Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Heather Bunker, founder of Heather Bunker Branding Co and My Maker School, located in Selma, NC, USA.

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

Heather Bunker Branding Co helps creatives and artists boot-strap their way to their own personal definition of success, whether that's to be featured in TIME or make six figures. MyMakerSchool.com helps creatives do just that. My course is packed with done-for-you templates, workbooks, and online tools, and when combined with (a gentle little kick in the pants) mentorship and accountability—she helps you work through the uncomfortable and necessary parts of the business. You can begin to lay the foundations for your life so that you can focus on growing your business. Then she helps you figure out how to brand and market your work and passion in an authentic way—one that feels true to you and your values. If you are looking to find clarity, create systems, market your work, stand out in the crowd, develop more products that sell, and work past any decision paralysis that is holding you back. My course and mentorship will help you take your creative business to new heights. I also offer done-for-you services like marketing and brand strategy, so when you get to a point where you are able to outsource, you have a team member who can help you out too. I will help you leverage your creativity and help you find confidence in business, so you can build a thriving creative business—online or off. I am the business "therapist" that you need to gain massive momentum as a professional creative—so you can bring your dreams to life.

Tell us about yourself

Creativity is all around us. God literally crafted this world and everything in it to work perfectly. Every one of us is created in his image—to be creators. Sadly this creative tendency in all of us is either stoked or smothered. I grew up super poor in a broken family to one very creative mom and one creative (but unwilling to say that) dad. My dad pushed me to pursue anything but the creative field and told me my entire life that creatives are not successful and to avoid the career at all costs. On the other hand, my mom pushed me to pursue my creative passion and encouraged me to try every possible creative outlet. From sewing and fashion, fine arts, metalsmithing, woodworking, landscape design, and ceramics. Being surrounded by the crafts and having a mom to push me to discover my passion, despite the fact that our situation growing up, was super empowering.

I have a passion for helping creatives be successful and professional artists because I believe that if my mom had the support to push her career, she could have helped us avoid homelessness and the endless cycle that comes with it. I wouldn't have had to wash my underwear in the sink or eat ketchup sandwiches for most of my childhood. I'm not saying I regret my childhood because it made me who I am. Just simply saying that I want to help other families and make life around whatever "limitation", they might have today so that tomorrow they can thrive. I am a firm believer in "do what you can with what you have." If my mom would have had someone say to her, "You can make money and support your family doing your passion, and here is how." We would have always had food in our house, and we would have had a very different life. And that's what I want to offer others.

My passion for helping creatives make a living from their work comes from the literal desire to help them put food on the table—and see the work I do with them helps their family thrive, all while doing the same for mine. I attended Ferris State University in northern Michigan with the help of a family that took me in for a short bit just after High School. I attended a four-year design and communications program that was super competitive. Graduated and set off to work in corporate America but quickly realized I hated the culture. I hated the thought of being a mom forced to "explain" a doctor's visit or ask to attend a dance recital or kindergarten graduation ceremony. I also wanted to be able to watch my kids grow and still do what I love. Working at agencies, helping the fortune 500 bring in 200% ROI that month. Business, to me, isn't about making your stockholders happy. I didn't go to school to help the corporate world excel. I also didn't go to school to help huge companies create more wealth when their employees suffered and were berated for being on time. Yes, that really happened to me. So after eight years or so, I am embracing my "limitations" of being a mother and a stay-at-home business owner, and at the same time, I help other creative small business owners to think bigger, to use what they have, to embrace their limitations, build systems, and profit. Creativity is more important than ever, and I exist to help artists and makers thrive.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Helping my clients go from, "I am so scared, holy sh*t to YES, I can!" My biggest thrill is seeing and hearing my clients tell me they tripled their income, quit their nine-to-five, and are thriving. That is my greatest joy.

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

One of the hardest parts of being a business owner is simply playing the long game. When you have three under eight and two older children to worry about. The long game keeps me sane, though. When I remember that I have limited time and money, it keeps me focused on my top priorities. Taking care of my family, growing my business, and enjoying my life. Being a business owner who is home, juggling three young kids seems impossible, but it isn't. Managing time and expectations is the key. I am serious when I say I don't really have a whole lot of time to myself, but this season is short, and before I know it, my kids will be grown. They say you only have 18 summers (www.18summers.com) before your kids move out, and that keeps my priorities in perspective. Being a solopreneur who works from home with three kids is like running a marathon on a hot beach with no shoes on and doing it backward while carrying a squirming and vomiting toddler that needs a diaper change before you arrive at the finish line. Doing this is not for the faint of heart. Heck, building a business isn't for the faint of heart. It requires grit and a lot of passion. You really have to love what you do.

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

  1. Take two of your biggest passions and merge them. Without being truly passionate about your business, you won't have the grit it takes to play the long game. You really have to have something that you really believe in, and then don't stop.
  2. Determine your priorities. Know what is most important to you as a person and as a business owner. Our brand values are not just for business. We feel most fulfilled in life and in business when we run our lives and businesses with our values at the forefront. Instead of making to-do lists, sit down and prioritize what is most important to you and then go at things with that mindset. Figure out what and where you want to go with your life. I have seen many creatives go into business completely backward from their beliefs, and it never works out.
  3. Make sure to be aware of your money situation and never stop marketing. Most small business owners forget the financials and jump right into making. You have to spend time daily planning your money and putting it where it's most important. If you are not on top of your finances, you are not running a business like you are meant to. You have to be aware of your finances. Your finances drive your business. So if you aren't budgeting or marketing your business daily, you will never get anywhere. I say that most successful businesses prioritize these two things daily.
  4. Really, really, really get to know your ideal customers. I am not talking about saying hello. I am talking about being besties. You have to know who you serve, what they need, and how you are different. Without an ideal customer and the deets about who they are and what they struggle with, you will spin your wheels until you figure it out.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.mymakerschool.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherBunkerBranding
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heatherbunkerbrandingco/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherbunkerbranddesigner/

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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