A View From the Starting Line – A Conversation with Teenpreneur Tierney Schmidt

Sometimes when people start a business or something with something they love to do, and they do it all the time and so much, sometimes they don't like doing it anymore, but I like doing it even more. Yeah, so I think now it's like I'm doing something I love, but there's a purpose to it.

Hello and welcome to the Founder's Shares Podcast brought to you by Hutchison, a law firm in Raleigh, North Carolina that helps founders and entrepreneurs in technology and life science companies start up, operate, get funded and exit. So whether you're already an entrepreneur or want to be one someday, or are just fascinated by the stories of how a business goes from idea to success, or not such a success, this podcast is for you. So today we have something a little bit different

Thank you for having me.

So tell our listeners just a little bit about yourself.

Well, hi, my name is Tierney. I'm a 15 year old entrepreneur, and I'm also homeschooled and in my sophomore year of high school. So yeah, I mean, when I'm not crocheting or doing school, I also do a lot of dance. So I dance in my dance studio for like eight to 10 hours a week, so I'm there pretty much all the time. And then when I'm not at dance, I'm crocheting.

So I love it. You introduce yourself as an entrepreneur. So like, when did you first start to think of yourself as an entrepreneur?

Well, I mean, since she was a young age, so like, when my mom, when I was little, my sister was in preschool, like... Me and my mom would do these crafters at my sister's preschool and I would always. Like. Sell these baked goods at my sister's craft fair and all these things. So it's like, I've been just kind of in a business mindset since a young age and like, I don't know, making money has always been kind of fun for me to do.

Well, I said that's an interesting question. Is that what drew you to it? Is this the chance to make money? Did you like the making part of it? What was it that drew you to being an entrepreneur?

I mean, the money part was nice, I guess, because my parents' allowance, I guess, didn't contribute enough to my everyday purchases that I would want to make. But so I was like, oh, I need to find a fun, be more creative way. And I guess, when I was that young, I was only six years old, so I really didn't like, wasn't definitely not old enough to get a job or anything. So it was definitely like a way I could use my creative skills to, I guess, I don't know, make money.

Amount. Yeah, well, I mean, as I look back on it, it seems like you really liked. The control, I guess, of having your own money. And then if you wanted something, you could buy it. But it wasn't always, you've always done a good job of not spending money just because you had it, you would say, for goals and those types of things. And so I've always wondered whether the money was what motivated you or whether it was the chance to kind of make something and have other people excited about it.

Yeah, I think it was like a little bit of a mix of both though, because like, it's always fun to see people like, excited about, I guess, a product that you're selling or whatever, and also be like, excited, like, oh, I wanted this or whatever. Or then they're like, just so happy or whatever, like when they like... See the thing that you've gotten like that. They got from your business or whatever and stuff like that. Or people bring it up to you like, oh, I saw you do this

So you mentioned kind of almost like bake sales that you would do for your sister's craft fair or something like that. What are some other early businesses that you you did or ways that you tried to make money.

So when I was five years old, one of my friends got me a Rainbow Loom kit kit for my birthday. Actually, two of the friends got me Rainbow Loom kit kits for my birthday. And so that, like I think immediately that night, me and my dad were up from YouTube, like researching YouTube videos on like figuring out how to do this like... Rainbow Loom kit sort of stuff. And so I spent hours and hours and hours and hours doing all this Rainbow Loom kit stuff. And I was like, who knows? People

This is the thing too that always got to me is like your perseverance and your desire to do it. Probably even in spite of... Your parents' hesitation? Because I remember that one. So like, how old do you think you were when you did that?

I was probably like seven-ish.

