Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Junge.
Diane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started on a total whim almost six years ago, just a few short months after my youngest daughter was born. I was lucky enough to have an extended maternity leave but after a few months boredom set in. My oldest was at school all day and newborns sleep a lot. So I did what came natural to me; I started crafting. I started slowly by making vinyl decals. As I became efficient working with vinyl I started doing coffee mugs, wooden signs and eventually t-shirts. These unbelievably soft tee’s gave my boring mom look a little bit of a punch.
After a year of doing this as a hobby, I took the plunge and quit my job to pursue this full time. And yes, it was as scary as it sounds but I knew this was what the Lord wanted me to do. At this point, I was primarily selling on Etsy and things were going great. All the things you wish and hope for when you start a business were there and more. All that started to change about a year later when Etsy made some changes to their algorithms. My shop tanked. You hear people talk and joke about algorithms all the time but they are a real thing.
I worked for months trying to figure out how to get my shop to be found again but I knew this was a crossroads for the business. I could either continue struggling trying to get back to the top of Etsy or I could build something of my own. I took another leap of faith and launched my first website in June 2017.
It was also during this time that I decided to fully focus on just tee’s. Those same buttery soft tee’s I fell in love with. When your a busy mom trying to get kiddos out the door in the morning you don’t usually have a lot of time for yourself. It became so easy for me to grab one of those tee’s, a pair of jeans and head out the door. I felt a little more put together but I was still comfortable. When your a mom comfort is top priority.
In the fall of 2018, I took yet another leap of faith and expanded to a full-blown boutique. As my journey as a mom grew so did my business. Even though I was a mom who stayed at home most of the time, I still had that desire to look good. That’s exactly where my mission lies today. I want to help every mom kick that frumpy feeling to the curb. Getting ourselves dressed everyday shouldn’t be complicated. Simple, comfortable & stylish pieces are the key to any mom’s wardrobe.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have been about a million struggles. The biggest; doubt. As women, we so often doubt ourselves. We doubt whether or not we should be doing this thing or that thing. Maybe we should be doing it like this mom does.
The comparison game can get even more magnified when you’re a business owner. Am I doing social media the right way? Am I posting enough? Do I have enough followers? What about an e-mail list? Is my website up to date? Don’t forget about SEO! And mostly; why is this business thriving and I’m not?
When your business isn’t going the way you thought it would, that doubt can be the loudest voice. Don’t listen to that voice and don’t believe those lies. Remember why you do what you do. Remember the customer that’s out there that needs you.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Sparkled Light Boutique – what should we know?
I’m here to help the everyday mama feel stylish & confident. Most moms tend to loose themselves when they have kids. We get wrapped up in making sure our kids are taken care. This also means we put ourselves on the back burner. We usually get ourselves dressed last and go for the first thing we see, aka yoga pants & oversized tee. We want to look cute but time is the enemy. Not to mention our bodies change a lot after having babies & we’re just not sure how to dress ourselves anymore. I’m here to help show those mama’s the way. You can look cute in simple, comfortable & stylish pieces that fit your busy life.
Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I think I was born with the entrepreneurial blood in my veins. Both sets of my grandparents ran their own businesses. I spent many summers as a young girl helping my grandpa in his boat shop. That’s probably where I learned my strong work ethic. My grandpa worked for as long as he possibly could. The boat shop I helped at was in his backyard. He had it built after he retired. He taught me there’s always more you can do & there’s definitely more people you can help.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sparkledlightboutique.com
- Email: diane@sparkledlightboutique.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparkledlight/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparkledlightboutique/
Image Credit:
londonadelaidephotography—headshot
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