Intro to Biz Interview Assignment

Hi again all!

So, as promised here is the interview I did for my Intro to Business class. We had to interview a small business owner, so I chose the exceptionally wonderful Amanda Swan of Sygnet Creations on Etsy. She graciously answered my questions via e-mail and here is the end result - enjoy!


Week 4 Written Assignment – Interview a Small Business Owner

Amanda Swan is an Air Force wife and mother of four. Sewing has always been something she has done for family and friends, but on the advice of one friend, she decided to take it a step further and use her talent for added income for her family. Amanda had been making mainly blankets, pillows, scarves, and hats for her friends and family, but with some pushing from her best friend, she decided to go into business and began her company, Sygnet Creations, in April of 2007. The name of her company comes from her husband’s name of Swan. In her words, “A cygnet is a baby swan and growing up my husband’s nickname was Sygnet with an ‘S’. With our household of babies it was a simple transition to bring that name forward, thus Sygnet Creations.”

When she first started her business, she was just making blankets, but soon expanded into her signature “neck nests,” travel pillows for infants, adults, and children. Since adding in the neck nests, she has branched out even further into offering pillowcase dresses; craft/waist aprons; full aprons/apron tops; pot holders & accessories; tags and bags (fabric bags, fabric wrapping supplies, fabric gift bags, purses, diaper bags); towels, pillows, scrap fabric, and baby slings. Her reasoning on the new additions is simple, “I actually started with blankets then moved on to the neck nests and other creations as my skills improved. You see, I am a self learner. My mother taught me basic skills of the sewing machine, but anything past that initial learning has been self taught. My children are my inspiration; they are the backbone behind everything I do. The colors I use are an expression of the joy I feel when I am able to create a piece of work dreamed up on a whim.”

Amanda chose to set up her business as a sole proprietorship, “I felt sole proprietorship worked best for me.” When asked how she got the startup capital for her business, she answered, “I am completely self financed. I used to have a free website on Lycos where I listed and sold my creations. It wasn't my best laid plan, but it introduced me to the world of Etsy.” On the e-tailing crafter’s site Etsy, Amanda seems to have found her niche. Billed as the “place to buy and sell all things handmade,” and featured on shows like Oprah and Rachael Ray, Etsy is the largest online crafting e-tailer. On Etsy, Amanda has been able to set up her shop, http://www.sygnetcreations.etsy.com, and also network to find new opportunities, such as being featured on LarkBooks.com for her winning Pillowcase entry.
http://www.larkbooks.com/article/pillowcase-challenge-winners

As far as being featured and published, Amanda had that as one of her goals with her business. “One goal I set when I started was to be published within the first 5 years. That goal will be achieved this year and that is wonderful. I have written a tutorial for an upcoming craft publication, and I am hoping it will give my business the push it needs to reach my 10-year plan of having more wholesale accounts with my products being featured in boutiques around the globe.”

When asked about a trend in her business that she used to make her shop more
successful, she shared the following, “The blankets I was making were not selling like I wanted, so I decided that the overall feel of my shop might be off. I needed more price points. I added the neck nests at this point. Once I sold a few in a week I realized they were going to be a big asset. The blankets stayed, I just down-sized; instead of making big twin-sized blankets for a higher price, I again made a smaller price point with the lovey and baby blankets. It gave my shop versatility and gave my customers a wide selection to choose from.” When asked how she competes with the competition or bigger business, her approach is simple, “I do not pay attention to what others are doing as far as competition, and I prefer not to compete. In all honesty the fact that I make everything by hand is more appealing than any big business assembly line. That in itself helps us stand apart.”

I asked Amanda how she feels as a female and minority business owner about the Etsy phenomenon and women such as herself choosing that option to generate income while taking care of their families. “Etsy is wonderful for all small business people, not just women. Although being over 70% women owned, I am happy to be a part of such a wonderful community. Without Etsy I would have closed up shop by now. There have been many ups and downs over the last few years and Etsy has allowed me to reach customers I couldn't have reached on my own. I am a very extroverted individual so I enjoy being around people. I have only sold my goods at one craft show and, of course, the BX. With comparison to Etsy, I do sell more in person in one day than online, but I prefer the flexibility of setting up shop in my night clothes.” When asked about selling at the BX on the Air Force base where her husband is stationed, Amanda said, “Selling at the BX has been a goal since day one. I actually applied over a year prior to being accepted. I am not interested in making it a full time gig, but I enjoyed the exposure of the day.”

I asked Amanda how she felt Etsy measured up to other sites such as eBay and Artfire, and how those sites differed from taking the direct approach of setting up a site on her own, which she has at http://sygnetcreations.com. She stated, “They are actually quite similar. When setting up your own website you need to pay for the site, shopping cart, any support you may need and so on. With Etsy you have all the above with a much smaller price tag.”

When I asked Amanda what she considered to be the upsides and downsides of owning her own business, she mentioned the freedom of being able to be there for her children as one of the biggest plusses of being her own boss. “I am able to stay home with my children and not spend a fortune in day care costs. With the profits I have been able to upgrade my computer system, buy glasses for my children, and contribute savings to our household. On the opposite note, I have spent a lot to get to this place. I still have months where breaking even is the goal. It is stressful when you have no financial backer but yourself and the long hours tend to make you loathe the Internet.” But, overall, she finds that she prefers the avenue she has chosen, and says the most rewarding part of small business ownership is “Freedom! I make what I want, set my own price, and work when I see fit.”

As someone who has been selling on Etsy for over 2 years, and who has made it a point to give back and reach out to help others there with her membership in the Etsy HomeFront street team for military families, as co-Leader of the EtsyFriends street team which encourages friendship and cooperative selling, and the Etsy Sellers Assisting Sellers (TeamSASsy), I asked Amanda what advice she would give to anyone wishing to start their own business. “First of all, have realistic goals, and a strong support system. You could have the best ideas in the world, but if you do not have a realistic sense of where you want to go and how you plan to get there, nothing will fall into place. The support keeps you going when you realize nothing is easy! Also, never give up. If one idea doesn't pan out, rethink and start again. There is always a diamond in the rough, you just need to know how to polish it up and make it shine!”

Since joining Etsy in August of 2007, Amanda’s Sygnet Creations has conducted 388 individual sales transactions garnering a 100% satisfaction rating with her customers. In addition to Etsy, Amanda has generated income from her own business site, sales on Craigslist.com, and sales in markets and the on-base BX. A central ethos of her success is taking pride in her customer service skills and her creations. Interpersonal relations, even over the Internet, are vital to the seller/customer relationship, and she maintains that going that extra mile to help a customer is another aspect of what sets her apart in the ever-growing Internet marketplace. From the small beginnings of making gifts for friends and family, Amanda has seen her own personal Sygnet grow into a profitable enterprise benefitting her family and offering opportunities to make her personal dreams and goals a reality.


There you have it! Thanks Amanda for helping me out with this assignment! I think it turned out pretty darn good! Off to start working on my Drawing Design and Art Theory sketches and final project mockup. Laters y'all!