Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Carrie McClain, Founder of Little Saps, located in Grassy Creek, NC, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Little Saps, we help people share living expressions of love, encouragement, hope, and healing during moments of celebration and grief with giftable trees. Each Little Saps gift tree comes with a different inspirational saying or quote, something that captures the spirit of the gift. Shipped nationwide, our gift trees offer a personal and meaningful gift that will live on for years to come.
Tell us about yourself
Little Saps began at my family's Christmas tree farm in Grassy Creek, North Carolina. Grassy Creek is in Ashe County, a beautiful, rural region in northwest North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains. My father decided to experiment with raising his own seedlings and transplants. He built a few greenhouses and started raising Christmas trees from seeds. All of a sudden, we were surrounded by baby Christmas trees - something new and different for me.
Perhaps it was the mother in me, but I fell in love with those baby trees! I couldn't believe that something so tiny had the potential to grow so big. For a brief moment in time, I could hold something so gigantic in the palm of my hand. And while I love Christmas trees - the feel, the smell, the tradition - and the joy that real trees bring to holiday celebrations around the world, I love the idea of sharing something that has roots. Something that will endure for years and years. There is something innately inspirational and healing about trees, something awe-inspiring, mysterious, and deeply spiritual. They symbolize so many things - love, wisdom, hope, perseverance, strength, and courage.
I also love that by sharing our Little Saps with others, we are helping make the world a greener place. We are helping to ensure a clean future for our children and grandchildren. I started Little Saps with the idea that our little trees would go out into the world carrying messages of hope, joy, comfort, encouragement, love, and healing. My dream is that these messages touch the hearts of those that receive them and that they absorb all the love, warmth, and goodwill that is sent their way. That is why we take such care with each Little Sap we package. We take time to make each gift special because we want the gift recipient to feel the love and thought that went into each gift tree.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Little Saps started as a small seed of an idea that has shifted over time. It took a lot of hard work and dedication to figure out what I wanted to be birthed and how to make it work. I had to learn new skills and find my own solutions to problems, and through trial and error, I was able to build Little Saps into a successful small business with a bright future.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Finding the tools and partnerships you need to be successful; determining when and where to allocate resources; pricing your product competitively, but realistically; and deciding how and when to scale.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Trial and error are inevitable and part of growth, so expect it from the outset and don't get discouraged when things don't go perfectly the first time.
- As difficult as it can be, try not to take negative customer feedback personally. Instead, understand that criticism is helping your business become more successful by pointing out things that need to be worked on.
- At the same time, while feedback can be helpful, you need to weigh it. Stay true to yourself and your brand.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.littlesaps.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlesaps
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/little.saps/
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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