Pottery is my happy place and where I can escape from the day to day stress of the real world. I always remember loving art classes as a child and especially enjoyed getting my hands messy with clay while making small pinch pots in my pottery classes. But then as I grew up I lost touch with my creative side and was very focused on numbers and left-brain thinking which lead me into a financial career. It was only 8 years ago that I decided to listen to my instinct and follow my longing for some creativity with clay and it has been the best thing I have ever done! 

I am so enjoying being a female entrepreneur and running my own small sideline business. It’s a hobby that has become a passion to express myself and take a break from the rat race. I’ve learned so much in this process and unlike numbers and finance which are either right or wrong, with ceramics everything is uncertain and unpredictable. Sometimes the kiln gods take over and what you receive as the end result is a complete surprise! A good lesson in life that things don’t always go according to plan and to let go and enjoy the process anyway. The unexpected result is often better than the original concept! 

I enjoy making platters, bowls, vases and sculptures and find working with clay so rewarding as one has to display patience and special love for a project to get the desired outcome. I hand make everything myself either at home or at a studio in Cape Town CBD with the inspiring backdrop of Table Mountain. The beauty around me in nature and everyday life sets the tone for my various ranges, but ocean blue is my personal favourite! All my work is available to purchase online at Hello Pretty or in the various shops I stock around the country. 

Mid last year I took on an exciting new endeavor and opened an online store on Hello Pretty. I did this in order to share my jewellery with a broader audience and I am very happy to be part of the Hello Pretty community! Every jewellery piece that I make is uniquely designed and manufactured by hand. I never stock a large selection, as my focus is on uniqueness and quality, not quantity. Starting this online store has definitely been my business high since it forced me to rethink and reconfirm my design principles and the direction in which I want Silver Song Jewellery to go.

My advice to any new Hello Pretty sellers out there: Go for it! Let no one stop you from doing what you love and from sharing your passion with the world.
 

I passed my studies with distinction in April 2018 and started designing more products while growing the business.

Our beliefs at Lady of the Herbs        
Human beings have been evolving with nature for thousands of years. We've used nature for survival, food, and medicine. Unfortunately, our connection with nature has been replaced with our fast lifestyles, technology, and industrial development.
                                                                       
We believe that our lost connection with nature has a major influence on the health of our society. This is why we aim to bring nature back into our everyday lives!

Why herbs?
Our bodies recognize that herbs are a gift from nature, and respond to them in a natural, healthier way.
                                                                       
Herbs are made up of thousands of chemical compounds known as constituents, each creating their own reaction within the body. These constituents work together to create balance within our bodies. Not only do they promote self-healing but they also strengthen the body to fight and eject illness.

About our products
Our products are designed to help human beings with everyday ailments using herbs that have been utilized by, as well as evolved with mankind for thousands of years.

They are all:

• Handcrafted with passion, love, and appreciation for nature.
• Thoughtfully designed with the power of herbs in mind.
• Made of good quality and natural (organic where possible) ingredients free from any harmful chemicals.
• Environmentally conscious and packaged in reusable glass packaging.
• Endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty and vegan-friendly.

Business highlights
Every time I hear that our products are helping our customers with their ailments, I do a happy dance! I’ve only received positive feedback and can not be more thankful for the support I’ve received.

For nature
Walk barefoot, go hiking, sit next to a tree and absorb the powers nature has to offer. We are all dependent on our planet and as David Attenborough said: The stability of nature can no longer be taken for granted.

Consider the effects your actions have on nature and learn to give back just as much as you take to create a balance to not only sustain, but evolve with our planet.

Final message
Live a healthy and balanced life. When we are balanced within our bodies and mind we become a “superhero” version of ourselves.

I have faced challenges during the short time I've had my business.  I've had people upset that I do the same craft as them and them trying to smear my name.  But you just have to rise above the drama and remember what your own goals are and who you are as a person.  In business, there will always be challenges, but that is just something you need to learn to deal with.  The satisfaction I feel when I create something new that I never made before is just so amazing, and it makes it all worth it.

