Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Bryant.
Hi Jennifer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started out by using macrame as a coping mechanism for depression. I’ve always used various forms of art as a way to cope, but nothing has helped me out more than Macrame. At the end of 2019, I was evaluating my current business and assessing if it was even worth moving forward with, and that was when I had the idea to rebrand and set my focus on what I loved doing the most, macrame, and of course, I’ve sprinkled some jewelry in there as well.
I relaunched my business on March 6th, 2020 with a brand-new business name and a plan, and days later, Covid started shutting everything down. I had to make the decision as to whether to move forward or not and I chose to keep pursuing what I had set out to do. Since I run everything out of my home I decided to continue on and I didn’t want to feel like I was a failure to my kids.
Alright, 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?
Absolutely not. In fact, when you see how many people are losing their jobs or getting pay cuts, it makes you rethink a lot of things, at least that is how it was for me.
I will admit though, it wasn’t even the situation we were in that made it a difficult road, I don’t know of too many people who don’t experience struggles when starting their businesses. For me, one of my most difficult struggles has been simply marketing to the right people. I’ve questioned if I’ve niched down too much. I’ve had people ask me what my plans are for when macrame or even the overall Boho Style goes back out the door and you know, I’m not ready to think about that.
There are good months, great months, and months where I go back through and assess what I could have done better. It’s constant learning, being open to possibilities, taking risks, and not getting down on yourself when things don’t go the way you had planned.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
So, the main thing that I do is create various Macrame projects. I absolutely LOVE the way that macrame allows me to express myself creatively and it still challenges me to continue to do better. I am constantly learning new techniques, combining different knots and styles, and creating masterpieces.
I started out doing basic plant hangers, it’s just what I was good at and it was all I believed that I could accomplish. Then I started challenging myself, to do bigger, and opening myself up to learning. Soon I was doing more and creating these beautiful pieces and just getting to a point where I was like “hey, I did this”.
Now, I love challenging myself on timeliness, I did this project this fast last time, can I do it faster.
I am most proud of putting myself out there and starting to set up for vending events. I love the idea of getting in front of people physically and letting others know that I am here, doing custom orders and a variety of things that are hopefully something for everyone.
What sets me apart from others is just me. I believe that I am quirky and bring my own unique touch and personality into everything that I create.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
I think that there are always a lot of risks that we take as small business owners and we have to look at it as a way to benefits and improve the future of our businesses as well as our lives.
Contact Info:
- Email: thingamaboho@gmail.com
- Website: thingamaboho.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thingamaboho
- Facebook: facebook.com/thingamaboho
- Twitter: twitter.com/thingamaboho
