Meet Therese Deutschlander

We were lucky to catch up with Therese Deutschlander recently and have shared our conversation below.

Therese, 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.
My first job, at 14 years old, was at a family owned drycleaners and there I learned how important it was to see people, truly see, them, and show them that they matter in sometimes very simple ways. Remembering their name, asking about their daughter’s wedding, their dog’s surgery, etc, whatever small part of their lives they chose to share with me on their previous visit, turned in to the key to showing them that I heard them and they mattered enough for me to remember and to ask follow up questions. On a day to day basis, I like making people feel like they matter, because they do. I went to school for English but always worked in customer service, from the drycleaners to a retail gift shop and shortly after graduating from college, I opened my own retail gift shop, focusing on the work of local artists. The relationships and friendships that have formed as a result fill my heart each and every day. From the amazing team I am surrounded by, to the 200+ local artists I have the good fortune of working with, to this amazing community of people who come in to share little bits of their life with me, my purpose is touching, and adding meaning to, as many lives as I can.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I opened Thin Ice Gift Shop in 2006 because I love retail, customer service, and supporting the local community. I am keenly aware of the importance of keeping local dollars local and how important it is to support local artists and businesses first and foremost. What started as a 1200 sq ft store with a dozen local artists has turned into a 2400 sq ft store with over 230 local artists and a thriving website. One of the most amazing things about Thin Ice is that over 18 years into business and I still get new local artists who want to be a part of the store. 98% of everything in the store is made by local artists with only a few sending me work from out of state but the rule is, if I can’t call and speak directly to the artist, I won’t carry the work. The area in which Thin Ice is located is the Elmwood Village, which is a cozy neighborhood in the middle of a bustling city. There are so many loyal, local customers who come in every week to say hi, visit the store cat, and sometimes even meet the local artists who may be in with a restock! It’s such a warm, welcoming atmosphere and one of the best things is when customers get to meet the artists because it’s so great connecting people. We do also have quite a few out of town visitors who really appreciate buying something made by a local artist, to take back home with them and of course, we have a website too. The majority of the work at Thin Ice is one of a kind, ranging from jewelry, pottery, metal, books, candles, organic skincare, lamps, wood, stickers, puzzles, cutting boards, clothing and everything in between.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
A strong work ethic, a passion for people, and a clear mission are very important when starting out in any business. When you open your own business, whatever that may be, it is a lot of work especially initially as you develop your rhythm and fine tune what works for you and your field of expertise. There will be ups and downs and having a clear and unwavering mission will help navigate those waves. It’s also very important to have a passion for people, especially if you are going into customer service but even if you’re not, being kind to people is so important; not just in business but in life! Everyone is a person and you don’t know their story or what they’re going through so just treat everyone with kindness and respect. Personally, I love being of service to others. For folks starting out in their journey, writing out a business plan is extremely beneficial. That can change and evolve but having a solid foundation to reference back to when you get caught up in inevitable catastrophes, helps bring you back to center.

We’ve all got limited resources, time, energy, focus etc – so if you had to choose between going all in on your strengths or working on areas where you aren’t as strong, what would you choose?
I think everyone is naturally talented in something. Figuring out what that is and building a life around it will make work seem far less like work. I love all things English; reading, writing, and above all else, communicating. I also love making people feel like they matter by remembering small, seemingly insignificant details that they’ve told me and I can recall those relatively easily. That’s why I went in to customer service! I didn’t drown myself in business courses and get-rich-quick schemes, I focused on honing my natural abilities and learning to listen to people better. I think it’s important to have a working knowledge of the various facets of your industry and whatever business you want to go into but it’s also important to know when and where to delegate. If someone is really good at marketing and has wonderful, creative ideas but really struggles with math, then they shouldn’t be developing the budget, they should be focused on promoting the business through social media. Similarly, if someone is really good with people, they shouldn’t be buried behind the computer, working on the website. They can work on it occasionally, as needed, but they should be focused where their natural talents lie

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Image Credits
Liv Gianadda

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