You came to us and you're like, hey, dad, mom, I want to set up a booth at the end of the driveway to sell our Rainbow Loom kit creations. And we're like, oh. Okay, yeah, those will be nice, man. But like despite kind of our hesitations or our reservations, you're like, yeah. I'm gonna do it and people are gonna buy it. And so my memory of that is like, We put you out at the end of the driveway and we go away because I think we're

That's why I don't have to like, even if my parents are discouraging, not really discouraging, but like, not as like, I guess, thinking it's gonna be successful, I have to keep persisting and pushing through, so. I mean, I was probably out there for probably four hours or so, but like... I guess it would still, every sale made me keep wanting to stay out there, so it was always.

Well, I think that's important, I mean, because even for the other founders that we talked to, this idea of perseverance in the face of people saying no or investors saying no or people not liking, I mean, there's this knack of being able to believe in yourself. Believe in what you're trying to do, take people's advice,

I mean, like Lemonade stand are definitely a very big part of like my entrepreneur shift.

God bless our neighbors.

Yeah, lots of Lemonade stand, either with friends or by myself or with my sister. Yeah, I did lots of Lemonade stand, made good money off of that.

Tell us about the restaurant, because this was one of my favorite ones.

Oh, so when I was younger, I was like really into cooking and I was like, oh, my dream was to own this restaurant called Dice-a-Lotta and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to like start this restaurant. So I was like, I better start young or whatever. So like I saved up my money and I went to the third store and I bought all the groceries for all the dishes. And so then I came home and with a little bit of help from

I was gonna say, because that was the thing, is not only that you wanted to do this, you wanted like almost a dry run for your restaurant. So you're like, mom and dad, here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna have a date. I'm going to be your restaurant, I'm going to be your cook, and you're going to pay for it. Like in our own house? You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but it's going to be great.

So I'm going to pay for the groceries. So technically I'm going to make a profit.

You did. So you legit like came up with the menu, made menus with prices next to them, went out and bought the groceries, cooked. There was a little assistance because you were actually frying homemade tortilla chips, if I recall correctly.

I made homemade tortilla chips and all that stuff.

Yeah, and ended up, I believe, making a profit.

Yep, I did. I think it was probably before inflation, all that craziness, when I was probably seven or eight years old. I think it was like $20 for all the groceries and then I think I made $36. At the restaurant thing. So yeah, definitely made a profit.

So do you feel like you learned anything from these early? Kind of like early businesses that you did, anything that kind of stuck with you that you think about still today.

I guess like, I mean when I was little, like the Rainbow Loom kit things, like I believe that product would sell and I believe people would want to buy it, so I think it was just like knowing that people would actually be interested in purchasing. So I guess like trial and error, like I only sold Rainbow Loom kit items once and it was only like

Well, I mean, that's interesting because like the whole. Being a salesperson. I mean, in my view, you've always been a very outgoing person. Which is so foreign to me, because I'm a closet introvert, happy to stay that way, but to see you be able to go out and talk to anybody, how does that translate into business for you? And as you set up this business, how does that help you or how do you think about that?

I think being a confident person, or more outgoing like I am. I think it's like... People are more excited or I guess interested to like hear what I have to talk about because like. If you're more of a nervous person ever and like. You're too nervous to talk to people, then people aren't gonna be as interested in buying

Yeah, so they respond to your confidence, they respond to your ability to kind of tell them about it and get them excited about it for sure. Now, I know you spent a lot of time in Girl Scouts and did a lot with Girl Scout Cookie Sales. How do you think about that as it's impacted your businesses and your ability to think about things business-mindedly?

Well, I think like definitely like since I've been doing Girl Scouts since first year of second grade like I have. Had the saleswoman experience from a young age and I guess like being confident and like. Advertising for these Cookies and like even though like with Girl Scout cookies like people are already gonna want to buy them because they've been around for a long time so everyone already knows what girls' cookies are and whatever. Are interested in buying them. So it's definitely

Yeah, well, I see that a lot too, because again, going back to... My comfort level versus your comfort level. I just was always impressed with your ability to just walk up to anybody, hey. Want some Girl Scout Cookies?

I would sing to them and like have a, I made up a rap of. Girl Scout Cookie Song and I would like singing at the door of Harris Teeter and everyone would be like either really scared and run away or like I think it was humorous and like followed me to the stand.

