Welcome back to the blog! It has been a while since the last post! I am bringing you another creator interview featuring the lovely Anna who is the Founder of Anna Made Design Co, Soaring Together and TED Talk Speaker! She has definitely accomplished so much in her life so far. I am so excited to share her thoughts on how she got to where she is today.

Anna Made Design Co

How did you come up with the name for Anna Made Design Co. ?

After a lot of brainstorming with my mom and friends, we came up with AnnaMade. But when that name was taken, I had to throw the “Design Co.” at the end.

What do you sell and How did the idea for your business come about?

When I was in 5th grade and had just moved to California, my Grandma shared her new hobby with my sister and I – making handmade greeting cards. I enjoyed it so much that I made dozens of cards. Because I’d always been “entrepreneurial” (hello all-natural lemonade stands and selling potholders door-to-door) I wanted to find a craft fair to sell those cards at. And when I couldn’t find something close to my house, I opened an Etsy shop.

What makes your business different from others?

My business is about celebrating people through personal cards – it’s why I offer completely custom orders and each card is individually handmade. 

How do you build a successful customer base?

Etsy does a lot of that for you – as far as finding customers goes. After someone purchases from me, I invite them to join my email newsletter. I also create content on Instagram to connect with the people who buy my cards… I’ve had a lot of fun working on my product photography and experimenting with creative writing techniques in my captions. I also repurpose my Instagram reels to Pinterest as idea pins.

What has been your most satisfying moment in starting Anna Made Design Co ?

One time in January, a woman messaged me and asked me to make 10 New Years cards for her family. She wanted her family picture on the card, hand lettering on the back, masks that moved… It was definitely a challenge but I had so much fun designing for this project!

If you had the chance to start your business over again, what would you do differently?

I think everything that’s happened in my business has taught me something that’s brought me to the next opportunity – for example, because I didn’t use social media my first 2 years of business, I was focusing completely on building my shop instead of getting distracted. 

This is a really small thing, but I would wait to order business cards and branded materials until I had hired a graphic designer and was 100% set on my branding. I still have more than 300 business cards with my old branding – but it’s cool to see how my business has evolved since I made those and my old labels and shirts.

Soaring Together

What is Soaring Together and how is it separate and different from your Etsy business? How did you come up with the idea of it?

The purpose of Soaring Together is to create a community for teen business owners and share resources to help them reach their goals. It all started when I realized there were so many teen entrepreneurs that were amazing at creating their products – stunning jewelry, trendy clothing, beautiful stationery, unique keychains, stickers, and phone cases… but they were struggling with the marketing aspect of their shop. I’ve always enjoyed strategizing and planning, so I hosted Soaring Together 2021, an online event focused on helping them reach their goals. With 250+ attendees, it was such a success that I decided to make Soaring a long-term project. Now, a year later, I’ve hosted another online event and even done some speaking in-person!

Public Speaking

How did you become a TED Speaker at such a young age? Did you apply? Were you recommended?

When I discovered that there was a TEDxYouth event in Colorado where I lived, I knew I wanted to apply – at this time, I was off of school because of COVID quarantine, so I had plenty of time to work on my application. I save a lot of ideas and things that make me annoyed in my notes app (definitely a healthy habit haha) and the thing that really frustrated me going into my first year of high school was the way English was taught… What started as “I’m not learning anything useful” turned into a talk about how teachers can encourage critical thinking in the classroom. (It’s worth mentioning that my freshman English teacher was a really fun person, actually cared about his students, and appreciated my perspective. So thankful for him – not all teachers are open to creativity, which is something I discuss in the talk.)

What was your talk about?

There were so many small ideas and people I’ve met and experiences I’ve had that went into this talk… At its core, it’s about helping students learn how to use their voice and develop critical thinking skills through creative writing.

How did this experience influence you and your work in entrepreneurship?

Entrepreneurship and creative writing are much more connected than they seem at first – any time I’m pitching my shop, writing emails, or product descriptions, I’m writing creatively. After all the practice to get my talk to where I wanted to be, I learned a lot about public speaking and it gave me confidence to have deeper conversations with people that I meet… It might seem silly, but talking so much about writing sharpened my speaking.

Becoming an Entrepreneur

What was your key driving force to become an entrepreneur?

I loved making greeting cards and wanted to start a project because school was boring (this is something I talked a lot about in the beginning of my TEDx talk).

How do you market your business, and which tactics have been most successful?

I use Instagram and Pinterest for online marketing, and go to craft fairs to meet people in person. Using Etsy SEO to my advantage (researching keywords to include in the title and description) has been most consistent and effective.

Is there some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

• Find something you’re passionate about creating
• Find people who are willing to pay for it
• Find a platform to reach those people

How do you define success?

Success to me right now is learning about business, meeting teen business owners who inspire me, and sharing with others what I’ve learned.

What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur and least favorite?

Favorite: the creativity I get to have with what I’m working on! I could be planning an event for Soaring, designing a greeting card, or putting together a presentation for a speaking engagement… or anything in between.

Least favorite: It can be overwhelming when I’m working on 6-7 projects at once and won’t see results for 3-6 months. 

What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?

• Perseverance
• Humility (willing to learn + take advice)
• Courage (trying new things even if they could fail)

What entrepreneurial tricks have you discovered to keep you focused and productive in your day-to-day busy schedule?

I use a planner most days, and write down the top 3 tasks I want to complete each day the night before. I also use the reminders app in my phone to help me remember to follow up with people.

Who has been your greatest inspiration?

I’ve been inspired by Katie and Alexis (hosts of the Check Your Aesthetic podcast). Both of them have started businesses and are working in creative careers!

Advice for people who want to start a small business?

Find something you’re passionate about, and build a business around that… instead of deciding you want to start a business for the sake of starting a business. 

General

Can you describe/outline your typical day?

In the summer, my days are a mix of meeting with friends, making cards, going to school sports practices, creating content for Soaring, learning how to drive, and playing piano.

What motivates you?

I love to learn and figure out how to do new things. 

How are you taking care of your mental health? How do you manage stress?  How do you prevent burnout? Every day, I have no more than 3 tasks I need to complete. If I want to work more, I do, and if I want to take a break, I can. I keep my schedule flexible and make sure that I’m going outside and meeting with people who inspire me – whether that’s friends or other business owners. 

Goals & Future

What are your long-term business goals?

• Speaking at 4 events per year about creative writing and teen entrepreneurship
• Selling my cards in 3 shops in Colorado
• Managing social media for 2 other businesses

What’s the best decision you’ve ever made that helped your business?

In the beginning of my business, I knew I wanted to sell online so opening an Etsy shop was the best route for me.

How can people order? Own website, Etsy or a order form (or explain)

People can order my cards through the online marketplace Etsy.