Running a Physical + Digital Product Combo Business – with Emily Sheehan of Woolly Bear Knits

Today’s guest – Emily Sheehan of Woolly Bear Knits – is doing exactly that.

She is a knitter and knitting pattern designer who started her business in 2019.

At Woolly Bear Knits, you’ll find cozy, modern knit accessories all hand-knit with ethically-sourced yarn to keep you warm on all your everyday adventures.

Emily entered the handmade business world with previous business experience, and we discuss how that helped her in the beginning of this journey, and how her business evolved to offer both finished knitted products, and knitting patterns over time.

We also discuss:

• Dealing with the isolation of being self-employed
• Product photography
• Knowing who your ideal customer is and how to reach them
• The importance of branding
• Not following the competition, and more!

You can listen to the podcast below, or on your fave podcast app – or you can watch it on YouTube!

Keep thriving,

Jess

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• Emily started her company, Woolly Bear Knits (named after the Woolly Bear Caterpillar) in 2019. She was a stay-at-home mother at the time and living in Minnesota where the weather is cold. Having lived in California and Colorado for some years, Emily was wanting to spend more time outdoors and rediscovered knitting with Merino wool to create cosy hats to keep her warm in the Minnesota winter.
• Emily discussed how she transitioned to knitting as a business, and this started when she made hats as a fundraiser for her sister who had a not-for-profit business.
• Her sister had previously operated a successful Etsy shop and encouraged Emily to start one herself.
• Emily’s background is in business and human resources, and this has helped her a lot to run the business on her own.
• Having started her company in 2019, she had one full selling season (October to December) at markets etc. before the Covid pandemic. However, during lockdown, her hats, and particularly her downloadable knitting patterns, took off as people looked for new hobbies and online products.
• Emily has tried in the past to sell other products such as macrame during the summer months, but this never took off. Summer is now her time to build stock and complete admin tasks such as updating her website.
• Jess noted that it’s important for new business owners to get to the know the ebbs and flows of their particular product in their particular region, and not panic when there is a slow season. 

‘…Some of us just got really lucky in terms of the timing… I had two years of experience by then [Covid] and was able to scale my business a little bit more during that busy time, but if I were just getting started during that busy time, it would have been a different story.’ {Emily} 

• Jess spoke about the isolation that some makers experience and how important it is for them to realise that they’re not alone in their struggles. She started her business in 2008, the year of the Global Financial Crisis, and has seen ebbs and flows along the way. The current financial issues will also pass.
• Emily highlighted the importance of having a network of maker friends, who don’t necessarily make the same thing, but can offer advice or suggestions about aspects of running the business, or just provide support.
• Marketing was discussed. Emily mostly finds customers for her hats through Instagram, though she posts her knitting patterns on TikTok.
• An email list is also important for Emily, and she would recommend this to makers. She created a free digital download of the products she uses (wool, tools, etc.), and makes this available on her website for customers to click on, giving her their email address. This is the number one driver of people to her email list.

• Jess asked about how to balance the selling of two different types of products: finished items and patterns. Emily divides her products on the Etsy shop into sections, keeping the knitting patterns separate to the finished knits. The website which she set up last year is also divided the same way.
• It has occurred once that someone purchased a pattern instead of a finished hat, so Emily states very clearly in the first line of the product description whether it is a knitting pattern or a knitted hat / cowl. Makers should make it as obvious as possible that the item is downloadable or a finished product.
• The creation of downloadable patterns was discussed. Emily advised that it’s best to take a look at other patterns as there is a standard format. She has some templates available for sale on her Etsy shop for those who wish to design their own products. Once the pattern is written, she has some knitting friends use the pattern and seeks feedback. It’s also important to keep track of comments or questions that customers are asking in case there is something that needs to be fixed in the pattern.

• Jess asked for advice from Emily for new makers: 

‘…Something that I’ve learned over time is not to compare yourself too much to others. Go in trying to be who you are, you bring something unique to your craft… {Emily}

• Jess and Emily agreed that it can be a trap following other makers who do the same as you as you can feel too much pressure. Find what you do best, and who your ideal customer is, and focus on that.
• Work life balance was discussed. The maker life has allowed Emily more flexibility to spend more time with her son, but now he’s at school, she restricts her work time to during school hours and tries to take time for herself to walk or do yoga.
• There are changes ahead however as Emily has recently hired some people to help with her knitting and will soon be starting a part-time job in human resources.
• Jess queried how Emily’s business has affected her relationship with knitting. Emily stated that knitting is definitely not a hobby anymore, and she would choose to do something else in her downtime. This aspect can be difficult for some makers to deal with, so if you want to keep your hobby just for yourself, then that’s ok too.

• Emily spoke about her product photography, and the importance of having good photographs of your items, both in flat light and in a lifestyle setting.
• The biggest highlight for Emily during her maker journey has been all the friends and networks that she has been able to make. Emily’s hats have also been featured on a local television show which was very exciting for her, and she received the Etsy’s Pick badge for some of her products.
• Advice from Emily: Know who your ideal customer is and market towards them. For example, Emily wants to encourage people to spend more time outside in whatever way feels authentic for them, so this is the audience she markets towards.
• Makers should also figure out what makes them unique and don’t try to be like everyone else. This might not be super clear in the beginning but continue to hone in on what that is for you as an individual
• Jess agreed with this and the importance of branding – This is telling a story, and that story runs through everything that you put out. However, you also need to connect this story with your product, and with your customers, and show how your products can solve a particular problem that they have.

• Quote from Emily is by Elsie de Wolfe, interior designer – ‘I am going to make everything around me beautiful; that will be my life.’ This was in a hair salon and stuck with Emily as her mother taught her to always appreciate the beauty in the little things. Making beautiful things and sharing them with others is really satisfying and resonated with Emily.
• You can find Emily on Instagram @woollybear_knits, on TikTok @woollybearknits, and on her website, woollybearknits.shop.