Happy Wednesday! Not only is it HUMP DAY, but it's also Woman Crush Wednesday!
Meet Emily Wright, the face behing Miss Em Sews!
When did you start Miss Em Sews?
- I launched Miss Em Sews just last month in January 2017 on Etsy and Facebook! I actually started making the fabric coffee sleeves for my family as Christmas gifts in November 2016 and when I gave them to my family, everyone LOVED them and told me I should start my own thing making these! So after some consideration, I took my family’s advice and pursued my passion and love for sewing into a startup! ☺
Can you tell me about your background? School? What set you up for this endeavor?
- I’m from a small farm town in Ohio called Marlboro Township in Alliance, Ohio. We lived one house away from my Grandma who actually taught me to sew at a very young age. She’s the reason I love sewing so much and have a creative side ☺. I just graduated from Kent State University in August 2016! I majored in accounting and minored in business management. I absolutely loveeeee my background in accounting an excited where it will lead me!
What all does Miss Em Sews do? What are your products?
- So because Miss Em Sews is fairly new, I am currently making one product which is the handmade, fabric coffee sleeve. Each coffee sleeve has 2 fabric patterns (one for the front side and a different fabric on the back), batting in the middle for cushioning and protection from the heat, a vintage button to match the fabric, and an elastic band to make the sleeve adjustable in size to fit any standard coffee to-go cup! I am in the process of researching and looking into making fabric bookmarks! They’re super trendy and I am hoping to have a few created here in the next month so stay tuned on those ☺
Is anyone else involved in Miss Em Sews?
- It’s mainly just me! ☺ I do have help from my fiancé, Daniel who will help cut out my coffee sleeve tags and things like that. And my sister, Anna, is studying Visual Communication Design at Kent State University so she actually created my logo and all my designs. If I need any new tags or designs, she helps me create those and gives me ideas on how to present my brand. But as far as creating the actual product, it’s just me!
Is this your sole job? If not, what else do you do?
- No, I have a full-time job as a Staff Accountant at an accounting firm! I loveeee what I do there and I use my skills and knowledge from business school to help me run my new startup! I’m currently working 60 hours at my full-time and then coming home to work on Miss Em Sews! Haha it sounds like it might be a lot but I truly enjoy spending time on both of these passions and I’m hoping this summer I will be able to spend more time on Miss Em Sews and participate in flea markets, etc ☺
If you’re not doing it, what would your dream job be?
- To retire at age 23! Haha but honestly I love where I am now with everything at my 2 jobs. I hope one day I will be able to grow Miss Em sews into a few more markets and expand my product segments so we will see ☺
How important is social media to your business?
- Social media is CRUCIAL to my business! It is my only way of marketing and getting my name out to the public. I believe that social media is an amazing way to help a small startups like myself to get themselves known and let their customers know where to find their products and get updates.
What would you say is your personal brand is?
- Because I am still so new, this is a work in progress trying to figure out where I want to be in the market and what the potential of Miss Em Sews is. I will say that I want to be recognized as crafting quality sewn products that are unique and have a local presence in the market.
What can others learn from you?
- I think the most important thing is that even when you feel like things are overwhelmingly busy, you just need to stick to your plan and stay focused on your goals, whatever they may be. Whether it is in school, work, or your personal life there are always going to be times when you feel pressured and it always helps to have a plan and a set of goals that you can stay focused on.
How do you do under pressure? How do you handle stress?
- From my full-time job working 60 hours a week, studying for an accounting certification, planning a wedding, finding time for family and friends, and somehow managing to find time for Miss Em Sews, stress is around me 24/7 but I have always enjoyed and thrived off of having a busy life and I wouldn’t have it any other way! Time management and organization are my strengths and I utilize them every day to get all the tasks I need/want to get done in day ☺ You’ll never catch me without my planner, phone, and all my work bags!
What’s the average day in the life of Emily look like?
- Oh boy it’s a crazy one! But it is fun ☺ Most mornings and afternoons you can find me in the office working, and then I come home to help make dinner with my fiancé, then I start working on Miss Em Sews related things, and finally end the night with watching either New Girl, Friends, Park and Rec, or the Office! On the weekends I’ll head to my parents’ to see my family and run to any stores that hold Miss Em Sews products and check on how everything is going. I also love going out in Kent with my friends and having laid back weekends.