But you know, a hundred percent of that. I mean, that's, I think in a lot of respects, that's what Marketing is, right? You got to throw something out there that's attracting people, makes people look, whether they decide to come that way or not. You've got eyes on you. You got some attention, but I also think that the Girl Scout Cookie Sales talk to me a little bit about like kind of goal setting, cause I feel like that. Influenced you in a certain way as well.

Yeah, so like to get like one of these Girl Scout Patches that was like register like a goal on like the Girl Scout Cookie app. So like. Usually our goal would probably be. Like 200 boxes, like each, me and my sister, because like we had to share the amount of cookies we sold. So if we each sold 200 boxes, then that was 400 cookies. Like 400 boxes of cookies or whatever. So we usually set a goal on the line just to either get that

So you talked about how... You know, the sales part or the interpersonal part was always easy for you. And you were very outgoing and confident.

Probably because like with the business, like with the Rainbow Loom kit or whatever, like it was just in our Neighborhood. So like, I think people support my business, like in the Neighborhood, just cause they felt bad for me, I guess, or like they were just being nice, nice neighbors to just support like this young girl's business. So I think it was just like, when I was younger, I didn't, it wasn't very like commercial, I guess.

It wasn't limited to your Neighborhood anymore, people that you knew you were actually selling to. Complete strangers at that point. Do you remember the name of the story?

It was... The artisan's market. Oh yeah, it was artisans.

The artisan's market, yeah. So they do a great job of kind of like promoting local artisans and kind of including them within their stores. So it was a great opportunity, again, for you at a very young age to get some experience of. Having to create enough inventory to kind of keep the store full and kind of making sure that you planned ahead with your supplies and those types of things.

Yeah, and like trying to make profit off of like also having to buy the supplies and all the things. So I bought all the supplies myself, then I had to make it all. It would take hours and hours and hours on the sewing machine, but. Yeah, it was super fun and I really enjoyed like having that entrepreneur like in brick and mortar store.

Yeah, it was, it's always super exciting because I still remember like we would be downtown and we'd swing in and like, oh, this is your stuff. How cool is that? You have stuff in the store, so. So now I understand you're in a whole new venture. Yes. Yes, tell us a little bit about what you're doing.

So currently I am running a small business called Crochet Alata Alata. You guys can follow me on Instagram, plug my Instagram.

So you say Crochet Alata Alata?

Crochet Alata Alata. So it's spelled Crochet Alata and then alata. So it's spelled just how it sounds. And yeah, so you guys can go follow me. I also have an Etsy shop. You can follow me there too.

So what is Crochet Alata Alata?

So Crochet Alata Alata Alata sells crochet items. So currently I'm working on. Beanies for an upcoming launch. So you guys get a little sneak peek there because I haven't announced that.

I was gonna say for the people who are just listening at home, you can't really see it, but...

I'm currently crocheting things.

She is actively filling supply for her business while we do this podcast.

So I'm working on beanies that I'm gonna... Launch at a in-person market that I'm doing. And I might put them on my Etsy shop too, depending on how long they take me. But currently I'm selling Crochet Alata items. So I don't know if you guys can, if you're watching, you can see, but.

I was gonna say, check out the social cause we've got pictures of some of the animals that she created. So tell us about them.

I have like many, I do a lot of like animal type things. They're called animagroomy or whatever. And it's like little just creatures. And so I have up here on the little stand, I have a little mini turtle, a mini sunflower turtle. My dinosaurs are super popular. I have like decor pumpkins for fall. And then like the reason why I'm on the podcast today, a little insider.

So this is where the truth comes out here. The reality folks is you can apparently bribe me to get onto this podcast. Cause again, in some respects, I think of you in some ways as a consummate marketer for your age, always looking for that opportunity to kind of promote your business and get it out there. So you came to me. A little bit of bribing. You did, you came to me and she's like, what do I have to do to get on your podcast? When are you gonna interview me on your podcast?

