The focus of the Starting Small series is to introduce you to some amazing individuals who have built their own businesses from scratch. They are full of passion, life, and love. Once a month, we feature a new business owner, and pick their brain regarding how they started their business, advice for those who have/wish to have a business themselves, how they make time for themselves, and most importantly, which they love most about being a small business owner. I hope these individuals will inspire you, motivate you, and fill your heart with as much love as they’ve filled mine.
Chatting with Leslie Newton, Owner of:
Well, it all happened by accident. I was at a fabric store and fell in love with two fabrics and decided to sew up a handbag from them. (And by the way I’m a terrible sewer!!) Lots of strangers kept asking me where I got this bag I made, and would end up asking to buy one from me. Eventually stores started asking to sell it and then suddenly I had a business!
Fantasy: Take ten minutes before getting up to meditate and get grounded. Reality: My daughter jolts me awake asking for breakfast and I make a mad dash to the kitchen making sure I get her ready for school on time. Once she’s gone I try to squeeze a few minutes of meditation in there!
Oh yes! I made lots of mistakes when I first started. For instance I’ve made design mistakes that helped me to then make better products.
Cozy, cozy cozy. I like a cozy space to work.
I guess that would be persistence and determination. I don’t give up easily and my determination keeps me going. When you are starting your own business, you really have to just keep yourself moving forward. It can be really hard at times, so that’s when the persistence and determination really help out.
That’s a tough one. Sometimes I get support from family and friends – to vent, share concerns, brainstorm, get reassurance. Then other times I look back at when I’ve hit road blocks and how I was able to move through them – this helps remind me to keep believing in myself!
“Experience is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you.” ~Aldous Huxley / “Every good thought you think is contributing its share to the ultimate result of your life.” ~Grenville Kleiser / “I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” ~Louisa May Alcott
Success means doing the very best I can and enjoying the process while doing it. It’s so easy to always be caught up in what we are doing wrong, and I really try to focus on what I’m doing right, and not beat myself up when I make a mistake, but instead learn from it.
