Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Forrest.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
What started out as helping my sister plan little things for her wedding has turned into my dream job. In the process of teaching myself calligraphy and studying current trends in design, I became more and more aware of this hunger to do something more. For the people around me and for myself. I no longer wanted to swallow these “daydreams” I had about sharing Christ’s unconventional love through something as simple as calligraphy. So, after months and months of late nights, no sleep, a whole lot of hard work and a whole lot more prayer, I finally opened shop!
I’d be lying to you if I told you that things have been easy. That couldn’t be further from the truth! I STRUGGLED through the first 6 months of opening shop, wondering why it was so hard to get traffic on my Etsy site and what my niche might be in this marketplace.
Today, I am nearing my 400th sale!!! WOW! It’s so crazy to think that 2 short years ago, I had small glimpses of this huge dream to use my hands to make things that bring happiness to others. And today, I get to live out that dream each and every day. I can tell you that I did not get here by sitting back and waiting for the crowd to “discover me” or hoping things would take off. I was unprofitable for the first 6 months, knowing that I had to reinvest all my profits if I wanted this thing to work. I worked tirelessly for months, streamlining where I could and making countless mistakes along the way. But, man has it paid off! Every mistake has been met with a small victory and I am so thankful for the tough road that has made me the business woman and creator that I am today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every step of this journey has been an obstacle. Every day, I want to better myself and my services, so I am constantly evolving, adapting and changing my style and workflow. Being my own toughest critic means I will redo a product 100 times until I am 100% satisfied with the outcome. I have struggled to learn the processes and materials that will work for the products I create but that is just one part of the long journey I set out on, two years ago.
The Brush Bar Co. – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Brush Bar Co. makes hand-lettered home goods, provides design services for weddings and events, and makes custom products tailored to their customer base. I am most proud of the intimacy of my company. I know I am no Amazon but I am also not a small-time business. Many of my customers don’t realize that outside of running an Etsy business that had close to 300 orders last year (almost one order a day), I also work a full time job, traveling up to 8 consecutive weeks at a time. I work from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM for job. #1… and then job #2 begins. I rush home, get a short workout in and then start my second (and favorite) job. There are days where I don’t go to sleep until 2:00 or 3:00 the next morning working on orders. I do this for several reasons: 1) I love calligraphy and art and making things with my hands, and 2) I am so passionate about my work, that I will sacrifice almost any luxury in my life (including my sacred sleep) to continue living my dream.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is having the ability to embrace mistakes and learn from them. To me, the only true mistake is that which one does not learn from. I don’t have specific markers or benchmarks that I have to hit but, I set healthy and attainable goals that keep me dedicated and make me work harder. One thing I personally value is a good review — a bride telling me how perfect her day will be because of a sign or hangers I made for her; a mom telling me how she is so excited to give my product to her daughter for her 10th birthday; and so on. The joy of my customers is what keeps me going day after day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBrushBarCo?ref=ss_profile
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrushbarco/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebrushbarco/
Image Credit:
Megan Forrest
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