COVID Helped Me Realize My Dream

Before covid, I was building my career in the hospitality industry. I knew that my passion for it was fading, but I couldn’t t admit it because of the pressure from my family and myself. I spent 5 years studying the industry, got the degree, and now I'm saying that I don't want to pursue it anymore. It was kind of hard. I was struggling to figure out what I truly wanted to do. 

In mid-February, COVID happened and I was laid off. I was not sad, but worried. I was worried because that was my main source of income and I didn’t receive any support from the Government because I’m not a permanent resident nor a citizen. That was when the idea of starting my own business came up: selling fabric face masks. Today, after one year in business, I’ve reached 2,000 sales. My product range expanded to hair accessories, smartwatch bands, tote bags, and more to come. I would not consider my business as a success yet, it is still small, but my dream has definitely grown bigger. 

Getting Going

Looking back to when I started my business, my intention was merely to help supply face masks to people in need at an affordable price. I didn’t know how to sew, I didn’t even have a sewing machine and I couldn’t afford one. So, my partner borrowed a sewing machine from his friend. I started learning from Youtube and making prototypes. In mid-April, My business was brought to life. Believe it or not, it didn’t have a name, logo, or anything else: just the products. 

I had no idea about websites, logos, branding, etc. At first, I sold my face masks on Facebook Marketplace which was banned by Facebook not long after. I still remember my masks being sold for 5 AUD each: high-quality masks with a filter layer, nose wire, and free shipping in the metropolitan area. Yes, that was my advertising. My partner drove me 3 hours to the other end of town to deliver those masks, for free. A huge thank you to him!

My revenue for that shipment was under 50 AUD. We did that for a week or two and then I realized it wasn’t worth it. I then shifted my business to Etsy, with a name and logo. Because my business became my main source of income and I was underpaying myself, I increased my price to 11 AUD which was still very affordable compared to the market price. 

In July, my face masks went viral. I sold approximately 100 masks a day and needed to hire an assistant to help me full-time for 3 weeks. At that point, I was finally able to afford my own sewing machine! My partner and I gave up our bedroom, we transformed our living room into our bedroom and our bedroom became my office. I was aware that this peak period wouldn’t last long, but I knew I wasn't done with my little business.

Scaling Up

I wanted to create brand awareness. Not just, ‘I got it from Etsy.’ So I started doing research about how to make a website, email marketing, SEO, etc.

My website was created not long after. I finally had a feeling of a true business, like it was my baby. I put all my heart and soul into it, into every single detail. I was so excited and I thought my business would shine from this point on, but it didn’t go quite as I expected.

Shifting from a socialized industry to 100% working from home, for myself, myself, resulted in depression. I mentally shut down. I doubted myself and wanted to give up. Every day was just another day for me. Waking up, making orders, packing orders. The only time I left the house was to go to the fabric store and the post office. 

I decided to go back to work part-time so I could socialize more and improve my mental health. It worked. Even though it is more challenging to balance the workload, I am more inspired, motivated, and productive with my business. I started collaborating with other small businesses, met influencers, joined craft markets, and made new friends. I am overwhelmed by the support I’ve received from my customers. Some of them became good friends who give me valuable feedback that help improve my products. My business continues to grow. Not dramatically, but gradually. 

The good thing about running a small business is that you get to wear different hats, learning new skills and knowledge every day. I am the maker, website developer, customer service manager, stock control manager, literally everything. 

I work 7 days a week, at any hour of the day and I’m happy with this because this is what I love. 

As a small business owner, I believe in continuous improvement. Being an ambitious person means it is a challenge for me to restrain myself from thinking of new business ideas. I plan to add custom printed garments into my collections in the near future and my goal is to open a store that showcases products from small businesses all in one place.

To other small business owners or soon-to-be small business owners; our journeys are all different. They might be harder for some than others. If I could go back in time, I would not change a thing. You learn as you go and that’s how you make progress. Small progress is still progress. Take a break if you need to, but don’t give up!

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