Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Evans. Them and their team share their story with us below:
When childhood best friends Matt and Joe needed an excuse to have a regular “Man’s Night Out”, Rusted Orange Craftworks Co. was born. Begun as a hobby in Joe’s garage, it quickly blossomed into an exciting and challenging business (and a great excuse to buy tools and big machines). Once it became clear that this was more than a hobby night, Matt and Joe’s wives, Aubrey and Samantha, got involved and then things really grew!
Together, this foursome loves to create products that serve to unite families and make houses feel more like homes with beautiful, personalized decor and meaningful gifts. We love being a business centered around family. Once we realized we needed outside help, we recruited our work-from-home mom friends to help, so work feels like a girl’s day out and we have a LOT of fun. We hope you and your family love your Rusted Orange pieces in your home.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
At every stage of growth, we have had to learn new things and adapt in new ways. The challenges we had as we first started out are very different from the challenges we have now. At first, exhaustion and overworking was a huge struggle, and balancing family time was difficult too. Now, our challenges to scale effectively and at a good pace are our main focuses. Some things have been a struggle all along the way. Hiring and training the right people for the jobs that need to be done, getting creative with financing for expensive equipment, and managing work and family schedules as we grow will probably always be things that we have to deal with. One thing that we love about being entrepreneurs is that we are never bored! As markets and trends change, we love the freshness we feel in tackling new situations and giving it our best.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
One thing that sets us apart from others in our category is the creative and fresh approach we take in our designs. We pride ourselves in putting the best products on the market, not just recycling designs that never change. We view our products as direct reflections of the people who buy and display them, so we bring a lot of personality and style into our work. Our customers seem to appreciate that a lot. Unlike our competitors, we are a largely women-driven business, so our products and designs reflect a woman’s touch and sense of style.
We are also known for our great customer service. Our philosophy is that we want our customers to have the best experience possible, and to get exactly what we advertise or better. We are very transparent in our advertising, we level with our customers and do our best to help out when there are issues with orders, and we treat people like we’d want to be treated.
One thing that we are very proud of is our efficiency and the high caliber of the people who work for us. We strive to serve customers who are just like us: hard-working people that love their families. With that in mind, we go the extra mile and make sure to provide the best possible experience we can.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
Being an entrepreneur feels risky a lot. It’s been said that only entrepreneurs are crazy enough to work 80 hours per week in order to avoid working 40 hours for someone else. We are driven by vision, ingenuity, and passion. We try new things that don’t seem “safe”, and we fail a lot. But we believe that when we fail, we fail forward and grow through the process.
There’s just nothing like owning your own business to enhance your personal development and ability to work as a team. We’ve all grown personally in countless ways as we learn to make decisions before we know the outcomes, put our hard-earned money on the line, and leap into the unknown.
Our philosophy is that the bigger the risk, the greater the potential reward. So far, we’ve experienced huge amounts of personal fulfillment as we take big financial and strategic risks for our business.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: rustedorange.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rustedorangecraftworks/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rustedorangecraftworks
Image Credits
@phillmonson