So I crocheted him this hippo, it's up here. It lives on his desk now in our house. But yeah, so.

I'll tell you, two days later, I had a hippo on my desk and she's like, all right, let's book an episode.

And it's been three months and I'm finally on the podcast.

Three months is a little bit of a stretch now. Let's not exaggerate.

Try to make yourself look good.

But it's true. My getting her on the podcast was longer than it took her to make the hippo.

But his excuse was like, oh, we already have a guest for two months. So yeah.

You know. But so, tell us, when did you first start to Crochet Alata?

So I've been crocheting since I was seven-year- old. And so I guess I was a little bit self-taught in a way. I mean, like I thought I was always super cool to learn how to Crochet Alata. So I think I... Had gotten some supplies somewhere. And then there was like this knitting group at our church and like, it was just a bunch of ladies. They were all probably in their sixties or whatever.

Yeah, it was great because it really was kind of a little old lady's knitting circle.

And then seven-year-old me.

In pops tyranny. Yeah. And they gave her cookies and some instructions on crocheting and knitting at the time. And you know, here she is today. So like, again, you talk about kind of self-taught. So like, if you wanted to learn how to make something new today, what's your first step? What do you go to kind of figure it out?

So usually most of my patterns are not original. I only have one original pattern. So I mostly just like search on YouTube for patterns and stuff, because they're usually just free. And like with YouTube videos, it's like, they show you each step like in a video by hand. So it's like super helpful to be able to just like watch like the person do it and you can like copy it along. But like. There's lots of great books

Yeah. So you touched on it a little bit, but what would you say is the hardest part about learning to Crochet Alata?

Personally for me it was like learning how to hold like the yarn and like have enough tension like with the yarn and stuff because Like if you're just like. Flopping your yarn like this or whatever, and like not holding onto it. It's gonna be really hard to consistently grab the yarn without getting frustrating. So it's like holding the yarn so it's enough tension so your stitches are all not tight or not too loose or whatever. So I think it was the tension of holding

So if somebody was just thinking about, hey, you know, crocheting sounds like fun, what's the first thing that they should do?

Well, you probably need to buy the supplies to learn how to Crochet Alata.

It does help to have a Crochet Alata hook and some yarn.

Yes. So yeah, I guess like find yourself a YouTube video. There's lots of good YouTube videos out there. Or on my Instagram right now, I'm currently working on some how to Crochet Alata videos, if you want to go. Check that out. I have videos of what supplies you're gonna need, and then how to first start, I have another one of those videos, which I need to film still, but it'll be out hopefully by the end of the week.

So now when you first started to Crochet Alata, were you thinking about starting a business or kind of when did it go from something you did for fun to, oh, you know, maybe I'll start a business about this.

Um, so like from about seven to probably from like seven to fifteen, I um, just crocheted. Like scarves and stuff and I didn't know how to do like any of the stitches to like make little Crochet Alata animals. So I just did single crochets and double crochets which are like just the simple stitches and really only make straight lines and stuff. So that year when I learned how to Crochet Alata, I made scarves for literally all my family members

Yeah, so what was the first craft show that you did?

So it was a craft show through Echo.

Yeah, shout out to Echo.

Oh yeah, they were on the podcast too.

Our former guest, Jerome and his team.

Yeah, so they had a Children's Business Fair since they have one of their programs, I think, is helping young children start entrepreneurship or whatever. And so, yeah, so I applied to the Business Fair and yeah, it was so fun. It was right during Centerfest also, so I was like, perfect timing for that. So yeah, I had super fun there and I made my first profit. And I was like, wow, this is actually like a profitable thing. So I thought I was just gonna do like one craft show

So tell us a little bit about the craft fair. So what did you have to do to kind of prep for that that was different than anything you'd done to that point?

