Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Norman.
Brittany, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It was 2014 and I was on maternity leave with our second daughter. Time was nearing for me to return to my full-time healthcare career. After crunching the numbers, we realized that childcare costs for an infant and two years old would take up most of my paycheck. So after some prayer, I talked to my husband about staying home with our girls while trying to make a little money on the side. This way, we’d save on childcare costs and I could figuring out how to create an income from home.
Without having any sort of business background and not wanting to go the direct sales route, I decided to combine my passion for home decor & DIY and open an online shop selling handmade home goods. I took what little savings I had and purchased a craft cutter, vinyl, paint, wood & some basic tools. I’ve always loved home decor, I dreamed of being an interior designer, but the tuition costs were well above what I could afford. I never thought after having a career in early education and healthcare, that life would come full circle and I’d be able to be back in the interior design world. Now, I’m a maker, shop owner & DIY blogger at Ellison Made and it’s the best job ever!
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been anything but easy. After starting my business, we welcomed our third daughter to the family and at one point, I had three kids three years old & under. Those days are kind of a blur as I would already be sleep-deprived, but would stay up late to work on shop orders. My biggest struggle would definitely be balancing mom life and business life. I love my children so much, that’s why I started this business, but as the business picked up, I found myself not having enough time for my kids. I had to re-evaluate my priorities a lot and repeat the mantra that I can always make more money, reach new goals, develop new products, but there is only one season with your kids while they are little. Sometimes, I’d see peers in my industry who were crushing goals and far surpassing me monetarily, but now that I’m at the stage where all three of my kids are in school full-time, I’m able to give my all to the business during the day without any mom guilt. I know there are others who balance it so well or who can afford assistance with either the mom side or business side, but for me, it was a bumpy road. What also helped was just knowing I wasn’t alone. Entrepreneurship – especially as an online business – can be lonely sometimes and so it’s important to belong to various networking groups or attend conferences with like-minded individuals. I also come back so motivation when in communion with my peers.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I specialize in handmade home decor – signs, pillows, mugs, etc. as well as a DIY/home decor blogger. Whether it’s a handmade heirloom sign from our shop or a DIY tutorial showing you a budget-friendly shiplap method, I love catering to people whether they want to BUY or DIY. When it comes to the decorating blog, I like to say my mantra is “pretty, yet practical”, meaning you can have a home that’s both aesthetically pleasing and yet fully functional for a busy family with children. And when it comes to the shop, I believe words have the power to connect and transform us so I try to create items with words that speak to me – whether that’s an inspirational proverb, a meaningful song lyric or friendly sarcasm – I hope it speaks to my customers, too.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I’ve only been in the Atlanta area for two years now and I’m just now meeting fellow makers & bloggers. I think hosting local small business chapter meetups or various niche market meetups is always a great way to network and encourage small businesses. I have some of my products in various malls around the Atlanta area, in a store called Crafted & it’s been wonderful for business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ellisonmade.com
- Email: ellisonmade@yahoo.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ellisonmade
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ellisonmade
- Other: www.pinterest.com/ellisonmade
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