Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kathy Myers, owner of Eclectic Pelican, located in Toronto, ON, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
I’m a designer/collector that decided to save loved pieces of history. Selling the loved to be loved again is what I do.
Tell us about yourself
As a very young person, I started to collect things on my journey as a sort of souvenir of the day, maybe a rock or a charm. As I got older, I started noticing things that were a little more significant. Things that people loved, worn, used but someway enjoyed. I’d find these things at brocantes (secondhand market) when we traveled, or fleas as they’re sometimes called. My friends and family would remark on these things, and I’d give them away- Soon, they’d tell people that wanted to buy my little found treasures. A business was born. Being a designer, I was able to display these treasures and was interviewed for photo shoots for magazines in Canada, the US, and the UK.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Freedom to do what I love every day.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Stopping to do other things. I become engulfed in what I’m doing, and I don’t want to leave. I get up in the morning with coffee and head out to the studio. My favourite music plays, and I’m surrounded by all the things I have found. I arrange them and take pictures there. It’s my own little sanctuary; I can totally get lost in what I’m doing.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find something you love to do.
- See if you enjoy it enough to do it every day.
- Surround yourself with like-minded people.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
When asked as a child what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said an artist. I struggled for years trying to make that come true. From university, it took me 20 years to finally become exactly what I dreamed of. It was always in me- I just needed to find it.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Eclecticpelican
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1152796641500949/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/antiques/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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