So pretty much up to that point, I had just been making inventory and stuff. And then I also had to like. I was practicing my displays and stuff so that I would look good and draw people in and then all that stuff. So I had to, I guess, me and my dad built some display shelves and things to put on the craft fair table and all that stuff.

Well, when you say you built inventory, I mean, how many hours are we talking about to kind of get ready for a craft build?

Oh, I don't know. Each, so each item, so there's a little turtle up here and that took me probably an hour and a half to two hours, so it's definitely like... And imagine that repeated, I think I had... I don't know. I think it's like 50 or 60 different like Crochet Alata animals. So just like do the math there. It's like so many hundreds of hours of like... And just constant crocheting and buying supplies and all that stuff. And also setting up and stuff for business.

Well, talk to us a little bit about kind of like the because you had some other things that were there like. Created like a spinning wheel to get people to have a discount. Business Cards, because you had business. So like, where did the kind of these additional steps come into your mind or what made you kind of? Go beyond just having a table and having your animals on the table.

Yeah, so I've been doing some research on YouTube and stuff about different other people who do this as their jobs or whatever, and I found this one person. Who like, she literally only does Crochet Alata markets, so that's like her. Main way of selling her products. She doesn't do any online stuff, so she has so much different resources and stuff on her YouTube channel and Instagram and stuff about. What needs to bring to your market and like all these things like

Well, I mean, I think it's important because they, again, thinking back through some of the other interviews I've had with other founders, the importance of having people who have been down the same path before can offer advice, can offer kind of wisdom along that lines, you know, it's exactly what you did. Kind of with these craft our people and took some ideas and not just kind of directly copied them, but, you know, made

Umm, I think like... When I added up the numbers or whatever, of like how much money I made at my craft fair, I was like, oh. Like this is like awesome, like I have all this stuff. And so then like. I had an Instagram like at that time, but I hadn't, I didn't, was not a consistent poster and whatever. But like I've heard a lot of people at the market were saying hell like. Social media and stuff like really helps them, their business grow and get more exposure and

Well, I mean, touch on it a little bit, but I feel like there's a lot of things that you had to learn how to do, not only to do, the craft fair, but then now you talk about setting up your Stripe account so that you could take credit card payments, kind of talk through. Figuring out that you needed to do that and the steps that it took to kind of learn what you needed.

Yeah, so it's definitely still with the people, like I was saying. Who the YouTube videos I watched and all the people I did loads and so much research and stuff of like what important things I need to bring and like this one person suggested like. To get like a square chip reader so you can do credit card. And I had never thought, oh, to do credit card. I was like, that's... Crazy and So then I had to like go and apparently like small business owners out there like Square sends

Right, because again, especially kind of on the craft fair scenario, you don't know. What people are going to have to be able to buy what you need. And so, you know, that chance that they don't have the right payment options as they're walking through, that's a significant potential loss of sales. So, and again, you know, as you were kind of practicing with the card reader and those types of things, learning, oh, okay, if

Yeah, because the card payment takes, I think. Probably a total of 30 cents per transaction. Like if it was only a $10 item that they purchased, like I was only gonna make. Like $9.20 on the item, so it was definitely like. A learning experience of how to price my items to. Still make a profit if they are like a nice card or cash or Venmo or whatever for payment.

And so that brings an interesting question too. You're creating these things, you're putting hours and hours and hours of time into it. How do you go about thinking about pricing them and what was your process for that?

So there was the same, again, the person who I learned all my information and stuff about my small business from. Said that you need to like use how many hours it took you plus the cost of your supplies plus your hourly like Crochet Alata like minimum. Like I guess wage per hour, which I still haven't figured out technically, but like the general idea of like how long it takes me and how much the cost of supplies is usually what I factor into like pricing and stuff.

So did you learn anything I guess about pricing after the, I mean, did you feel like you set the price as well? Did you feel like you had to adjust it after the craft fair?

