local markets :: tia anica

and we’re back! we’re back with more national talent… the name of the next guest’s brand is too funny, yet so traditional. for all of you english speakers, maybe you won’t be able to understand, but trust me, it is funny! before i go on and tell you who is the next guest, i would just like to mention that this interview is also representative of all the benefits of having a blog, of putting myself out there, of all the sharing that happens here. if there is one thing, that we bloggers will say about the best thing, we will say that friends and meeting new people that become friends, is one of the best things. well, ana is that friend i met online. she is almost my neighbour actually, she was already my customer on the {etsy shop}, and we share funny stories & comments over on facebook… both in english or portuguese, whatever sounds better at that time. ana started presenting some of her handmade things in october (i think!) and before i could tell, this lady became really busy and started to share her almost hidden skills. so with no further ado… ana from {tia anica}.

can you tell us something about yourself? whow… this is a question which i never know how to answer. well, i’m 37, was born in lisbon, currently living in cascais,  the greatest place on earth, wife and mother to an 8 year-old boy. i’m a working mother and besides having to do all things working mothers do, i love reading and crafts. though i love to have a job (specially in tough times like these) i think i’d love be a stay at home mom.

how did {tia anica} start? {tia anica!} was living in a drawer for quite sometime until the day in which i took a workshop just for fun, with a friend – covering agendas and notebooks with fabrics. i knew that i wanted to do something craft wise, but needed something to pull me out. then, when i posted the picture of my agenda on facebook, {tia anica!} just had to leave the drawer and move into our guest room. it was huge! after 2 weeks i had about 150 orders (christmas was coming, that was the main reason) and was working on it on every free time i had. for almost 3 months i dreamed, breathed and talked about agendas. then the holiday season was over, the new year came and now {tia anica!} is preparing new things to be shown. as i don’t have a lot of time and like to evaluate risks, things may take their time but {tia Anica!} will end up having new stuff to share!

what inspires you? this is a difficult one. i don’t have defined inspiration spots. i spend a lot of time browsing the internet. i’m a blogaholic and i follow a lot of them. that’s probably one of the places that inspire me the most. another thing i just love is reading magazines: fashion, decorating, you name it. that’s another source of inspiration. but to be honest, i can be inspired by looking at a rock on the sidewalk, i just have to be tuned in!

what advice can you give for those small business owners in our country? at this point i’m not at ease to advise people as i’m also working to get {tia anica!} more visibility, but there’s one thing i know: don’t expect it to grow in 2 or 3 days and don’t expect to make a living out of it (at least in the beginning, though this is a secret dream of mine). be patient, read about creating your business, talk to people, be original. it’s true that it’s more and more difficult to be original, but there’s always a different twist you can include in your work.

just gather as much information as you can – and then be wise when following the tips given. i don’t know how many books, blog posts, magazine articles i’ve read about craft businesses. they’re not the solution but they can help you defining the path you want to take.

put your business in a place where everybody can see it. in {tia anica’s!} case it was facebook and i know a lot of people with different businesses there that have had their sales increasing a lot. i notice that small businesses have a huge visibility on facebook, as their owners are publishing constantly about them. the funny thing about this is that i have made some friends through facebook and that may be helpful too, as you can exchange ideas about diverse topics and help each other. opening a store on etsy may also be helpfull. i haven’t taken that step yet as it implies investments i wasn’t ready to take in the beginning but i’m now seriously considering it.

what do you think would be helpful for small business owners in our country? well, well… this is portugal and there’s one thing i know: our personality doesn’t help. i see a lot of envy around whereas when i talk to friends who have similar businesses, in the us and the uk it doesn’t happen so often. letting go of what your neighbour does and focusing on your own work would help a lot. another thing i’ve noticed is that, as in all other areas, you have lobbies. if you do something not very well accepted by the others, your image will be damaged. nevertheless, this hasn’t happened to me (yet!). I know it and know it from talking to other people.

the most important thing is that your small business has to be a combination of what you do and you have to like it. do it with your heart, don’t listen to others (though sometimes it may help!!!) and talk about it. a lot. i took 2 blogging e-courses with holly becker from {decor8} and she always emphatizes this: speak about it and do what you like (this is, of course applicable to blogs and it fits perfectly in the small business area). if you love what you do, you’ll have a great pleasure in creating and the final outcome will be great. if you talk about it, people will be curious and will want to know more about your business. there is one thing i know for sure: the day {tia anica!} started showing up on Facebook, she never stopped making others talk about her!

thank you so much ana, for sharing your thoughts as a beginner in this project of yours! it is really interesting to read different opinions from artists that are on different stages in their professional crafty life! yes, it represents a risk, yes, it depends on our time (a lot!!!), it depends on our persistence (so much too!)… but if you really love what you do, step by step, things will work out and there will be something that be rewarding enough to keep you going! ana is the writer behind a lovely blog called {milk} and is also on {facebook} & {flickr}!

what is {local markets}? a community dedicated to the very best portuguese talented & independent artists that strive for an original work and exquisitely executed handmade design & photography. once a week, there will be a special feature for these artists, to spread the word about their talent, to introduce you to new & fresh work. {local markets} is an original feature from {a place for twiggs}.