The seed was planted during the pandemic. Where I began upskilling my craft. At the time, I had no plans of turning this into a business. I viewed it as a hobby, as a means of escape – something to cut through the boredom of lockdown. 

When we transitioned out of lockdown, my house was filled to the brim with different handmade items. It was comical and overwhelming at the same time. We started giving away some of the creations to extended family but it didn’t even put a dent into the items remaining. It also didn’t help that while I was gifting I was also still creating new items.  

After I exhausted my gift-giving to family members I moved on to close friends and acquaintances. That was a bit nerve-wracking, I mean, it’s one thing to gift something personal to someone that loves you unconditionally, but it’s another thing to gift to an acquaintance. My creations are an extension of me. Each piece is unique and made with a lot of thought and care. So, there is a sense of vulnerability that comes along when you’re gifting handmade items. 

The feedback I was receiving was very positive. Immediately, I was asked to do Bulk orders. That is when my mindset started to shift and started seeing this as a potential business opportunity. Besides, I had developed new skills and it seemed a shame to put them aside when it showed so much potential. 

In the beginning stages, I experimented, I wanted to know if I was capable of handling multiple bulk orders at once. I also wanted to test out the feasibility of turning this hobby into a business. During this time, I realised what my capabilities were, besides being creative I was also good at time management, networking, being resourceful, and have to the ability to understand the needs of the customers. That is where my journey started.