Um, yeah, I think my purchases were pretty good. I think like a few of the things I was like, oh yeah, maybe it should be like a little bit more expensive or a little bit cheaper or whatever, just to like, I don't know, make them more, people will want to buy them more, I guess. So yeah, I definitely think. Like my prices were good and I think I definitely like. The research and stuff that I completed. Beforehand definitely helped know how much to price things.

So were there any surprises from kind of that craft fair about like how Customers responded to you or about how they responded to different animals? Even like, did you expect one to sell more and then it turned out to be something different? Talk to us a little bit about that.

Yeah, so like another reason, like what I decided like what I was gonna sell or whatever, I would also like look up. What other people also know about other small business owners like what sold best at their markets. So that was definitely really helpful to like know like, oh, this person sold this many or of whatever of this item at their market and that sold super well and they made a good profit with that. Um, so yeah, I used a little bit of that, but I also was like, Oh,

There you go. Well, I mean, again, seeing those parallels between kind of what you're doing now and kind of what these other startups that we talked to are doing, it's just market research, talking to your Customers, getting feedback, taking that feedback and kind of adjusting what you're doing and kind of planning going forward. It all just seems to just line up at a different level of what you're doing here. So you moved on from the craft fair. And then decided to set up an

Yeah, so I currently have an Etsy shop and I'm also. On Instagram, so I've been having so much fun. I love making my Reels on Instagram and posting there. And I just did my first ever giveaway, so yeah.

So what was the giveaway? Why'd you do a giveaway?

So I had reached 100 followers, so it doesn't even seem like very much, but people, like my giveaway reel had like almost 700 views and like everyone was looking at other people's giveaways and like, They're always super popular and like one of the requirements right away was to follow me. So I would gain followers that way. Um, so yeah, I definitely. Having a giveaway like gave exposure because people had also tagged people in my comment section to be entered. To the prize.

So you say you enjoy kind of the Instagram Marketing. Talk a little bit about it. I mean, how are you learning to do that? Are you comfortable with it? Like what has surprised you or what's been the hardest part about that?

Yeah, so I follow a bunch of other like small business accounts. On Instagram and like the audios they use, I try to use more trending audios that are popular because then more people are going to view it if it's popular at that moment. So then I kind of see what other small businesses are posting and what Reels they post that are getting a lot of views. I use some of their ideas but I make it again my own so I'm not copying them but I'm borrowing their ideas in a way. So

Do you find that exhausting at all or is that just energizing for you?

It's a little bit exhausting because it's just like, to film a reel, it's like, one, you have to then scroll to find an audio, find an audio that will work, and then think of an idea that... Kind of not hasn't been done, but like, I guess, is unique to you that they would think would get you more views. So yeah, I think it's definitely a little bit tiring, and also having the time to sit down and film a reel. It's just a little bit of a lot of work. I can just post them from there.

So talk to us a little bit about the Etsy shop. So where is that at? That's a whole other learning curve that you have to go through.

Yeah, so like with the Etsy shop, I launched it earlier in October and it was just like posting the listings and that takes so long because I have to like take pictures of all the products and then I have to edit the photos and then I have to post them onto the Etsy shop and then I have to name the thing and write a description and like all this stuff. So definitely posting to the Etsy shop takes a long time. So it's definitely like not one of my favorite tasks of my small

And talking about the Etsy shop and selling through Instagram, you've entered in a whole other dynamic to your business because at a craft fair, somebody comes in, they buy it, you hand it to them, they walk out with it. Now you're shipping.

I have to figure out how much to charge for shipping so that I'm not paying too much for shipping and the cheapest way to send things is always my goal.

Any bad experiences with that so far?

Yeah, I sold this one. So for a while, my shipping was $5 because of what people were buying, how much it weighed. With that, it was $5 shipping. And then I realized that one package, I charged the person $5 shipping, and I didn't like. Go to the post office first and figure out how much it was actually going to cost. And the shipping was $12 and I was like, oh no. So I can't ask the customer now to send me more money. I

So. Again, you know. Learning curve. You're paying to learn something at that point in time, right? So where have you shipped to now?

