Blog of the Fae

Prior to Faerie Made, I worked in the food service industry and non profit sector and also spent 4 years in college full time while raising small children as a single mother. I worked for mom and pops restaurants and chain restaurants and also worked in agencies with minimal structure and also with a chain of command.

For the past near decade, I’ve been working as the main fae of Faerie Made, creating a small but quality line of soaps, body care and perfumes. I had zero business experience and had never even stepped foot in a business class.

To be honest, I had NO clue what I was doing when I started this business. I knew I made amazing soaps and I knew I needed to make money and I knew I needed to be there to raise my daughter who was new born.

From the work experience of food service and non profit work and a liberal arts degree I was able to futz my way into doing what I thought would work in starting this business.

My liberal arts degree in Sociology/Women’s studies was a self created major (when I was in college there was not a major like it and it was what I wanted to learn). I had to convince 2 department heads that this was needed. So I had to craft my own curriculum, show which classes across the board from Sociology/History/Anthropology/Literature/Psychology would work as part of a well rounded major.

I learned critical thinking. I learned how to write decently. I know you can’t tell it now, but I was a decent essay writer … now I’m all about ellipses, stream of consciousness AND I really hate CAPITALIZING! heh.

I learned how to establish structure … if I didn’t apply myself, the work didn’t get done and I wouldn’t pass the class. This is challenging when you have 2 small boys to raise as a single parent.

I also figured out how I learned best. What works for me, doesn’t always work for others. For me, I work best when given a nugget of information and running with it. I have never been one to learn from droning of professors, but from those who offer information and then I take it to the next level.

I am a visionary.

I was able to apply how I learned, PLUS a aspects of what I learned towards Faerie Made.

Working in the food service industry (aka would you like fries with that which is generally what one does with a liberal arts major) I primarily waited tables and did a bit of bartending. I preferred bartending. I got to be creative making drinks. I was a decent server waiting tables. I brought to my work there the philosophy of providing fast, efficient, courteous service. I felt that if I could do that for my customers then it would make them happy and more inclined to return to the restaurant and better yet, ask for me.

I brought the idea that I liked being creative and offering fast, efficient, courteous service to my business. Which is why I try so hard to respond to emails and telephone calls as quickly as possible and also to have a faster turn around time than I have stated (3-5 business days not including shipping but doing what I can to ship w/in 2 days).

In the non profit sector I worked with victims and survivors of domestic violence. When I first started there I had a huge passion for the work I did and I brought that to the table. I worked hard. I put my soul into it. I was very passionate about what I did and believed in it.

I first worked in the shelter, providing one on one support as women and their children began the steps they needed to live a life with out violence and fear.

Then I shifted to working as the Community Education/Outreach Coordinator which was the dual hat of volunteer coordinator and also providing community education and outreach to people from church groups, mental health, law and to the general population.

It was there that I began fine tuning my ability to market. I didn’t know that was what I was doing, but I was. I taught myself. I knew I had something (information about domestic violence and the agency services) and the public needed to know about it. It was there I had to learn to get information out and get it heard. I did a lot of public speaking and adult education. I also was very personal in it, because it’s just how I am.

I was doing marketing.

I also was given minimal instruction. It was basically, here is your job description … fly with it. (well, there were a few parameters, but that was okay. I had enough to do it. I loved what I did … until the agency shifted and brought in new administration which ended up with me being stifled and I left.

Shame when grass roots loses their “grass.”

I left there to work in a group home as the QDDP and staff supervisor. That place was the biggest nightmare of my work experience. I was stymied in every step I took by controlling parents micromanaging every step and the President of the agency kowtowing to them and passing the blame onto my staff when it was the parents … vicious cycle. When I left there I was 7 months pregnant with my daughter and that experience led me to this part:

I can’t work under a controlling thumb. Hence, my passion for working for myself. I am my own supervisor. I am my own boss. I work under the parameters I set for myself (and believe me I can be pretty tough on myself).

I set hours, schedules and I work hard.

I keep on keeping on.