Gifted Grace
Interview #40 - Gifted Grace
Now that all of Victoria is now in its second stage of lockdown, what better to do than to sit down with a warm tea or coffee in this winter weather and read about some of the stories of local business owners that you will find astounding. Everyone has a separate and individually unique journey they took to show you what you see today as the businesses you buy from.
For those that follow along with me every week through this website and also my Instagram, you will be well aware that I haven’t been as active as I usually am, but it was all for good reason. Along with it being a stressful couple days as it was, I spent most of it planning my future and the future of this blog and the path I hope to go down by the end of the year. So I am back now, with so many ideas I literally have no clue where to start! But first, let’s not jump ahead of ourselves and time for the business to be featured this week.
I had the pleasure of interviewing and speaking with the owner behind the newly founded business you could say, Gifted Grace. Gifted Grace is a business that specialises in personalising and monogramming an assortment of products, gifts and presents for yourself or loved ones, adding a bit of personality and love to their environment. Now you might be thinking, the name of the business, Gifted Grace, you might assume that the owner’s name is Grace however this is not the case as I also fell victim to this as well.
MEET KELLIE!
Unlike the name, Kellie is the name and face behind Gifted Grace. Kellie started her business venture back in December (2019) and officially launched Gifted Grace in January of this year. She spent a lot of time back and forth figuring out what exactly she wanted to do and where to start, which also included the name of her business. Most, like myself, thought she chose Grace assuming it was her name but it has more of meaning rather than symbolising a name. As her business is about being able to give others gifts with the products she offers as well as it sounding nice and to flow, that is where Gifted Grace stemmed from, with grace being shortened from Graceful.
What is the intended experience that you want your customers to have?
“When they shop, I really want them to have really good customer service from me, and especially from working in retail, I would hope that they have gotten great service from me. I hope to be able to really assist the customer and make sure that they are satisfied especially when I’m making custom orders. And I guess I’d want them to come back and the things that I sell are very special and thoughtful so I hope that that does leave a mark on people’s lives”
When Kellie first came across monogramming and the process it takes to be able to personalise different items, she found by accident you can say. By simply googling what it takes to monogram and actually how to do It with the right materials, and it sparked her interest is design and creativity once again. Kellie hadn’t done anything creative for quite a number of years so around December last year she decided to make the investment for a big out of pocket expense to purchase the cricket machine which has been a life changer and now lifesaver for her business. At first, before Gifted Grace was created, she would use the machine to make something better with the products and gifts she would either have for herself or give to others, and since then, everything has taken off and everything has been uphill.
Kellie had her initial goal for monogramming to be able to make more personalised items for family, friends and herself and didn’t think much of it when starting to put her personalised, monogrammed products out there. With the possibility of hoping to make a little extra money on the side but mainly if there was the opportunity to make a gift for someone was her main adventure. By doing so and being able to provide those that she loves with gifts, this sparked her interest in putting her products out there around Christmas time. December being the heart of the gift-giving time, she started thinking more and more into the creative side of things and what different gifts she can give for Christmas. With this being a major inspiration for her to put the personalised products out there, she hopes that her business also gains inspiration from Kellie as a person, revolving around what she loves.
What tips would you give to someone starting their own business?
“I would definitely say and the number one thing that comes to mind is you gotta love what you do. So even if it might not take off, your heart has to be in it to make it take off otherwise it might be super stressful and you might be overwhelmed but at the end of the day, if you still love it, then that’s what you’re meant to do. And there is nothing that will take that away from you so definitely, just make sure that you love what you do and you’ll enjoy it at the end of the day always.”
However, on the contrary, the type of business Kellie has decided to immerse herself into also comes with its fair share of challenges and doubt, especially during the early stages. Due to the fact that the vast majority of products on offer to be personalised are outsourced, this provides Kellie with an added challenge of depending on the available stock as well as the time constraints associated, especially with delayed shipping during this time. Even though this does present its challenges, she is able to invest in having the actual stock on hand and can be assumed that with time, her time management and business skills have grown rapidly to keep up with an ever-changing market.
By providing a large range of different products that customers are able to personalise through Kellie’s monogramming methods, she is able to stick with the market and provide a little bit of everything. This allows her to stand out from the crowd, allowing a different point of view to a very large marketplace, especially when selling on Etsy. She always allows herself to be available to her customers and is very flexible when it comes to the personalisation aspect. With prices being more affordable, as mentioned in the beginning, this business was not intended to be a money-making venture but rather a way to help people find the perfect gift for themselves or to give to someone else. The money on the side is a bonus, but her main idea is that she can produce a different and unique perspective on gift-giving and give her customers the option of going above and beyond.
How would you describe your business in one sentence?
The perfect and most graceful way to add personality and originality into your life and the people that you love.
Thank you all for being patient with me and reading my latest post featuring Kellie as the owner of Gifted Grace. I hope you all enjoyed it and are looking forward to what will be coming of my blog within the next couple of days and next week. In the meantime, make sure to check out Kellie’s Instagram HERE to get updates on new products that you can personalise!
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