So I've shipped to Tennessee, North Carolina, obviously, Colorado, and then I had a package I sent to Hawaii the other day, which was super exciting.

Well, this was kind of cool, because you did this one on your own too. Tell us a little bit why you shipped one to Hawaii.

So there's this one person on Instagram, I've been following her for a while, and she reviews small businesses. So I was like, you know, give it a try, you know, send this person a package. And she lives in Hawaii. So I was like, oh, perfect. And I also checked that off my sales map of different states that my packages have been sent to. And so she reviewed my business and she has almost 3000 followers on Instagram. So a lot more than

So other than these connections kind of online that you've been following and learning from, would you say you have any mentors or people? Like. I don't know, face to face, that had been helping you or kind of guiding you on the way or talk about that.

Yeah, I guess a little bit because my mom has a friend. And she is a social media. Like her job before she had kids was literally to like advertise on social media and advertise brands on social media. So I was, she was like, hey, if you ever want to talk about your business sometime, I'll have you talk to you. So I was like, great, I'll call her just, I guess see what she wants to talk about. And so she made a lot of tips and stuff on what I should like do and stuff like

Yeah, well, funny full circle story, because actually the reason we have a podcast today was this same person, because I was helping her just record some voiceovers for some Marketing that she was doing, and she started talking about doing business podcasts, and I was like, I really never really thought about this. This was years ago. And that kind of germinated the idea, and here we are with Founder Shares. So shout out to Jamie for that. What would you say are some of the challenges

I think it's probably been like discouragement and disappointment of like not getting any sales. So like currently it's October, I think 20th today and like I haven't gotten any sales this month. But like. In September I made so many sales. So I think it's definitely not getting discouraged when you're not making sales, even though like. Started my Etsy shop, I've gotten more followers here on Instagram. So it's definitely like... Not getting discouraged when you're not making

Well, I mean, that's the thing too, because I think in a lot of ways, you're laying the groundwork now for future success. You're going to have to have that shop in place. You're going to have to have followers and Marketing in place. And then sales will come in after that. So what would you say is the most rewarding aspect of what you've been doing so far?

I think making sales, I love packaging the orders I get so much, they're so fun for me to do. I think the chef's like... Every time I get an order, even if it's someone I know, I'm just like, oh my gosh, another order I get. Just like, growing my business even more. And I think it's just been really fun. I also just love crocheting.

Yeah, for sure. Talking a little bit, you talk about the purpose, but do you have specific goals for the business or things that you want to accomplish?

Yeah, so currently my goal is to make more consistent sales for my business, but I definitely like... My overall goal is to probably make like four figures a month like with my Crochet Alata business. So I definitely think like I was really close to that in September, but. October. Looks like it's not going to make it that way. But I think just having more consistent sales, like an average

So what are some of the other challenges? I mean, because you talk about how labor intensive kind of creating these things are. So. What happens when it does blow up and go big and you get an order for like 50 animals or something like that? I mean, do you think about that and kind of those challenges?

Yeah, I think also because I am such a busy person, I mean, I'm still, I'm a sophomore in high school, so I'm still doing all high school stuff. I'm still trying to have a social life and also. I don't do any sports, but I dance all the time. So I think it's also like trying to figure out like, oh, here I can Crochet Alata for 20 minutes in between this class and this class and like try to like make sales and stuff that way. But I think like definitely I try to,

Yeah, well, it's good that you say you still enjoy doing it because again, when it's all that work, you do have to have that kind of... Reason for doing it and enjoyment of it. So that's good.

I definitely like, I get some pain in my Wrist and stuff now, so I have to like practice like stretching out my Wrist and things so that I don't get like arthritis or anything in my fingers.

I was gonna say, that's real. You're way too young for carpal tunnel at this point. But you know, the dangers of a- I just gotta stretch out the Wrist. The dangers of a Crochet Alata business. So do you, would you say you have any sort of like business role models, people you look up to and they're like, oh, that would be amazing to be like that person.

