Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in arts and craft but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Janice Stefan, artist, and owner of Sisters Stones and Glass, located in Regina, SK, Canada.

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

I have been blessed to follow my heart as a fused glass artist while raising my family. I am the sole owner and creator at Sisters Stones and Glass Studio in Regina, Saskatchewan. I cut and assemble specialized stained glass into an image, fire it at a high temperature causing the glass to fuse into one piece, and ultimately frame the image to be hung or displayed. I create pieces from large to small, and the bulk of my work is commissioned by the local community as I do not ship large glass pieces. My customers are lovers of art and people as the majority are purchased for gifts and awards (even if it’s a gift to oneself!) Whether it’s vibrantly coloured images that are fun and funky, to prairie landscapes, to pet portraits, to recreating memories of “happy places,” I am always challenged to capture and recreate in the glass an emotional response, a feeling.

Tell us about yourself

My sister and I are both avid lovers of nature and beauty. We had an idea for creating concrete stepping stones with inlaid stained glass designs. We made them for our own yards but quickly discovered that people loved them and would buy them! Over the years, we delved into the art of glass fusing, and (fast forward twenty-five years), my sister retired and moved out of province, my daughter took over the stepping stone business, and I work exclusively with fused glass.

Having a business degree was very beneficial in terms of marketing and financials when we started up our company, but the techniques, processes, and creative side of the business were self-taught. As partners, we challenged and critiqued each other and intentionally evolved.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

In terms of actual physical size, my largest project consisted of a fused glass window that was 10’ high by 20’ long. It was terrifying, and I had to trust my gut and think outside of the box as I had no previous reference for creating a project of that size.

My biggest personal fulfillment accomplishment was seeing the stepping stone part of the business handed down to the next generation. My daughter, who has a degree in art education, took the business that she literally grew up in and ran with it! She rebranded as Sand and Stone Canada and took her company to the next level through social media and online stores. Watching her run a business and raise a small family is like deja vu for me, and I am so proud of her and her accomplishments.

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

I am sure most entrepreneurs face the same challenge separating work life from home life. As a stay-at-home mom and running a full business time, a lot of my work was done in the evenings or weekends. At this point, having a business partner who was in a different stage of life (i.e., her kids were preteens) made it possible to create roles to fit our life stage and skillsets.

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

  1. Do what you love! I am a passionate creator and would incorporate this into my life regardless of a paycheque. When I am in my studio, I am in my zone, and creating brings me self-fulfillment. Find out what that thing is for you and see if there is a way to make it your life’s work.
  2. Choose your partner(s) wisely. There are many pros and cons to having a partner. Think long and hard about having a partner, what they can bring to the table, and mostly, that your values are aligned, and you can trust each other to make the same level of commitment. Working with my sister every day for 15 years had its share of bad days. But we couldn’t have done it without each other.
  3. Have a lot of money before you start! Paycheques come at very irregular intervals, at least they did for us. We had the privilege of being the second income earners, but we scrimped every penny and always tried to find the best deals when making purchases for our business.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Being self-employed for over twenty-five years and having the benefit of hindsight, I would say it gets easier. The first years are definitely the hardest sourcing materials, getting your product into the hands of customers, finding those customers! Submitting tax remittances and on and on. Every task is daunting, and it is a lot of work! We took the Kaizen philosophy of making small and incremental positive steps forward every day to not be overwhelmed. How do you eat an elephant? One spoonful at a time! Work hard, enjoy the journey, have fun, don’t define yourself by your mistakes, and don’t sweat the small stuff (and it’s mostly all small stuff). Oh yeah…and I love what I do.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.sistersglass.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sisters-Stepping-Stones-Glass-172089327097/

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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