Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Katie Brennan, owner of Middle Child Vintage, located in Hamilton, ON, Canada.

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

Middle Child Vintage is a thoughtfully curated selection of vintage & secondhand items. Every piece available in my online shop is consciously sourced secondhand with the aim to (hopefully) save it from being added to the ever-growing mountain of landfill waste. My mission is to make secondhand shopping easy and accessible for everyone, especially those who are aware of the benefits of secondhand but simply don't have the time or patience to thrift. My customers are anyone and everyone who is interested in building a more sustainable & conscious wardrobe.

Tell us about yourself

I am a 30-year-old living in the amazing city of Hamilton, Ontario. I am a former CPA who left the corporate accounting world over six years ago to essentially chase happiness over money. Since leaving the corporate world, I worked in the craft beer industry in customer service, however, once the pandemic hit everything changed. The customer service industry I once loved was lost amongst the chaos, uncertainty & fear imposed by a global pandemic.

The lack of job and wage insecurity amongst what felt like hundreds of lockdowns of varying degrees, layered by poor treatment from customers who disregarded any and all Covid safety measures, was at times very overwhelming. As such, out of that chaos & much unhappiness in my life, I started Middle Child Vintage from a desperate need to fulfill a creative void in my life.

It started as a side hustle that I ferociously dedicated all my time outside work. I slowly but surely built a following & customer base on social media. About a year later, I realized my side hustle was thriving, and after crunching the numbers, I realized I could make MCV my full-time gig. It was an objective risk, but after leaving a stable and "normal" job so many years ago (the best decision I ever made), I realized I needed to take a leap of faith and follow this dream that just felt so right.

So many things motivate me each day. My intense love for thrifting & the hunt to find one-of-a-kind items that can have so much history behind them. Every item I source has a story and a life behind it (big or small) that, in my opinion, makes these items so special. Another major motivation is the meaningful connections and relationships I've formed with the reseller and vintage lover community and my customers, who truly feel like the most wonderful group of humans that understand me and make me feel seen. I have had so many wonderful interactions with this group of humans that have brought me so much joy and drives me every day to get out of bed and run MCV.

Finally, I am motivated by the sheer fact that every purchase made or item sourced saves it from the landfill. I have the maybe naive but optimistic hope that these small actions can ultimately make a difference. It doesn't even have to be a customer making a purchase per-say even if someone just follows me on Instagram. I hope I am slowly helping remove any remaining stigma against this old notion that secondhand clothing is "gross" or "dirty."

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

This is a tough question since I think there are several major milestones in my life as an entrepreneur, some less obvious than others. Top of mind was the major decision to take this business from a side hustle to my full-time career. It was a leap of faith that I haven't regretted. When I made this decision, I was actually featured on the cover of the Hamilton Spectator newspaper. It was incredibly daunting & a tad uncomfortable to see my face on the cover of a newspaper, but it also provided concrete & tangible proof (maybe proof to myself) that my business is real & I created it all on my own.

Less obvious accomplishments but still incredibly meaningful to my business and me include the feedback I receive from my customers. Just the other day, I had a customer reach out to me to let me know that the majority of their closet was now filled with items they loved from my shop, and as a result, this meant that they hadn't actually bought anything new at retail in over a year! Which ultimately is the goal. Any chance we can avoid buying new & just utilizing what has already been created is a win for the environment and feels like a major accomplishment that I played a helping hand in.

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

One of the hardest things that come with being a business owner (especially as a business with no employees) is the solitude and the feeling of being alone. It can be daunting to make every decision yourself. You are constantly questioning everything... did I make the right decision? Should I have done that? Especially if a specific product or launch doesn't go as planned. These are the moments that I feel overwhelmed, and the imposter syndrome I've dealt with my entire life starts to creep in.

It is most definitely a roller coaster of emotions, but ultimately, it's worth it, and sometimes you just have to suppress those questioning voices that like to tell you that you're a failure, take a deep breath, and put one foot in front of the other. I remind myself those moments of uncertainty won't last forever, and they never do.

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

  1. Give yourself grace to not be perfect. Take that weight off your shoulders (which is often self-imposed) and give yourself permission to just simply do your best, whatever that means to you. Do what you can base on the boundaries you set for your business. You can't make every person happy, but you can give it your all & sleep soundly knowing you did this. I love to preach this rule, but I actively work on taking my own advice every day. It's a daily battle, but I often remind myself when I freak out over a small grammatical error or flaw in a product photo...people aren't paying as much attention as we think.. no one cares as much as you do and that is a good thing.
  2. Community is everything. Whenever possible, surround yourself with a community of like-minded individuals who will build you up. It doesn't have to be a physical community of humans; it can also be entirely online. Interact & engage with similar businesses. They aren't your competition, they are your community. I firmly believe there is room for everyone to succeed. When you find this community, it can be incredibly rewarding and helpful. These are the people you can go to with questions and very likely the same people who will champion your business & refer new customers.
  3. Customer service is everything. After years of working in client-facing professional services and then a customer service role in the craft beer world, I learned the utmost importance of taking the time to build meaningful and genuine relationships with your customers. At the core of humanity, people just want to feel seen and heard. This can extend to even simple interactions in your business. I sincerely believe I have gotten my business to the point it is due to the time I take to go out of my way for customers & their requests. This doesn't mean you can't have boundaries (which is very important as well), but it does mean taking the extra time to engage with your customers and trying to always be kind, honest & open with them. Ultimately I think people want you to succeed, especially if they feel like they share a connection with you.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Being an entrepreneur has been one of the most challenging endeavours I've ever embarked on but on the flip side, it is incredibly rewarding to build something for yourself, especially if you've ever felt expendable or not valued at a job. I am so proud of what I have built and am excited about my business's future. If any entrepreneur out there might be doubting themselves, just know how amazing you are for taking a risk and following your dream. That fact alone is powerful, and we need to take a moment to be our own cheerleaders. Give yourself credit and be proud of what you've accomplished.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://middlechildvintageshop.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/middlechildvintage1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/middlechild_vintage/

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.

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