Have you ever wanted to do something you loved but you weren’t sure if it was worth the risk, or if it would pay off in the end? I had that same feeling when I was thinking about opening an Etsy shop to sell creations I enjoyed making for fandoms I was passionate about. I was scared no one would really like them, or that it would truly just flop and my once dream would become just a distant memory of something I used to want. As someone who is terrified of failure, it was appealing to me less and less to open a shop. One day this past year, I saw my cousin open a shop online for Disney pins with his wife, and I sat down to talk to them about their experience selling, and if it truly was worth taking that risk. Of course they told me that it was a huge risk for them, and they were scared when they started because a lot of people make Disney pins and they weren’t sure if anyone would like their ideas or if they were already taken by other pin makers. However, during this talk, they also let me know that they’re doing extremely well with sales on their pins and they were happy they took this risk. My cousin knows me very well, and knows I’m very creative, so his wife and him let me know to give it a shot. I still wasn’t sure, despite them telling me how rewarding it was, in terms of friendships they’ve formed, and creating pieces they were happy with. I took everything they told me into consideration, and although I already had an Instagram made, I was still hesitant.
I sat for a while after this conversation, and ended up talking to them again, mostly my cousin’s wife. I told her I wanted to work on this with a partner, and asked about her experience working with friends and more importantly, her husband. She told me that some friendships ended up getting weird because of the whole business aspect of it, but that she took it with a grain of salt. Not every friendship is going to survive a business relationship, and that’s okay. She told me that if I truly wanted to work with a partner, it would need to be someone who I can work well with and bounce ideas back and forth with, someone who would respect the process and not take advantage of me. Someone equal to me that I get along with well. I immediately knew who that person was. My best friend, Karrie. I wasn’t sure if she would be down to do it as she’s more practical, so I called her and told her my ideas, and waited for her to give me her response. To my surprise, she said she’d love to start a business with me. That night, we sat down, created our social media pages, our Etsy profile, and talked about what we wanted to create. We discussed having other team members to help manage finances, social media, and possibly creating a website. We worked out the kinks, and gathered our team and we finally opened for business. We wanted to do something we loved, something we were passionate about.
For so long, Disney & Harry Potter have brought us so much happiness, and we wanted to find a way to give back that magic we had tasted. Our shop will feature items from the classic Disney Ears custom made for characters and times of the year, to hand painted tapestries. This is an outlet for creativity and making the world just a little bit brighter with items that we hope spread magic and happiness around the world. It took a while for this dream to take form in the real world, but we’re excited to share the items we create with such joy. Don’t be afraid to do something you’ve dreamed about. There will be some downs, but as long as your remember the ups and that they exist, I think it’s worth everything. Nothing comes easy, it takes a lot of dedication and sacrifice, but once you get the foundation laid down, anything is possible. Risks are here to teach us lessons, whether it works out or not, there’s always something to be learned. I want to encourage everyone to take that first step, whether it’s opening a small business, or changing your major, take that risk. To quote a lyric from one of my favorite songs off of the 1975 album “If you never shoot, you’ll never know”. I hope you all shoot, because it’s better to have tried and failed, than to have never known at all.
- Our shop is @WizardsInWonderland on Instagram @wzrdzinwndrland on Twitter
- The link to our Etsy is here
- Check out my cousin on his IG as well for some really cool pins @EnchantedThoughtsClub
Love,
A Girl Boss in the making