Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in home décor but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jin Kim, owner of Banana Lab., located in Burnaby, BC, Canada.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Banana Lab is a vintage furniture store that specializes Mid-Century Modern Furniture, Danish, American, and Canadian 50s,60s furniture, and decors. We try to save not only used furniture but make them meaningful and collectible again, and it is a small green thing we could do and enjoy.
Tell us about yourself
We are originally from South Korea, and we started our business in 2013. There were no experiences of having a business in Canada. When we first got our first home, we started to fill it with beautiful things, and furniture was, of course, the first thing we considered. And we have been interested in vintage furniture, especially the simple and clean line of Danish furniture was very inspiring and caught our eyes. From then, we started collecting furniture for our own and did many buy and sell, and that became our business.
Filling beauties in your home is a happy thing for sure, and that brought us to be in our small business, and we truly enjoy this.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Many of our clients are all over the world, and we do our best to ship our items and make them happy. Since the items are usually in large volume and size, we have difficulties making them happen because of the shipping process. Also, handling shipping takes time, and as a seller or as a buyer, there are huge blocks in each process and need a lot of patience handling and waiting once customer received our beautiful furniture without damage, and sending us the happy message makes us happy and sharing the happy moment is love!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Every day, we meet different challenges, sometimes for small reasons and sometimes with big things. Each time, there are questions, and we are entitled to solve the difficult questions.
Sometimes, we feel like we are the only one who has this specific problem and standing alone, but there should be a way to solve it if you do your best. After going through the problems, we feel we grew up and kept us stronger, and that is the hardest thing, but it also gives us big motivation and lessons.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Constantly motivate yourselves! Be closer to internet search! Do your best! If you were thinking of doing your own business, if others do, you can do it too, and you are hiring yourself as an employee. Once you try to give the job to you, you need to give the right amount, and also you need to be responsible for the work you were given.
- We live in a world now. All answers to technical things are viewable through YouTube, internet search, and trying to be closer to Search and finding information is the key point of having a business.
- "Doing my business Someday" wouldn't help but think you start doing business today, soon. And making a big plan and small plans for the big plan is important.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.bananalab.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bananalab.ca
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bananalab/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
