I’m beyond excited to have had the opportunity to interview Erin, owner of Candy Kirby Designs. Just watch the intro video below… seriously, can you believe the colorful wonderland that is her studio? Everything about her brand oozes color, fun and creativity (unless you are looking at one of her signature black and white patterns, which are a m a z i n g as well). And a lot of her fabrics are designed from her own paintings! swoon.
Erin is not only incredibly creative, but she is a true business woman. She has grown her business in two short years from making leggings at her dining room table, to having a team of seamstresses, two manufacturers and over 100 products.
Alright ladies, grab some coffee and get ready to get a double dose of inspiration from Mrs. Mercado.
Meet Erin:
A little separate note from Erin:
“Hello! My name is Erin and I am the owner and sole designer behind Candy Kirby Designs. I love color, candy and stripes. I design all of the fabric in my shop and put a unique twist on traditional items for home, baby and children.” – Erin
Hillary : What did you do before Candy Kirby Designs? How did you decide to start your own business?
Before I started CKD I was working on my Bachelor’s degree while working at a law firm and a bank. When I became pregnant with twin girls, I quit it all to focus on being a new mommy. I started sewing when I was 12 and would make purses from old 501’s my rancher grandfather passed down to me. I would add beading and embroidery to them and sell them to my friends. In high school I designed a couple of my formal and prom dresses and sewed a lot back then too.
Can you give us a brief history of CKD? How long have you been in business? What has your growth looked like?
When the girls were a few months old and blessing me with five hour naps (seriously, it was crazy), I grew restless. I started making little diaper covers and baby dresses and sold them on etsy. Soon I was so busy I couldn’t keep up with the demand and my girls were getting older and more active, so I stopped selling items in my etsy shop. Not long after I became pregnant with my son and once he was born, I started designing my own fabric and Candy Kirby Designs as we know it was born in 2013.
I was already on instagram and had a small following when I did a grand opening giveaway of a pair of leggings. At the time, there were only a couple of other handmade shops that were selling custom fabric leggings, so my shop took off. I had to hire a seamstress to help me out because I couldn’t keep up with demand. It’s a good problem to have, but it felt a little overwhelming at times.
What’s your big picture WHY? What motivates you to work hard and build your business? What is your ultimate lifestyle goal?
I continue to do Candy Kirby Designs for two reasons; 1, To have a creative outlet and 2, to be able to provide for my family. I wanted CKD to be my full-time job by the time my kids are in school all day, but it’s already grown to that, so now I have bigger and more specific goals for my business.
Where did you find your mentors, or resources to help learn about entrepreneurship and running a successful business?
I’ve found a good community of other makers on instagram that have helped me learn some very valuable business lessons, good and bad. I’ve learned the most just from doing things myself and researching on the internet, not from one specific person or mentor.
Can you tell a story of a specific failure you encountered while building CKD? What did you learn from it?
I haven’t had any failures, but I’ve had plenty of learning experiences and a couple of setbacks. 🙂 One setback was testing out a new screen printer and I had a lot of fabric ruined with a lot of time and money wasted. Not everyone is great at lining up fabric repeats!
What would you consider your biggest strength?
I would say one of my strengths is my determination. When I hit a roadblock, I find another way around it and keep going.
Do you currently have help? What does the people infrastructure of CKD look like?
I have 3 seamstresses, 2 manufacturers and a virtual assistant to answer emails. I think the best advice would be to hire slowly. I hired my first seamstress a month into CKD and while that was fast, she’s still with me today and has been a invaluable employee. Even though she lives back in California (we moved from California to Seattle in December), I still have her sewing for me because CKD would not be what it is today without her help. After hiring her, I didn’t hire another seamstress for another year. It’s really important to make sure you have a good fit with the people you work with and they can take direction easily. I consider all of my seamstresses dear friends, not just employees.
Finding a good manufacturer is much, much harder. Google will be your best friend if you can’t get anyone in the industry to recommend a manufacturer to you. Also, hire a good accountant right away. My accountant has educated me on tax write offs and business expenses more than any websites I’ve read. Plus no one likes to do taxes, so hire a professional right away.
How many hours per week do you work? How do you balance family life with work?
I work anywhere from 25-40 hours a week. I spent the first year and a half of CKD staying up until 1 AM every night, then 2 AM to sometimes 3 or 4 AM. I worked my butt off. I still do, but I don’t push myself quite as hard as I did when I was first building CKD. I felt like I really had to prove myself the first year and I worked through pain, illness and sleep deprivation. I turned thirty when CKD turned one and took a good hard look at what I was and wasn’t spending my time on and made some changes. I started going to bed at a better hour (still after midnight – ha!) and made specific work only or family only time.
I’m Like Brave is about creating an uncommon life. What does an “uncommon life” you love look like for you? How does your business help create this ideal lifestyle?
