Creating and selling handmade decor

A small business owner shares her experience overcoming challenges and launching her successful decor shop.

For many artists, starting a business and making a living off your creative works is the ultimate dream. Transforming fantasies into a practical business model can be difficult and daunting, but there are lots of creators who have achieved incredible success after taking the leap.

Emily, the owner of Fandom Decor, a small business based in Ontario, creates and sells decor pieces themed around books and other media. Since launching Fandom Decor in 2020, Emily’s business has skyrocketed in popularity, gaining thousands of followers on Instagram and regularly selling out of products. In addition to her 3D decor pieces, such as reading trackers, Emily recently introduced acrylic signs into the lineup.

Though the journey to success hasn’t always been easy, Emily says she loves running her business and that it’s well worth it to put in the work since she loves what she does and is passionate about the products she creates. “Just the whole process from laser to finished product when making new designs is so much fun,” she says. She added that she loves interacting with customers and talking to them about both her products and their interests, and one of the highlights of her experience is “responding to comments and seeing all the reactions when I launch a new design.”

Today, social media is a huge factor for small businesses. Emily noted that maintaining an active social media presence has been a major contributor to the success of Fandom Decor. “Pretty much all of my marketing and advertising is on Instagram,” she explained. “It’s just a great way to post and share my products, as well as interact with the book community. Plus, my follower growth and engagement directly correlates to restock and launch success.”

Another key to her success has been establishing a consistent routine for creating and distributing physical products to avoid becoming stressed and overwhelmed. She has a typical weekly schedule of cutting the designs out with the laser on Sundays and Mondays, painting them on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, assembling everything on Thursdays and Fridays, and packing orders on Saturdays so they can be sent out on the following Monday. “Figuring out this routine has been a great way to help me still enjoy what I do but keep myself disciplined and on schedule,” she says..”

The biggest challenge Emily has faced in her career is imposter syndrome. “I wouldn’t even say I’ve overcome it yet, and frankly, I don’t think I ever will. With so many other creators and businesses, it’s very easy to start thinking you’re not good enough. Plus, with the added pressure of my success and, honestly, my paycheque being based on how well something is received on social media, it adds a lot of pressure and stress. This can very easily turn into self- doubt and thinking you’re not good enough.”

However, while impostor syndrome tends to be an ongoing struggle, Emily noted that there have been challenges that she has managed to overcome over the years, such as getting the perfect paint finish with white paint. “That was a big pain near the beginning when I would have paint cracking, and now, thankfully, I don’t.” Trying new products and techniques and going through the process of trial and error can be time-consuming, but it pays off in the end through enhanced quality and efficiency.

Starting and running a small business is far from simple, but that certainly doesn’t mean it’s not an achievable goal for those willing to put in the work. Emily shared that she hopes that other aspiring creators are encouraged by the success of Fandom Decor and feel inspired to start selling their own work. “I never thought when I started this business in 2020 that by 2024, it would be my full-time job. Constantly seeing how much love and support I get from my followers blows me away,” she stated. “I have big hopes and dreams for my shop, and I’m slowly seeing them come to life, which is such an incredible thing.”