Memories Frozen in Time

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Steph Pangburn, Owner of Reed Moth, located in Langhorne, PA, USA.

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

I professionally preserve fresh flowers to look as close to their alive state as possible. After preserving, I arrange and cast them in epoxy resin within a client's chosen shape and size. My clientele mostly centers around wedding bouquets. However, I often work with both memorial flower commissions, bouquet recreations, and encasing old sentimental flowers that have been air-dried by the client. I also take custom requests for those who just want something pretty to display!

Tell us about yourself

My story is all over the map here. I have a degree in Biotechnology but realized that lab life was incredibly lonely. I have always been a garden and flower enthusiast, mostly due to my mom's own love of it. When she was diagnosed with Leptomeningeal disease, a terminal illness after we thought she'd survived ovarian cancer, I needed a way to center myself, as I was also pregnant with my second son at the time. Being that I have always felt a creative nudge, I wanted to create something beautiful without having to know how to draw or paint. This led me to experiment with resin and fluid acrylics. Not long after, the love of gardening I got from my mom led me to combine the two hobbies, and I found myself falling into professional flower preservation. The bulk of the flowers I use outside of client bridal and memorial bouquets are grown with love in my personal gardens.

Outside of providing for my family, my motivation is mostly self-care. I feel like each piece I create helps to heal my broken heart just a little bit more. From holidays, silly ideas, and happy occasions like weddings and births, to creating beauty from someone's grief as a memorial piece, capturing these emotions as a flower frozen in time brings me such joy and healing.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is probably the fact that I genuinely enjoy what I do. Sort of. No one really loves the paperwork parts of their business, but as far as the actual service goes, I love it. I've grown a really great community of clients, peers, and fans. I've met some amazing people who have become close friends, and I am able to create a sentimental piece of artwork that would have otherwise been thrown in the trash. I'd say my biggest accomplishment is maintaining my love for my craft, even through hardship.

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

One of the hardest things I have encountered is the "next-day shipping" mentality. The art I create takes several months, and I am a perfectionist, so that makes it worse. I've found that in this era of next-day shipping, people tend to forget that a hand-crafted item takes time. Even though I outline my process as much as I can for my clients, it can be difficult for people to understand just how many steps I need to complete and all the fine details in between. I don't fault them for it as, at times, I am guilty of this mentality myself. You really don't know or appreciate the work that goes into anything unless you've done it yourself. I suppose that this ties in with communication in general. As an artist, I really would like to just create and not have to deal with administrative tasks. Maybe someday I'll be able to figure out the best way to implement an administrative assistant to take that part off my plate for me, but until then, one of the most difficult tasks has to be the boring paperwork.

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

Since I'm in an art-based business, my responses will be tailored a bit more to that.

Be true to yourself and be proud of your work. Don't advertise someone else's work as your own. That is both misleading and disrespectful of your client and the artist whose work you are passing off as your own.
Be nice to others in your industry. Create a network of individuals you can trust and go to for possible troubleshooting. Everyone was new once, and no one has all the answers all the time. Even to this day, I will reach out to peers if I am struggling with a new concept or technique. There is enough work to go around for everyone. Don't spend your time being a hater.
Make sure you aren't pricing yourself out of business. Calculate the cost of your materials, your overhead, and especially your time, and crunch that into workable numbers for the service you offer. I understand that as a newcomer, you typically cannot charge the same amount as someone who has been in the game for much longer, however, you shouldn't be underselling yourself either. Be confident in your product, and make sure you are charging for your time. You deserve it!
Be your most authentic self on social media. Let your personality shine. The more you put yourself out there, the more like-minded clients and peers you will attract - and trust me, it is much easier to work with like-minded individuals than it is to work with those who you don't click with. Don't be afraid to be you. It's important to remind people that there are real-life human beings behind these businesses. If they can relate to you, they're more likely to want to utilize your services.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://reedmoth.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reedmothart
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reedmoth/

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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