Creating, Adapting, Surviving: The Wild Ride of Running a Small Business
The Leap of Faith
When my sister and I started our business in 2012, we had a vision—a bold, ambitious, totally-not-fully-thought-out vision. We dove in headfirst, fueled by passion, creativity, and a vague sense that we’d figure things out along the way. Google became our best friend as we tried to crack the mysteries of running a business: product development, franchise tax, sales taxes and other taxes, copyright laws, design software, website building, marketing—you name it, we googled it. Armed with enthusiasm and a garage for a workshop, we had no money but all the determination in the world.
A Global Perspective
As two French sisters who grew up bilingual, spent summers in Greece with our grandparents, and traveled the world (one as a flight attendant, the other as a literature teacher), we were naturally drawn to different cultures, aesthetics, and storytelling. This love for exploration led us to design—not in a traditional “fine art” sense, but in a way that blended function, beauty, and meaning. We wanted our work to feel elemental—rooted in simple, noble materials—while staying local in spirit, preserving the authenticity of craftsmanship and personal connection.
Designing with Meaning
We never considered ourselves artists. In our minds, real artists were classically trained, knew their color theories, and could paint a Renaissance portrait without breaking a sweat. We just wanted to design pieces that were beautiful, useful, and inspiring. More than anything, we wanted our work to be meaningful—pieces that told a story, carried intention, and resonated with the people who received them.
Steel: An Unlikely Beginning
So, we started with steel. Not the most obvious choice for elegance, but we were determined to prove it could be refined, delicate, and versatile. Our first product? A mirror made of steel and wood, with floral cutouts allowing LED lights to shine through. It was stunning. It was also ridiculously complicated to make. But we sold a few, which gave us just enough confidence to dream bigger.
The Expansion and the Hustle
From there, things snowballed. We expanded into wall art, kids’ collections, yard décor, business signs, and awards. We worked relentless hours, took business classes, found mentors, mastered new software, and became experts in everything from plasma cutting to accounting (ok, maybe not experts, but competent enough to not sink).
The Harsh Reality of Selling
The excitement was real, but so were the challenges. Having a website felt like tossing a message in a bottle into the ocean. Selling in stores meant visibility, but at a steep cost—retailers took 50%, overheads ate another 25%, and we were left with a sad little sliver of profit. Selling at artisan markets meant producing in advance, selling online meant constantly marketing. There were so many ways to run a business—and so many ways to get it wrong.
The Never-Ending Balancing Act
How do you make your business financially viable while covering machines, materials, websites, software, merchant fees, taxes—and still expect to pay yourself? How do you keep designing, prototyping, and streamlining when you also have to be the photographer, webmaster, marketing pro, and salesperson? We didn’t have the answers, but we were determined to figure them out.
Resilience: Our Greatest Strength
If we had one superpower, it was resilience. We got that from our mom. She raised two daughters on her own, showed us that strength isn’t just about pushing through—it’s about adapting. So, after years of pushing walls, we finally realized we couldn’t do it all. And more importantly, we didn’t need to.
The Wake-Up Call
Our vision had to evolve. Not into something easier, but into something actually doable. Reality check.
We had to stop treating our business like a giant experiment and start treating it like an actual business. We had to stop offering a million different products in a million different ways just because we could. Sure, it had been fun and creatively fulfilling, but it also made our brand impossible to define. When people asked what we did, our answer was embarrassingly long and complicated.
The Hardest Decision Yet
So, in 2023, we made the hardest decision yet: we cut 80% of our products. It was brutal. But suddenly, things made sense. With a single product line—ornaments—our message became clearer, our production more efficient, and our costs easier to manage. We could finally produce in volume, sell in volume, and even outsource when needed. It’s still a work in progress, and we expect our returns to take a hit this year as we fully transition, but we know this shift is the right move for the long run.
Embracing Change and Moving Forward
And that’s how we evolved—from making stainless steel backlit mirrors, custom artwork, and kids' wall art to focusing on one specialty. The journey has been anything but linear, but every twist and turn has shaped our business into what it is today—a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of reinvention.
The Heart of It All
At the heart of it all, our mission hasn’t changed: to create meaningful, high-quality pieces that inspire and connect people. We believe in craftsmanship, storytelling, and thoughtful design. Every piece we make is intentional, ethical, and crafted with care—to bring a little bit of joy and significance to whoever receives it. And honestly? That makes all the challenges worth it.