Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Sherrill.
Amanda, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
While living in North Carolina, my husband and I began fostering dogs. We ended up falling in love with our first foster pup and ultimately “foster failed.” We adopted Maddi and suddenly we were a family of 4, two people and two pups. After volunteering for the rescue for awhile, we really felt we could do more than only volunteer our time. With some creative brainstorming and market research, we came up with the idea to combine our newly found love of woodworking with my lifelong love of crafting to help support dogs in need. The business name was inspired by our wedding date, 6/25, the day we became partners for life and vowed to support each other and help each other achieve our dreams. We both love dogs and we truly have a passion to do whatever we can to help support dog rescues in any way we can. We donate 10% of each sale to a local dog rescue.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing worth anything is ever simple. The hardest thing for me was the marketing side. Crafting was simple, but with my background and schooling being chemical engineering, my knowledge of marketing was limited. I started taking lots of classes and reaching out to other shops that I saw were doing well. I joined many support groups and just started by taking it all in. Then, I started asking questions and that’s where I began seeing a major difference in sales and in my own self-confidence. Don’t ever feel dumb asking a question or getting it front of the camera. People are going to recognize that you want to succeed and they are going to relate to you. People can always go buy from a big box store. The reason people buy local and from small shops is because the sellers are relatable. We are everyday people just trying to make it!
We’d love to hear more about 625 HandCrafted.
I hand-paint dog (and cat) silhouettes on stained wood signs. There are also other pet-related decor signs listed in my Etsy shop. We donate 10% of each sale to a local dog rescue.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
Speak up, reach out, ask questions. Don’t be afraid to just message someone you see on Instagram or Facebook. Chances are they would love to help. We have all been there and we know what it’s like. The hardest thing about networking is getting past the fear of reaching out and asking. Just get to it!
Pricing:
- Pet silhouette signs are $20
- Personalized silhouette signs are $25
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/625Handcrafted
- Email: 625HandCrafted@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/625handcrafted/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/625HandCrafted/
Image Credit:
Amanda and Daniel Sherrill
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