Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Maggie Dimmick, founder of Ethel Studio, located in St. Paul, MN, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Ethel Studio is a zero-waste textile design studio that transforms textile waste rescued from the fashion industry into meditation cushions and other supportive designs for the home. We believe that when we care for ourselves and care for the Earth, we can bring some serious shifts in ourselves, our communities, and beyond!

Our customers are individuals who are drawn to our designs for their modern colors and signature patchwork-like fabrics and who care about where and how their belongings are made. Our customers are often looking to become more intentional in how they live and are often seekers, meditators, life-long learners, and curious types who are looking to explore their inner landscape while also having beautiful objects in their homes.

Tell us about yourself

I have a background in fashion and textile design and worked in the New York fashion industry before becoming fed up with the amount of textile waste I was contributing to. 10-30% of fabrics are cut away in the garment manufacturing process, and those scraps are often headed to a landfill or incinerator. There was a major turning point where I was struggling with my role as a designer in trying to combat climate change while also struggling with mental and emotional burnout. That's when meditation became a really important and transformative tool for me.

Ethel Studio was eventually born from combining my passion for reversing global textile waste with my desire to create purposeful designs that people can use to support their well-being. It might seem wild to say that a meditation cushion or eye pillow can change someone's life, but honestly, after nearly five years in business, I've heard countless stories of how important our designs are in our customers' lives! Like how someone is meditating every day thanks to making space for her new cushion on her bedroom floor. Or how a lavender eye pillow has been helping someone heal their insomnia or how one of our Relief Pillows is a comforting presence in someone's hospital bed while undergoing chemo. This is what truly motivates me to keep going! I didn't expect this kind of impact on people when I first started out, and it is deeply fulfilling and humbling to serve people in this way.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I think just staying open this long is a huge accomplishment, actually! We've had lots of bumps along the way, especially in the beginning with getting our production systems just right and ready to scale. And then there was the pandemic and subsequent economic challenges we've all been experiencing. But I think at this moment in time, looking back, I'm proud of how I've been able to weather many storms, learn many lessons, and maintain the will to keep going even on the days that the idea of quitting pops into my mind. It's a long, arduous, and often lonely journey, but I remind myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

There are so many things! I think as a solopreneur, the burden of being the sole decision-maker is the hardest aspect. It's not just making the big decisions but all the small ones all day long, combined with deciding how to use my time and resources. This is why being a part of a community of peers is so important to bounce ideas or issues off of them, but at the end of the day, it's really up to me to make all the decisions. It's a real test of mental wherewithal. This can feel like too much at times, yet there are other times when being the sole decision-maker is really freeing and empowering, so it can go either way!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Start slow in order to go far and take breaks! If you have an idea, start taking steps to explore that idea and flesh out how it could become a business. I think there's way too much emphasis on quick success and rapid acceleration in our current culture, and so I think it's important to start small and work as slow as you need to, especially with the product development process, to get things right. Maybe even keep your business idea as a "project" at first to take the pressure off too. That way, there's time for you to learn, get lots of feedback from potential customers, and step into your role as a business owner. There's so much to gain each step of the way. And then, once your business is up and running, take breaks. Seriously, please take a long weekend or a week away more often than you think. If you don't, it will probably catch up to you in the form of burnout.
  2. Always be innovating and experimenting. Never get too attached to one idea or one way of doing something. Try new things out and test them before scaling. I've learned I need to set time aside to just ideate, think big, and design new designs every week. If I don't set aside this time, then the usual day-to-day tasks always get in the way. This creative time also keeps me energized and excited for what's next.
  3. Listen to others' advice, but also trust your intuition. This is a hard one! And the ability to trust yourself grows over time. There's a time to take others' advice and a time to not. At the end of the day, only you hold the vision for your business, and you are the one betting on yourself to make it happen. We need to lean on others for sure, but also trust our own guiding light.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.ethelstudio.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ethelstudio/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maggie-dimmick/

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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