My business has helped shaped me into a better person. Because of all of the interactions I’ve had with so many different people and all of the unique situations I’ve been in, I handle myself better. I learn quicker, I’m more resourceful, I make decisions quicker…it’s helped me become a better mother and wife.
What has been the most exciting thing to happen to your business so far?
The most exciting thing for me was finding a manufacturer for my dolls. I had two seamstresses sewing dolls and we couldn’t keep up with demand. They’d work for weeks and weeks on dolls and once they were on the website, they’d sell out in 7 minutes. So many people would be disappointed and mad that they set their alarms to get a doll only to find it yanked from their shopping cart. After a lot of internet research, phone calls and emails, I finally found the manufacturer I’m using today and have been able to improve my product while getting larger quantities and keeping everything made in the USA. All of my fabric is milled and printed in the USA and it’s very important to me to support American manufacturing.
What is your ultimate vision for your business in the coming year? Where do you see CKD in 5 years?
I’ve been working on some acrylic and watercolor paintings to add prints to the shop. Most of my prints are digital versions of some of my paintings, so I’m really excited to bring actual prints to the website. In 5 years I would like to have my designs in at least one major retailer. I want my revenue to quadruple. I want to have a larger dress line. I have a lot of goals, but I have to leave some a surprise! 🙂
What’s holding you back from where you are now and your end game?
The only think holding me back is not having enough time to work on my business during the day, but there is a time and a season for that. My kids are only little once and I know I’ll never regret spending more time with them.
What is it that you need help with right now, and if you could get free advice that would solve your problem right now, what would it be?
Since we moved to Seattle, I haven’t had a lot of time to tap into any local sources for my business. I really believe in building up your community and using as many local resources as possible, so finding a new small-scale manufacturer or a handful of supremely talented local seamstresses would me amazing. I may have already found something, but I haven’t had the time to really be able to check it out. I will, though!
If you could sit down with any entrepreneur for a 2 hour lunch and pick their brain, who would it be and why?
I would pick my friends Katie Richardson of Puj or Kate Quinn from Kate Quinn Organics. They are both ridiculously talented and live here in the Pacific Northwest, so a lunch needs to happen! Our emails and texts just don’t cut it! Haha. We’re all busy mothers, so to have a 2-hour uninterrupted meal would be fabulous!
What advice would you give your “just starting a business” self knowing everything you know now?
Oh there’s so much I would tell myself. Stop caring what other people think of you. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone but yourself. Don’t sweat the small stuff. When people show you who they really are, believe them. Invest in those that invest in you.
Do you have a morning ritual or routine?
Our morning routine is very, very chill and I really love it. Stella and Olivia wake up first and make so much noise they usually wake up Ezra and they all climb into my bed and wake me up. We watch Octonauts or Daniel Tiger and then go downstairs and eat breakfast. We’re a pretty laid back bunch, so we stay in our pj’s until we have to go somewhere. The twins won’t start preschool until the fall, so I’m soaking up these slow, lazy mornings because I know I’ll never have them again.
If you could do anything in life and know you wouldn’t fail, what would it be?
I’m pretty content with what I’m already doing, but I would love to go back to school and get a lot more technical knowledge in pattern-making and design.
What’s been the best business book you’ve read?
I really enjoyed the couple chapters I managed to read from Creative, Inc. by my amazingly talented friend Joy Cho and Meg Mateo Ilasco. I used to read all the time, but I just don’t get to anymore.
What’s your favorite success quote and why?
I have a bunch!
“You never fail until you stop trying.” – Albert Einstein
“She believed she could, so she did.” – R.S. Grey
“Dreams don’t work unless you do.” – John C. Maxwell
and my favorite redhead, “If you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’Brien
Closing thoughts to other entrepreneurs or those wanting to take the leap.
Are you still with me? Haha. This was probably the longest Q&A ever thanks to my wordy responses. If you’re just starting a business, watch for those around you who act differently towards you for you chasing your dreams. Being an entrepreneur is really hard work. It takes a lot of sacrifice and there will be people that may undermine your hard work and determination. Stay focused on your end goal and all of the little ones in between. Make sure you celebrate all of your triumphs and surround yourself with positivity.
Thanks for having me!
Oh man you guys. Isn’t Erin just great? I can’t wait to see what’s in store for CKD, and with her talent + determination behind the wheel, I’m sure it will all happen soon!
Leave any questions you have for Erin below, and she will answer them! You can visit Erin’s website here and start following her on instagram here.
Stay tuned for our interview next week, where we are switching it up a bit and interview the two owners of Threads Worldwide, a jewelry company with a network marketing sales approach selling jewelry created in other parts of the world to help support women and build their communities.
Be Brave,
Hillary
