Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Groven.
Hi Melissa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my business, Melissa Anne Company, in 2013 when my four kids were just little. I mean, so little. I love being a mom, and at the same time, I was starting to feel like I didn’t really know who I was outside of my role as a mother. There were some parts of me that didn’t feel alive. I had some difficult personal things going on at the time and decided to start making bags and pillows and signs to sell. Creativity and making things with my hands have always been a stress reliever for me. So, in a way, making and being creative was really a balm. Having my own business gave me something that was just my own to focus on too. My very first selling event was a farmer’s market in my small Minnesota town. After that, I traveled to local craft shows to sell my items. It was tricky to find craft shows that were a good fit for me and my products. Not all craft shows are created equal.
A few months later, I opened an online shop while continuing to travel to craft shows. I truly enjoyed going to craft shows where I was able to meet other makers and interact with customers. It really was an enjoyable experience (mostly) for me. There were a lot of early mornings and packing and unpacking and more packing and unpacking all of the things needed for a craft show. And plastic bins. So many plastic bins. I did truly love designing my booth and figuring out the best way to display my items. But holy cow, so much work.
2020 was the first year that I didn’t participate in any crafts shows and exclusively sold online. That was also the year that online sales had a significant increase for me with so many people shopping online during that time.
I continue to run my online shop in between watching tennis matches, soccer games and traveling to basketball games to cheer on my favorite people, who are not so little now but still a lot of fun. I also give a lot of rides to activities. Being a mom is definitely my first and foremost job, and I’m super grateful that I get to have a way to use my creativity for good and have a reason to play with yarn and paper and wood and stickers.
I am truly so incredibly grateful for what a gift this business is to me and my family.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I recently heard a phrase from Andrew Huberman that said, “The effort is the good part”. This really rang true and I so needed this reminder that if everything in business and life were smooth, that’d be actually pretty boring. In some way, we actually crave a challenge. So I have a giant post it note in the shop where I cut wood with that quote on it, because the effort really is the good part. There have definitely been ups and downs of business.
When sales are slower, it’s easy to second guess this whole gig and ask myself unhelpful questions like, “What am I even doing?” I regularly have to come back to my ‘why’ of the business. My ‘why’ is really my family. I love the flexibility I have in using my creative gifts from home where I can be available to my kids and husband. I love that I get to make something that didn’t exist before and play with yarn and wood and use power tools. I also regularly have to surrender this business, knowing that first and foremost this is God’s business and I’ll keep going as long as He keeps opening doors and guides me in this direction.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make small home decor, perfect for shelves, desks or trays. I love using wood, especially walnut scraps that my husband brings home from his day job. I also use yarn, fabric, paper and stamps. I love taking a small piece of wood and turning it into something that gives a friendly reminder, a word of encouragement or brings a little joy to a space. I pride myself in making unique items and not just what everyone else is making.
Right now I’m kind of obsessed with mini books and mini fabric bolts. I keep thinking it’d be fun to make larges signs, but they somehow keep getting smaller and smaller. Why are mini pieces so cute? I don’t know, but they really are.
I’m known for a whimsical, sometimes quirky style. I really love making things that I’ve never seen before, you know because I’m a four on the enneagram and we love to be unique. I like to hand stamp phrases, like letter by letter. I love thrifting for craft supplies because it uses a part of my brain to figure out what to do with unique supplies and pieces. I also love color and texture.
I don’t know what I’m most proud of. The fact that I’m still here maybe? The fact that I somehow kept going, somehow kept my head above water and didn’t listen to the second guessing voice in my head. And yeah, that I’m still having a good time and making cute things for people along the way.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
When this gig is fun, it’s really fun. When it’s hard, it can be really hard. I think the biggest challenge really turned into the biggest lesson and one that I really needed. That being that my worth is not tied to anything related to my productivity and performance. I know that sounds obvious here written on the screen, but it can be a lot harder to actually take it to heart and live it out. My worth and significance are not found in the number of followers I have, the number of likes or comments or shares I get on a post, the number of sales I get in a month or a year, or anything tied to my performance. It’s easy to get sucked into the metrics on social media (they have their place for sure, just not in the self worth column) and play the comparison game. I regularly take social media breaks to combat this and keep my soul in check, because it’s a slippery slope. I have a wonderful community on the socials, and I’m so grateful. I have the best customers and followers, some of whom have turned into real life friends.
Back to the worth and productivity/performance piece: our worth comes in the fact that we are loved and cherished by God and that Jesus Christ made a way for us to be with Him forever. Not in anything that we do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melissaannecompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissaannecompany/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melissaannecompany
