Make it Great

I am so glad I got to interview Traci Keyes, she has to be one the sweetest women I have had the pleasure to meet over the internet! I am sure you will enjoy hearing about how she made and is still making it working from home.

My interview with Traci: 

Me: Why do you work from home as opposed to working a regular 9-5? What is your why?

Traci: I love being able to stay home for my children. I currently do home daycare, which gives me this opportunity, it’s a good job, however, not my dream job.  My on line businesses are actually part of me, they are my dream jobs.  They have allowed me to take my passions and put them to “work”, sorta speak.  lol  Doing what I love to do and being there for my children, IS my dream job.

Me:   What type of challenges have you faced while working from home?  

Traci: Some of the challenges that I find myself in, is that I have to watch the time, I have to focus on time management and keep in mind that my family comes first.  I tend to loose myself when it comes to my on line business’s. 

 Me: How did you overcome these challenges?  

 Traci: I make a time deadline, I decide how long I will work on a project, and then walk away when that time is up.  I take breaks, and make sure that my on line business does not become the main focus on my day.  I also allow my children to help and assist with my business.  With my handcrafted projects, my children love to test them out, make suggestions and the older ones even help in the overall creation of some of them.  With my photography/photo editing, my children love to help in the background decisions of the products, they enjoy helping me move “props” and come up with great ways to take pictures.  My business’s bring us together a lot of the time. 

Me:  What have you learned about yourself since becoming a business owner?  

 Traci: Some things I’ve learned about myself is that I’m more motivated that I thought, I’m also a lot more focused that I gave myself credit for.  When tasks need to be done, I find a way to accomplish them.  I also found out that even I need help from time to time and that relying on friends and family is not a bad thing. 

 Me: How have you grown as a woman? 

 Traci: I think my overall confidence level has improved as a woman, mother and business owner.  I have more pride in myself, my home and my business

Me:  What type of business do you have?  

Traci: I have a handcrafted gifts web site in which I make everything in my store.  Cute little gift ideas for children.   I also have a photo editing business in which I help people edit their photos for their own web sites.  This has become a passion and is something that I also love doing.         

 Me: What makes your business different from the other businesses in your particular category? 

 Traci: There are literally hundreds of stores on line and on the street that sell gifts for children, even handcrafted gifts for children.  However, mine are unique and creative.  Each product is something I made with my own two hands.  Most of the toys and gifts you see for children are not handmade anymore, it’s a lost art, and  I feel that this is something you don’t see a lot of anymore.  Everything is mass produced.  I can honestly say that my things have a lot of time and love into each and every product.

Me:  How have you advertised your business?

Traci: I’ve done a lot with my business.  I have business cards, magnets, pencils with my name and logo on them, refrig calendars, flyers, I have set up “shop” in craft shows, signed up with link exchanges on line, and send out monthly newsletters. 

Me:Which have been the most successful? 

traci: So far I feel that craft shows seem to really be the best avenue for my handcrafted gifts store.  As for my other business, word of mouth seems to be the best way to go. 

 Me: Any downfalls? 

 Traci: The only downfall I feel is that on line it’s hard to get noticed.  

Me:  What would you say to someone who was about to give up on owning a business and working from home?  

 Traci:  I would say just hold on a bit longer.  Someone once told me that for an on line store, you won’t really see any “profit” for 3-4 years.  This is somewhat disheartening to hear and very discouraging especially when you put all you have into a store, however, if you give up, if you throw in the towel, how will you ever know if you could succeed?  There have been many times I wanted to give up, but in the back of my mind I’m always going to wonder if I could have really done it. 

Me: How would you encourage them to keep pushing? 

 Traci: I would offer my friendship.  It’s hard to make it today in the business world and everyone needs a friend to encourage them, brighten their day, and lend an ear.  I would offer my friendship, be the one that gives them that added push to be the best that they can be.

Traci Keyes
The Moonlight Attic
http://www.Themoonlightattic.com
Handcrafted Gifts for Children