The highlights for me is that I can just keep growing.  There is so much for me to still learn and so much to try!  There are no limits to what I am capable of, and I can't wait to learn and do more. 

The lows so far have really only been facing the unnecessary drama others cause.  I strongly feel that as crafters and small business owners, we should be supporting and uplifting each other rather than breaking each other down or trying to hamper progress.  There are more than enough people in this world to buy your product, so there is no need to fight or try to hurt each other.

My tips for new sellers is to just go for it!  There is nothing in this world you cannot do or learn.  You are your own limitation.  People will always try to get in your way, but that's an indication that those people should not be in your life.  Surround yourself with loving, supportive people, and just do what you love.  If your craft makes you happy, then go for it.  

For quite a while it was only friends and family who bought my pieces, and you can only give your stuff as birthday presents for so long. Then I started doing markets and selling my things in shops. And I suddenly had to start producing more to keep up!
My business is still small, as I'm a one-woman band, and I don't mass produce anything, but I'm getting there. I have my stock in a few more outlets now, and a couple big upcoming shows this year. There are new works in progress, and some exciting new ideas in the planning phase.

The challenges include being self-motivated, finding time to take proper stock photos and keeping up with social media posts. As a behind-the-scenes type of person, I find 'selling myself' at markets somewhat nerve-wracking, but you slowly get used to it; and there's actually nothing better than meeting your customers and seeing how happy they are when they buy something they love, that you've made! The highlights of having your own business are obviously the flexible hours, being paid for doing something you enjoy, and for putting in the hours and hard work for no one but yourself.

Any tips I could give for someone starting out is to work out your pricing properly in the beginning - work out a wholesale price, and then double that for your retail price. Don't short-change yourself, and don't underestimate how valuable your time is. If you're doing something you love, you'll automatically be good at it. Market yourself and get out there!

Thanks so much,
Ash

So back  to Grys...

One night, Wayne and I sat on the couch and we chatted about travelling abroad and how we could afford this, without going into debt. I suggested, why not start a business/hobby on the side and every cent we make from it, we save up for our next trip. So the thinking started and with our beautiful concrete dining room table staring at us, doing something with concrete, was the obvious choice. We started throwing ideas around and decided on making concrete serving platter/cheese boards. You might think to yourself how is this possible, how will this practically work and what will it look like. Well, the proof is in the pudding as they say. Again, after weeks of research, creating molds, testing different cement types, trying out different ratios, we got the winning formula. We actually had a product that looked beautiful, did not crack and did not break when slightly touched. So the sales and marketing began for our products and brand.

Throughout the process of manufacturing, selling and marketing our products, I decided that this is what I wanted to do full time. Believe me, this decision wasn’t a financial one. Yes, we sold the odd product here and there, but nothing close enough to sustain me financially every month. Luckily for me, Wayne was and still is employed full time as an Accountant.

So we started off by going to gift markets over weekends, thinking we would be rich by the end of it. How wrong we were. Our first market turned out ok, with friends and family members supporting us. The second market we sold one product and the third (which would also be our last) we sold zero. Very upset, we phoned our moms and asked them why everyone was lying to us, by telling us our products are beautiful, yet the sales leading up to that point proved the opposite. As mentioned, we stopped with the markets and decided to try different selling techniques.

Not to keep you reading for hours, we can now proudly say that we didn’t give up and with a lot of trial and error we are now selling our products on Hello Pretty, Takealot and our own online shop. With negotiations with a couple of other leading online shops and retailers.

The moral of the story is a cliché, if you have a passion for something, try and fail, try again and possibly fail again, however need stop trying. If one technique, regardless of manufacturing, marketing or sales doesn’t work, move on to the next one until you find THE ONE. And even then you will have days where you want to stay in bed (and that’s ok, I’ve done it once or twice), but tomorrow wake up, dress up and continue to work towards your end goal. We all have different end goals for starting a business, whichever it is just continue.

We started off with a crazy home DIY idea; today we have 15 products and working on expanding to different products and mediums.