Do you/Did you have a mentor/mentee?
- Yes I was actually fortunate enough to have 2 mentors in my life, both made an impact on my life at different times. The first is my Grandma Roosa. She has taught me everything I know about sewing and just about how to be a better person every day. She’s an amazing woman and I hope I can at least be half the woman she is someday. Then during my college years I obtained my first accounting internship and that’s where I met Glen, my other mentor. He is head of the accounting department where I was interning and helped pushed me to become a better accountant and better business women each day. I’m thankful for both of these people and the impact that have put on my life.
How did you advance your career?
- LOTS of coffee and studying! Haha I guess it was also through a ton of hard-work, long nights of studying, joining clubs in college, networking, and listening to advice from others. Also, not being afraid to take a chance every now and then has helped me to experience things that I otherwise may have never done and it has opened new doors for me on several occasions.
Why do you do what you do?
- I guess I just hated what little free time I had left haha! But honestly I do it because I have always loved having a chance to get a little creative – believe it or not being an accountant doesn’t often involve a lot of chances to be creative, so I love that Miss Em Sews gives me a chance to do just that.
How would you describe your personal style?
- Hmm, I would probably say trendy and comfortable! My favorite outfit is a pair of leggings with an oversized cute sweater, a pair of boots, and a scarf! When I’m in the office, I love to spice up my business casual outfits up with jewelry and other accessories.
What makes up your wardrobe?
- Definitely too many purses and shoes! These are my weaknesses haha. If I’m on a mission to buy a new shirt, I’ll somehow end up walking out without the shirt and with a new purse or shoes. But besides those items, I have lots of business casual outfits, sweaters, jeans, skirts, dress pants, and LOTS of jewelry. Much to the dismay of my fiancé, our closet is just about overflowing with clothes, shoes, and jewelry.
Who is your fashion icon?
- This is a tricky one for me because I don’t really follow famous people on social media or read magazines too often. So I would probably say my little sister, Anna. She has (in my opinion) a super trendy and fashionable taste so I tend to look and see what new outfits she’s wearing ☺
What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment?
- I would say graduating college and obtaining my first full-time job right out of college. As fun as college was, there were many stressful nights of studying and many hours of hard work put into it so I’m proud of that accomplishment.
What is your ‘must have’ accessory?
- Purses and earrings! And of course my daily planner!
What advice can you give others that look towards you to gauge success?
- Be patient and not to compare yourself to others. I’m just getting started with Miss Em Sews and I remember in the first few weeks, I was so jealous of other Etsy crafters that had tons of ratings and followers but I had to realize that it is a process and I just need be patient! It will work out in time if you put in the effort and don’t compare yourself to others ☺
What advice can you give on failure?
- I’ve failed many times, everyone has. Tests, interviews, etc., it happens. I was told once, that if you fail trying to obtain something you wanted, you’re allowed to be disappointed and sad for a few days but that’s it. After those first few days of disappointment, you HAVE to pick yourself back up, work harder, and try again.
What was your big break?
- Miss Em Sews is still fairly new to the world but thus far, I would say creating our Facebook page. I got a ton of recognition from it and was able to get my pictures and information out to people who were interested.
Are you a member of any organizations? Trade Organizations, etc.
- I am a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and my company has a Professional Women’s group where we have meetings and talk about women in business. I love joining organizations in my areas of interest and I hope I am able to join more in the future!
What’s next for you?
- For me personally, I’m starting out a new career at an amazing company and I’m excited to see where that takes me. I’m getting married in 2018 and I’m super excited to get started on planning!
What’s next for Miss Em Sews?
- And then finally for Miss Em Sews: I am planning on expanding the number of shops that hold our product, getting more recognition on Etsy and Facebook, spread my brand more locally, and become more diverse in making other products. I’ve actually been in the process of crafting fabric bookmarks that have a clasp at the end and a charm attached to it ☺ I will hopefully be able to release those in the near future so keep an eye out! Overall, I’m excited for 2017 because I have a feeling it is going to be a great year for both myself and Miss Em Sews!
Keep up with Emily here.
Thanks, Emily!
xo,
KJB
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