Yeah, there's this person online and she's, I've talked about her already today, but I'll give her a plugger in right now. She's, it's her, I think her Instagram handle is Camryn's Cute Creations and like, she's a Crochet Alata business and like, all she does is markets, but like, she like has all these tips and tricks out there and all these things and like, as a person,

So. Yeah, for sure. So have people offered advice, unsolicited advice to you? And if so, what would you say the best advice you've received so far in connection with your business? Um, let's see. You don't have to have.

I don't know. I haven't received any specific advice, but like. I guess me personally, I tell myself, is it gonna keep going, like whatever, even if you're not getting any views on your Reels or whatever, you just gotta keep making them because eventually one day people are gonna see it. So I don't know.

I feel like at the craft fair too, you talk to a lot of the other people who own stalls there, anything that they suggested to you or any tips or tricks?

Yeah, I mean, all of them are basically saying how social media has really helped them and just to get their business out there and stuff. So definitely they're just like, keep posting on social media and keep doing all these things. And so people suggested going live and stuff to really interact with people. So I haven't done that yet, but. It's definitely like, they were, it just like gave tips and stuff on like how they

So I guess what's next? What do you see coming up for Crochet Alata a lot of?

Well, Crochet Alata lotta has a, um, Like, Kraftler coming up, it's December 5th.

Where's that going to be?

It's going to be at King's Park International Church. It's going to be in the morning, middle of the day. Yeah, but I'm releasing things to my Etsy shop, so just like growing Etsy, making more Reels, just. Keep going, I don't think I'll be doing any more markets this fall, but I'm hoping to do, my goal is to do at least like four markets a year. That's gonna be my like one every quarter. Okay. Will be my, again, a goal starting next year. So we'll see.

And then aside from Crochet Alata a lot of any other businesses in mind.

I don't know. We'll see.

Come on. I need the preview here so we can come back to this podcast.

I mean, no. Right now it's just crocheting and I'm trying to get through high school.

No. We'll see. Is high school really nec... No, I'm just kidding. I'm your dad. High school, of course, is necessary.

So necessary. Some things I'm learning, I'm like, is that really necessary?

So we are the Founder Shares Podcast. And I like to ask all of our guests, if there was one piece of advice that you would share with somebody who's thinking about starting a company, what would that advice be?

I mean, my advice would probably don't get discouraged when you don't have any sales because I feel like. It could be really discouraging like this month. I could have like given up like, oh my gosh, didn't get a single sale this month and like give up on posting Reels, give up on my Etsy shop, give up on like making markets and going to markets and things like that. So I think

So where do you find that strength? Where do you find that encouragement to kind of keep pushing on?

Well, I think I like people like other people, other small business owners, like I'm like it worked for them. Like they eventually had success, but even though they probably had a lot of like struggles and like it didn't happen right away, like it didn't happen overnight, like there is struggles, but like it worked for them. So I think just like knowing that it is possible, but it's gonna be a lot of work, but it is possible to keep going.

All right, so now's your chance. So how are our listeners supposed to connect with you? How do they find out about Crochet Alata Allada?

Okay, so if you go to my Instagram, you can follow me on at Crochet Alata Allada. It's just Crochet Alata and then Allada. And then my. Etsy shop is linked in my bio and then you can also DM me with custom orders and then I'll be yet. Future market song. I always advertise them on my social media, so. If you want to see me in person at a market. I'll be Advertising on social media.

Sounds good. Well, Tierney, I can't wait to see where this goes. Can't see what the next business holds and thanks for coming along.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Founder Shares Podcast. If you're a founder or business owner and need legal advice, be sure to check out our team at hutchlaw.com. That's hutchlaw.com. We have the capacity to help you out with just about any legal need your company may be facing. We're passionate about the innovation economy and ready to help you on your entrepreneurial journey. The show was edited and produced by Earfluence