We recently connected with Anders and Emma Lindberg and have shared our conversation below.
Anders and Emma, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
Our art is influenced by our life experiences. Since we spend most of our free time outdoors – getting back to nature helps us keep our creativity alive. If you follow our shop you will see we are always adding new designs. We usually get our best ideas when we travel. We have visited 35 of the states in the US as a family, 15 to go! We took a family vacation up the North Shore of Minnesota and we left with so many sketches and ideas. Then a year later there are half a dozen shops on the North Shore carrying those very items. The more we travel the more we feel our creativity.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
We are a husband and wife team who use a laser to cut plywood. Our most popular items fall into two categories: 5″ states and 5 layered lasered art. The 5″ states are available in ornaments or magnets. They are a great gift to celebrate state pride. We keep getting requests for special designs and keep adding states as requests come in. We are always designing and launching new products. The 5 layered laser art comes in two sizes: small magnet and medium wall hanging. These are especially fun because the multiple layers gives us an ability to bring more detail and beauty to the art. They provide a visual pop and you can stare into them and enjoy the depth and beauty. We create all our own designs, it’s not a download and print situation. Everything is designed and tweaked here in our home in Minnesota. We keep pieces and parts of designs on the kitchen table (embarrassingly most of the time) and play with them until they look right. We have 2 daughters (10 & 12) and they get involved in every step of the way as well. We work together as a family of 4 to get the pieces designed, stained, cut, glued, wiped, and finished. Our pieces are truly handmade. There is care taken in every step of the process, and it shows through to our work. We are so thankful for the shops who consign and wholesale our creations – they fuel our ability to create.
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?
Three of our qualities that are the most impactful to our business are work ethic, adaptability, and intentionality. We both have a strong work ethic which has been instilled in us from a young age. We aren’t afraid to put in extra hours when needed to fulfill our duties. We spend a part of each and every day working on our business. It is not as simple as sitting down and making products. It is designing new things, contacting potential buyers, and shopping for different supplies. It wasn’t until our seventh year of really working at it that we made more than minimum wage for our time simply because we poured so many hours in. Adaptability is also a critical ingredient for our success. Our product has changed quite a bit as we journeyed through this small business adventure together. It started with knit hats, then we added pallet art (hence the name Knit and Nailed). Then we purchased a laser to elevate our pallet art and switched completely to the laser designs. We had great success with pallet art, but having a willingness to change elevated our business. The laser art is new and stores had never seen it before so suddenly doors were open that hadn’t been opened before. It’s very exciting to see what’s going to happen next. We aren’t afraid to adapt and grow and in another 7 years we may be back to knitting! Finally, we are intentional with our business. When we started, it was all a hobby for us. We did it for fun and because we love creating. We were able to sell our products, but not expand as we wanted to. As we scaled up we had to examine the cost vs benefit and its effect on the business. Not only did we have to evolve to a product that is unique, but it has to be cost effective to produce. Planning our material costs, time, fees from Etsy, consignment fees, and shipping costs is a crucial element to a successful business. We have to be proactive and reactive to both have inventory on hand and add what’s new and exciting. We have to plan carefully for each season and event. We have used these skills to be able to keep it all going with our family of 4 working hard together, being adaptable, and being intentional with our decisions.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Our biggest obstacle is making products that are popular and unique that will stand out in a saturated craft market. There are thousands of shops on Etsy selling laser cut items. We set ourselves apart by creating completely new and unique art. Nothing we sell is a purchased image downloaded to print. We spend the time to design it, and then re-design it if need be. We use our social media and other resources to drive traffic to our Etsy shop. The more exposure you get the better in today’s market. Often shoppers compare handmade art to something a big box store sells that is “made in China.” We strive to let our quality and craftsmanship shine and we stamp our products with “Handmade in Minnesota, Knit and Nailed” on the back. Don’t shop at a big box store if you have an opportunity to shop small. Nobody at corporate America notices when you purchase a little something extra for a friend or relative. When you purchase from a small shop – that family is doing a happy dance as you walk out the door or push checkout on Etsy.
Contact Info:
- Website: knitandnailed.etsy.com
- Instagram: @knitandnailed
- Other: email: [email protected]
