Our next Creative Entrepreneur Interview is with Jessica Swenson, owner and designer of Dream Catcher Baby. Jess was one of the original handmade dress creators, and her dresses with their bows have become almost an icon of the handmade clothing world.
I hope you learn a lot from her video interview and can get your hands on one of her adorable dresses!
Hey! I’m Jessica Swenson. I live amongst the mountains in Utah with my husband and (now) three boys!
#pressplay below to watch our recorded Skype interview, and check out her answers in written format as well as pictures of her beautiful creations. Enjoy!
What did you do before Dream Catcher Baby?
Before DCB I was just barely married and had a honeymoon baby in my arms. I didn’t do much other than try to figure out how to navigate this new whirl wind life that I was in.
How did you decide to start your own business?
My husband and I were fairly poor in our first years together. He was in business school full time and I went from morning sickness barf central to the throes of motherhood. I wasn’t able to work due to morning sickness and then I didn’t want to leave home after I had our baby, but I was totally bored and really wanted to help make a little money, so I started trying to sell things I made. I tried selling scrapbook cards, felt bow headbands, crocheted baby hats, bow ties, and then the Big Bow dresses we have now. It took some time to find my thing but when I finally did it was HUGE.
Can you give us a brief history of Dream Catcher Baby?
I started DCB March of 2012. I had been selling before that but nothing successful, at all. It was very discouraging. I designed and made my first Big Bow dress just for fun. I entered it into a sewing contest and it got a lot of attention. People wanted to buy it so I sold a few on Etsy. It was sort of an accident. A very wonderful accident.
How long have you been in business?
I’ve been in business for 4 years.
What has your growth looked like?
It’s been all over the place. It grew fast and then it slowed and then grew a ton and then steadied out. A lot of that was my own choice. I am a mother and my growth really coincides with that.
Can you tell us a story of some of the “unglamorous” moments just starting up?
I’ve had many struggles all through out this business journey but nothing quite like those beginning months. In the beginning I didn’t value my own product and it actually made all the difference in the growth I experienced. I was shy and didn’t like reaching out. I wasn’t confident and it actually showed in my work. Once I realized I truly had something great and definitely worth value I “blossomed” as a business owner.
What’s your big picture WHY?
I’ve always wanted to be in fashion. When I became an adult and a mother I found my passion in children’s clothing. So that is the goal. A high quality, heirloom, timeless children’s clothing line.
What motivates you to work hard and build your business?
I am truly passionate about what I do. I remember after I had my second baby I closed my shop and was planning on taking a three month break. I lasted two weeks before I was back at it because I missed doing it. Being passionate about what you do all of sudden makes work seem less like “work”. But when it is work, setting realistic goals really helps and makes all the difference. I usually have the day-to-day goals and then the big picture goals written out.
Where did you find your mentors, or resources to help learn about entrepreneurship and running a successful business?
I live in Provo, Utah. Utah has A LOT of resources. There are so many moms just like me here who own their own little/big businesses. So turning to the community around me and also online via instragram has been so great! Poor Amy of June and January gets all my really hard business questions and texts though. She has been the best to have in my corner!
Can you tell a story of a specific failure you encountered while building [your company]? What did you learn from it? What would you consider are your strengths as a business owner?
I am always learning and one of the hardest things I’ve learned is hiring out. I made a really bad hire and it affected my entire business. I had to fire her and I seriously about peed my pants. I always try to give my people a second chance but this was one of those times that I knew it wouldn’t work out to do that so I fired her on the spot. Then she left her phone at my house and had to come back, it was so awkward. I learned to stand up for my business. It was the hardest thing ever but doing it gave DCB even more value.
Do you currently have 1099s or employees? Or are you a onewoman show? If you have help, what advice do you have to give about scaling your business and outsourcing responsibilities through hiring to help grow?
I have two employees and currently hiring. I have an amazing full time seamstress and a customer service/social media rep. They are my lifesavers! HIRE OUT! Hiring out helped me grow without running myself totally thin. I can’t even imagine ever going back to the days where I did everything.
How many hours per week do you work? How do you balance family life with work?
I currently work anywhere between 4-8 and sometimes 12 hours a week. During the busy seasons (Easter) I work a lot more. I make family priority and I set goals within in my business and list them from top priorities to the least. I ask for help when I need it. I rarely work during the weekends and I set aside one day a week where I don’t even look at anything to do with work.
What started off as almost a necessity (we needed money) became a passion and has helped provide a few little extras. We don’t have fancy cars and I still can’t afford to shop high end myself but I now have the freedom to support my fellow shop owners, hard working mamas and dads living their own dreams. I am able to show my children that working hard for your dreams is AWESOME and that they can do it. No excuses. Work hard and good things will happen.
What has been the most exciting thing to happen to your business so far?
How do I pick just one! Some days it’s personal. I love the own growth i’ve seen in myself. I am a pretty shy person but DCB has forced me outside of my comfort zone. I have loved seeing DCB grow and expand. There isn’t anything quite like seeing your product in print or saying “I am taking Dream Catcher Baby to NEW YORK!” or seeing so many all over the world love something you made, designed, put so much of your heart into!
What is your ultimate vision for your business in the coming year? Where do you see Dream Catcher Baby in 5 years?
In the next five years… oh I cannot wait! I’ve been designing a children’s clothing line and it’s been in the works for a while but as I grow and expand and learn to get patterns made, manufactures, and maybe even a store front I get giddy. This will take time and a lot of hard work but that has been my dream for so long.
What’s holding you back from where you are now and your end game?
Definitely time. I want to do all this stuff and I want to see all the growth I desire but while I’m in the early stages of motherhood I know time is short. I work hard with the time I’ve got.
If you could sit down with any entrepreneur for a 2 hour lunch and pick their brain, who would it be and why? What would you ask them?
Oooh! I LOVE meeting with other entrepreneurs. One of my favorites is Elle from Solly Baby. She has been such a great influence in my business journey so having someone on one time to sit and talk business and motherhood would be a dream!
What advice would you give your “just starting a business” self knowing everything you know now?
BE MORE CONFIDENT! I undervalued myself and my product and it really affected my business. When I finally priced my dresses at the price they are worth, the growth and sales and quality of growth was so different.
Jamie Tardy, podcaster at “The Eventual Millionaire” says millionaires share 2 habits: they all journal and they all have a morning ritual. What does your morning ritual ideally look like?
Ideally: wake up, eat a little something, work out, shower, then go to work for a few hours. I get more accomplished in the mornings. Right now we wake up and eat breakfast together and try to not be late for preschool. Ha ha!
Closing thoughts to other entrepreneurs or those on the verge of starting a business:
Look at yourself and your product and value it. If you value your own product and have confidence in what you’re doing it will be reciprocated through your customers, your peers and people around you.
Well if you didn’t already know about Elise and her business before, I’m glad you do now. You can find her online store here, and on instagram @dreamcatcherbaby.
Be Brave,
Hillary
