do our own research to find manufacturers and resources. I also love to work with other local businesses for things like embroidery services, so I recommend that for others, too!
What can we expect from HWD in the next few months?
- To keep it real with y'all, this is a bit up in the air for me right now. I've spent time off from the business to wrap up my first year of college and move home for the summer which made me realize two things: my business is a HUGE creative outlet for me, but it is also a major time and energy commitment. Right now I've decided to continue as is for the time being and to decide on the future of HWD based on what feels right for me and any opportunities that may arise in the near future! On a more product based note, I have new summer apparel coming soon and am working to curate my products to match my niche a bit more!
If you're a small business owner, answer this question in the comments: what is the next business milestone you are currently working towards?
🤍 Hayley