Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Adams.
Hi Kathryn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I became an entrepreneur entirely by the encouragement of my daughter, Ayana. She wanted us to start a business, specifically an Esty shop, so I said why not? Now my plate was already full with being married with four children but I love keeping busy so thought it would be fun to learn a new skill. By trade, I am actually a Nurse Practitioner who is currently still practicing but it seemed like a great idea to have a “side hustle.” I decided to learn the art of resin work. It has been so fun learning and mastering different things to make and has really brought me so much joy.
This side hustle has bloomed into a full business. We named the business AK Resin Designs. “AK” stands for Ayana/Kathryn. I currently sell on Esty, have my own website, and do in-person events and craft shows. Ayana is by my side at every event and helps with some of the orders at home. It has been my creative outlet and I am absolutely in love. I’m learning that having your own business is a lot more work but so much more rewarding than working for someone else’s company.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I think my biggest struggle has been time management. As I mentioned, I am married with four children. Any parent can agree that children take up a lot of your time. In addition to that I am still working as a Nurse Practitioner. My days have been jam-packed lately with going to work while the kids are at school, then getting everyone home and doing homework, cooking, bedtime, etc. Then once everyone is finally settled, I spent lots of late nights working on orders and just managing the business.
Thankfully, now that my business has become a little more successful, I am able to cut back on my nursing job and focus more on our business and family. It has been a lot and many tired days but I have never felt more accomplished and proud of the things that I am doing. I just want other people to know that even things that seem impossible ARE POSSIBLE. You may have some growing pains initially but stay the course.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work with epoxy resin. Resin starts off as a liquid and you have to mix it together. You pour the resin into a mold or you can also free pour, use on paintings, use on tables and countertops. The sky is the limit. I specialize more in smaller pours. I make personalized keychains, bookmarks, notebooks, jewelry trays and so much more. It’s been hard to just pick one or two things to make because I love doing a variety of things.
My favorite thing to use in my work are real dried flowers. Flowers just make everything pop and stand out. And personalizing things is also something I love to do. I think most of us have been in stores that have personalized keychains but you can’t find your own name. My name is pretty common but the spelling is not so I could never find “Kathryn” written on anything. I love that I can provide others with that personal touch to their gifts.
There are many people who make resin items so I think what sets me apart is treating each customer like they are my number one priority. It’s important for me to respond quickly to messages I receive, get all orders on time or if something happens that I can’t, keep them in the loop. Every order I get makes me smile, so I want all my customers to know how important they are to me.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I can be shy with new people. I appear as an outgoing and energetic person to new people that I meet, but I’m actually nervous talking to strangers. I learned how to adapt growing up as an army brat and moving quite a bit as a child. Once I know you and am comfortable, I am very silly and fun but I get anxious in new environments with people I don’t know yet.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.akresindesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/akresindesigns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akresindesigns/
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/akresindesignsshop
