Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Meaghan Schmaltz, Founder of The Unapologetic Knitter, located in Hillsboro, OR, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
While I feel like there are a lot of facets to my business - knitting, designing, social media work, etc. - my day-to-day bread-and-butter work is technical editing of knitting patterns. I work with independent designers and book publishing houses to review patterns for mathematical accuracy and clarity of instructions to ensure that a knitting pattern is accessible to a wide range of makers.
Tell us about yourself
I used knitting as an outlet for stress in my previous jobs. As I progressed with my own knitting skills, I wanted to help other knitters write patterns that were accessible and easily understood, so in 2016, I took up the mantle of becoming a technical editor and haven't looked back! Throughout my various jobs post-college, I always put a lot of focus on the little details. Counting, tracking, and checking for accuracy were sometimes simple (sometimes not) tasks that fulfilled me each day. In my current work as a technical editor, which is truly where my happiness lies, I get to sift through the numbers of each knitting pattern and make sure the math works out. I suppose, stepping back, I like math. Making things make sense makes me happy.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I recently completed the technical review of my 10th knitting book. I'm always honored to be asked to work with a designer, but to be trusted to create templates for patterns and review the work of 25+ designs for a book is more than an honor... I'm not even sure there's a word for it, though I'm sure there is. To interact with each designer for these books and helping them be proud of their published work fills my cup to the brim.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Accepting that I am a flawed human. As an editor, it's my job to make sure that a pattern is without error, and while I make every effort to check each piece of math or every phrasing of instruction, sometimes little things get by, and that falls on my shoulders. And it's a heavy burden some days. I never want a client to feel that I haven't done my best, and on those days is when I have to remind myself that my clients are human, as am I, and some days our best still isn't perfect. So I pull up the proverbial bootstraps, make it right, and move on to make the next edit even better.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Trust yourself. If you have the desire to start a business, it means you see a need for it. While we're all unique in our own ways, if you see a need for it, I'll bet someone else does too. It can be a huge idea or a small idea
in the public eye or behind the scenes. Trust that you know enough to help other people, and you will! - Invest in yourself and your idea. Starting out any business has costs. Whether those costs are financial (purchasing software, paying website fees, marketing) or time investments (taking classes, building your website, promoting yourself on social media), it's worth it. Investing in yourself, even if it's just taking the time to learn a new skill to make your business stronger, shows your customers that you believe in yourself so they can, too!
- Set boundaries for yourself. Starting a business can be all-consuming and takes a lot of emotional effort beyond the day-to-day grind. But it's important to make sure that you take time to step away from it each day and give yourself space to breathe. It will give you more energy to start the next day over!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: http://unapologeticknitter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unapologeticknitter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notsorryknitter/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.