Hoorah - the lovely Miesje Chafer who I met at the Hepworth Xmas Market last year has agreed to be interviewed for the blog! I absolutely love her colours and embroidery - I think you will too. Read on to find out more about her and her fab business.
Tell us a bit about your business - what do you do?
Hello! My name is Miesje and I am a designer maker based in Southsea, Hampshire. I design and screen print fabric which I then use to make a range of different products including purses, kits, hair accessories, lavender bags etc. I started screen printing about 10 years ago when I was working as a nurse, as I wanted to do something creative as a hobby. I had no intention of turning it into a business, let alone becoming self employed and doing it full time!
What's a typical day look like for you?
My days don't have any particular structure, although I do try and get any orders packed and posted first thing, then I spend the rest of the day either working on website and wholesale orders, or messing around with new products and ideas. I'm always trying to make myself more disciplined with admin but I'm not very good at it!
How do you market your business and what works best for you?
I mostly just rely on Instagram for marketing, I've found it to be an incredibly useful and fulfilling way of reaching out to potential customers. I had a mailing list once upon a time but it has fallen by the wayside a bit! I actually don't think there's any real substitute for face to face marketing i.e. fairs and markets, but for obvious reasons that hasn't happened much this year, so Instagram has had to fill that gap.
If you were starting your business again is there anything you would have done differently?
Nothing! Starting a business is a slow process and you can only do what you feel is right at the time, there is no point in having regrets - you can't change the past.
Nothing! Starting a business is a slow process and you can only do what you feel is right at the time, there is no point in having regrets - you can't change the past.
What’s the best thing about being a creative business owner?
Being able to make EVERY SINGLE DAY! Most days it doesn't feel like work at all, I get to choose what I do and when I do it and it's the best feeling!
Being able to make EVERY SINGLE DAY! Most days it doesn't feel like work at all, I get to choose what I do and when I do it and it's the best feeling!
What’s the toughest thing about being a creative business owner?
At the start it was the lack of a steady income, I gave up nursing five years ago and to begin with it was really hard, I learned very quickly to stash any spare money to get me through the leaner periods. Now it's more about time, some days I'd love to be able to split myself in two (or three or four or five!).
At the start it was the lack of a steady income, I gave up nursing five years ago and to begin with it was really hard, I learned very quickly to stash any spare money to get me through the leaner periods. Now it's more about time, some days I'd love to be able to split myself in two (or three or four or five!).
What’s the best piece of business advice you’ve been given?
Hmmmmm that's a tough one, I rarely take advice from anyone, I tend to just go with my instincts (which is not necessarily a good thing!)
Hmmmmm that's a tough one, I rarely take advice from anyone, I tend to just go with my instincts (which is not necessarily a good thing!)
What advice would you give other creative business starting out?
Haha go with your gut! Starting a creative business can be a bumpy ride so it's important that you're doing something you truly love. Some days you will hate it and want to give up entirely, but if you are genuinely passionate about what you do those feelings will pass and you'll want to pour all your energies in to creating a product or a business that you love. I think passion for something is a little bit contagious - if you love it other people will love it too.
Haha go with your gut! Starting a creative business can be a bumpy ride so it's important that you're doing something you truly love. Some days you will hate it and want to give up entirely, but if you are genuinely passionate about what you do those feelings will pass and you'll want to pour all your energies in to creating a product or a business that you love. I think passion for something is a little bit contagious - if you love it other people will love it too.
Do you have any exciting plans for your business in the future?
I'm just in the process of sampling fabric which I can sell by the metre - it's something I've wanted to do for years and I'm really excited about it! I've also applied for some Arts Council funding to develop my creative practice, but I have no idea if I'll get it so watch this space....
Where can people find out more about you? Do you have any selling events coming up that you want to tell people about?
No selling at the mo apart from online, but people can find me either on Instagram @miesjechafer or my website www.miesjechafer.com
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