 |
| Christmas Earrings - Candy Canes and Mistletoes |
I have recently interviewed Ugnė, the lovely entrepreneur behind the wonderfully creative and happy store, Frozen Crafts.
Age: 17
Where are you from? I am from Lithuania, Europe.
2. Tell us a bit about yourself and your shop/ business.
I mostly sell handmade jewelry and accesories made from polymer clay. Bracelets, earrings, keychain and lots more! Sometimes even sculptures.
Making stuff from polymer clay was (and is) my hobby. I'm glad I can make some money off it :) other than that, I am just a simple teenager, who likes music and going out with friends!
Right now I'm trying to convince my best friend into starting a shop - she's a wonderful traditional artist! We made a deal, that I put one of her drawing in my shop to see how it goes! You can see that here.
I have two years of school left, after that I will be moving to England, to study in a university. Preferably something to do with computer graphics :) If there are any graphics (banners, custom icons, etc.) you need done, please contact me! I need to set up a good
portfolio, so it's a win-win :)
 |
| Cute Bracelet - Strawberries |
3. When did you open your shop?
June 30, 2011
4. Why did you decide to start your shop?
I had a bunch of stuff made from polymer clay and I always wanted to make more, but with time it became expensive. So I decided to sell them - I make a profit AND have money to buy supplies to make even more!
5. How do you promote/ market your business? What works best?
Mostly social networks. I started off on deviantArt.com, then I joined some etsy teams, finally I made a facebook page AND, after that, a tumblr account. The most traffic comes from etsy, but I'd say deviantArt and Tumblr work best from social networks.
 |
| Cute Sushi on Plate Necklace |
6. What’s your favourite item from your shop and why?
Oh, that is a hard question! But I think I'll say that this sushi plate is - I love the way the details on the miniature sushis came out! I'm actually surprised it hasn't sold yet.
7. Do you also do business offline? If yes, what do you prefer and what works best?
No. I tried, but selling here doesn't make much profit and it's really hard.
8. Where do you get inspiration?
My friends, boyfriend and well, the internet! I don't really have a single thing that inspires me.
Though, even if it sounds a bit greedy, I get inspired to make more stuff every time I see "someone has purchased you item" :D It's a really good motivation!
9. Who is your target audience? Who would typically buy an item from you?
Well, mainly my audience would be women and girls, as I sell jewelry and, for example, rainbow accessories. But sometimes, something geeky kicks into my shop, like little
sculptures from games, which make a nice gift for a guy as well!
 |
| Mario Mushroom Earrings |
10. Do you ship internationally?
Yes, I ship everywhere!
11. What has been the most challenging part of starting and running your own business?
At first, it's having no feedback. I was very lucky to get a sale in less than two weeks! The thing is, when you have no feedback, people can't really trust you. But after my first sale, I get more and more feedback, sales and attention.
The hard part now is advertising and trying to get some more eyes on your shop. I spend a lot of time on the computer, constantly updating and finding new ways to show my work. It's the only way you can get your shop noticed!
12. What has been the best part of starting and running your own business?
The happiness of your first sale! I was soooo happy to see that I've sold my first item! I called my friend and literally screamed into the phone, that I got a sale!
Right now I'm always happy to get featured somewhere, get sales and all things like that - it shows that people like your work and what you do, so it's really flattering :)
13. Do you have any business tips you’d like to share with us?
Always take nice and clear pictures of the stuff you are selling;
Advertise wherever you can - maybe it's called spam sometimes, but it helps;
Always keep track of holidays and how much time does shipping/making the item takes - people start their holiday shopping pretty soon, so be sure your shop is filled with holiday-ish stuff when the times comes!
 |
| Earrings - Christmas Trees |
14. If there were anything you could change about your business, right now, what would it be?
I'd like to have a model for taking pictures of my stuff. I thought of asking my best friend, but she doesn't have her ears pierced (strangely almost none of my friends do...), and since the most I have are earrings...
Other than that, I like my shop and there's not much more I want to change.
15. What are your goals and dreams for your business for the future?
If I could make money for a living from this, I'd be more than happy. "Find a job that you like and you won't work for the rest of your life".
I wish I could, someday, open a shop of my stuff in England!
16. Where do you hope your shop will take you?
I dream of having my own shop, but I just hope to keep this bussiness running better and better every day!
17. What’s next now? Could we get a sneak peak of what you’ll be doing and sharing next?
I'll be filling my shop with new items in the next few days - some Christmas, some gaming stuff and some stars!
Nothing more I can tell now :)
18. Is there anything else you would like to share with us?
I would be glad to get some tips, critiques and anything else, just contact me! :)
 |
| Rainbow Star Bracelet |
Thanks so much to Ugnė for letting me interview your lovely self! We can't wait to see what you're making and selling next.
Please show Ugnė some love by visiting her links below.
Be sure to ask her questions and show some love in the comments below!
No comments:
Post a Comment