I met Michelle a little while ago and fell in love with her beautiful dolls, so I thought I'd ask her to tell us her story.

Michelle Williams tells us the Poppy Bean and Bloss Story

I started my online business in February 2008, but really started working towards it 12 months before that. I had been looking for a present for my niece and had seen some sock monkeys on US websites. I told myself that I could make that, and I did. I had a few practice runs (which ended up with my children) and then made one for my niece which was a huge hit. A lot of people commented on how wonderful the monkeys were and that I should sell them. I started with sock monkeys (and a business name - The Super Monkey Shop. Never let your five year old choose a name to fill the last spot on the Business Name Registration form). In the last year I have expanded my products to include art folders, some gorgeous dolls and a few other things. I have also started doing some markets around Canberra, which I really enjoy.

Highlights and Lowlights

The highlights are easy - getting feedback from customers about how much their child loves the toy; making my sons bed in the morning and seeing that all the toys he has on his bed have been made by me; the joy of making, and being able to share what I make with others.

Lowlights - the main one would be finding the time to make. All the toys I make are very labour intensive and invovle a lot of hand sewing. With three young children and a day job which I also do from home and squeeze in around the children, time is very limited. Making sure that my toys would comply with Australian Safety Standards wasn't exactly a lowlight, but was a big learning curve for me. The tests are reasonably expensive for a micro business like mine, and I have had to revise designs a few times to ensure the toys complied, and have them retested each time.

Tips for other business mums

• A good written business plan is essential (and I promise I will do mine soon)

• Prioritise - with a micro business like mine it need to fit in with the family and I need to make sure that I don't over commit.
• Don't be afraid to ask - be it for help, advice or just a shoulder to cry on. A good network of supportive people is a wonderful thing.
• Be aware of any legislative requirements that cover your products, services or industry. The ACCC can be a great source of information for consumer related businesses.

Tags: handmade | craft | canberra

Last week I had great pleasure in meeting Tamara from CanberraHandmade.com.This is a web portal that has been set up with the aim to promote artists and crafts people living in Canberra and the surrounding area (within 100kms). It's a great opportunity to promote some of our local talent, so if you haven't already joined then I'd encourage you to do so. Visit canberrahandmade.com

Tags: handmade | craft