Quilt Pattern Writing Course students, Leslie Rutland and Amy Lollis share there business background, what they dream of doing with their business, why they decided to take the course and how the course has helped them with their business goals. As entrepreneurs, especially as quilterpreneurs, there is so much we have to offer each other. Hear these two students share their backgrounds, experiences and insights. You are sure to gain some great business tips and ideas as you listen to episode 79.
Current Quilt Pattern Writing Students Leslie Rutland and Amy Lollis
I have chosen a handful of students from my Quilt Pattern Writing Course to share where they are with their businesses now and how they hope to grow. Each student is in a different place in their entrepreneurship journey. This week we hear the following from Leslie and Amy:
Leslie Rutland
Leslie started her business, Seasoned Homemaker 14 years ago with an Etsy shop selling aprons. Eventually Leslie focused in on her blog, and one tutorial she offered started the ball rolling. in 2015, she attended Quilt Con, which gave her the desires to switch gears in her blog topics and she honed in on quilting. She just fell in love with quilting and she is still going strong today!
Leslie shares:
- How her brand has evolved.
- Why she signed up for the Quilt Pattern Writing Course. She shares her main reason which you will hear more details about in the podcast. She wanted to step on a path and switch gears to no longer rely on platforms that can change her business overnight. Leslie wants to be prepared for the future when Google ends 3rd party cookies in 2024.
- She talks about knowing her targeted audience and building her own email list not relying on platforms and ads.
- Printable posts- hear how she uses these to help build. Her vision is to stay digital and for her email followers to embrace creativity, share what they are and what they love through fast and “finishable” projects.
- Where she pictures herself in 5 years and what she envisions her business looking like.
- Her advice for people just starting out. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Balance it out- you never know when algorithms will change. Figure out how your followers can become email subscribers and invest your time in your email customer relationships.
- She offers this advise: Build your audience. Study and see what works best for your audience. Your audience is the future of your business and it’s not someone else’s platform.
Amy Lollis
Amy is the owner of Happy Hippie Studios. She had her first baby in 2014 and started quilting and take photographs to keep her sane as a stay-at-home mom! Amy fell in love with creating quilts and writing patterns. She is currently on Etsy has a website and surface pattern design goals in the near future!
Amy shares:
- About her business name, Happy Hippie Studios, her fabric selection and her photography. She shares about her branding and her look.
- She creates websites! Tells about her history and skill in helping others create websites and gaining a presence where you can be seen.
- Where she envisions herself to be in 1 and 5 years. What her dreams are…
- Why she decided to sign up for the Quilt Pattern Writing Course.
- What her biggest struggle with growing her business has been. Does this sound familiar to you? Mom guilt, balancing and setting boundaries for yourself.
- How she is successful in her business while aslo dealing with autoimmune disease. What she has done to build community and help others in similar situations. Did you know that her patterns actually reflect her needs because of her autoimmune disease? She has intentionally created beautiful forgiving patterns.
Where can you find more about Leslie and Amy?
Go to Leslie’s website and subscribe to get the best of what she has to offer! Subscribe at The Seasoned Homemaker HERE
Find more about what Amy has to offer on Instagram @happyhippiequilts
See what she has to offer on her website Happy Hippie Studio
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