We were lucky to catch up with Renee Preuss recently and have shared our conversation below.
Renee, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I wish I could say “I always knew what I wanted to do,” however, I am one who struggled a lot when I was younger and unfortunately lost my way during some of my formative years. Feeling lost and completely unaware of the direction I should go in and how, there were years of trying things because they seemed like the right thing or smart choice but making big decisions that way definitely had consequences. Although there were lows, there are always things to be gained from failures and roads that don’t lead to a specific destination and so I learned a lot about life from living in different types of locales and having exposed myself to an array of people that I never would’ve met or experienced based on the small area I grew up in. Those experiences expanded my worldly perspective immensely and enriched my world, I am eternally grateful for that.
Throughout each phase of my life and going through it alone for the most part (thankfully I had a great support system with family), it brought me closer to realizing what I wanted and most definitely what I didn’t want! To be honest, I had wanted to own my business for so long but was young and naive to the fact that it was possible, I thought I had no basis for pursuing it and thought it was so far off and candidly lacked confidence. Fast forward to actually taking the plunge and going for it, all of my brushes with different environments, styles and personalities, I knew the direction I wanted to go and of course with time and experience after opening the shop, I could hone in more and more and be clear with where I saw it going and how I wanted it to develop, which of course will be forever evolving.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hello readers! My name is Renee and I am the owner of the small indie online shop Pondered Goods. It started as a brick + mortar in Fort Collins, Colorado carrying a variety of curated products and goods from quality makers and brands (mostly)! That was the beginning and where things started to take shape for what it is and where it is going now as I was constantly researching and found so many amazing people and brands on Instagram, which led to honing in more specifically on brands that are transparent about their ethical practices and core values that have become an intrinsic part of the shop.
I was the kid in school who loved research papers, not so much the lengthy writing process and citing sources but the research itself and that has remained true and instrumental in finding products and exciting brands. Finding something that you can’t easily find online or in a big box store is truly exciting and gets me pumped to be able to offer it and showcase the maker or brand. One of the struggles is finding soooo many cool and talented people making and designing unique products, is the streamlining of what the store carries and that is what I have been focusing on the last few months and coming up with a plan to streamline more and not have too many genres as I think it doesn’t help with sales. I will be starting to devote new inventory and the shop to being a very decor centric shop with a few special products for gifts but making it mostly a home + lifestyle shop.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The first quality for me was my social personality and how I communicate with different personalities and can be extroverted in social situations. I enjoy talking to people and learning about them, so I knew a brick and mortar would be aligned with that interaction. I have seen amazing people open great businesses but prefer to stay in the background and unfortunately that doesn’t work if you have a physical locale and are the sole employee initially. Admittedly, even though I can converse easily, I did have a bit of imposter syndrome and insecurities about judgment and so being the owner challenged me to confront that head on and persevere through those fears and feelings to represent the shop and myself in a confident manner.
Having a background in the arts and working jobs in the style industry were crucial with opening my eyes to design and cutting edge things happening that I had not been exposed to and hone in on what were a fit for products for the shop, what to look for in the makers/designers who were making/producing the products and introducing them to customers who weren’t familiar with that world necessarily. The challenge is introducing new styles in a way that is not intimidating or feels inaccessible, staging and imagination aid with that and of course is fun!
An invaluable lesson that was learned and came with experience, which can be challenging is being able to speak with a potential brand and ask all of the questions you need and want to know. After learning through initial brands and taking things at face value, I knew I needed to seek out as much as I could about a brand/maker, their process and production practices, etc., so that I could then reiterate that and have all of the knowledge about the product, why it is carried in the shop and feel good about shared values. It seems obvious but I struggled with that in the beginning and of course a brand wants to let you know all about them if they are going to enter a business relationship and entrusting you to carry their product, so it goes both ways.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
Hands down exposure and visibility is the biggest issue I face as being online only is extremely hard to gain traction on a tight budget where there are so many brands and stores online, let alone the big giants that dominate the web. I have known for a while that I need to work with an individual or group that solely works with small brands to come up with a strategy and implement it to scale and grow and reach my ideal customers.
It has been so hard to figure out where and whom to reach out with and connect with because there are an abundance out there working within the marketing and social media industry. Having never hired out yet, it is daunting to know who is the real deal and who is not. Currently I am speaking with a small creative agency that reached out and works with individuals and small brands like myself and have a great feeling about it. I am hoping to start the process in the Spring with a budget put aside for it and cannot wait, it’s been a long time coming!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ponderedgoods.com
- Instagram: @ponderedgoods
- Facebook: Pondered Goods
