We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jacquelyn Mansfield. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jacquelyn below.
Jacquelyn, 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.
At the very beginning of the pandemic there were no masks of any kind available at local stores, and online sellers were taking advantage of the demand and stockpiling what they could find and then jacking up the price. This made them almost impossible to access for many people. My day job is in a grocery store. We were all terrified of our exposure risk. I was angry and scared and felt so helpless that I was having panic attacks every day. Then I thought to myself, “why can’t I make a mask?” and immediately started working on some designs for myself, coworkers, and friends and family. I made them so well and so comfortable that word spread amongst my friends and their friends and family, and very quickly I had the beginnings of a small business. And you know what? As soon as I started making those masks my panic disappeared. Helping. That was my purpose. Crafting those masks with care, skill and intent to help someone stay well. That I could even do that was an incredibly powerful realization. It was an honor and I worked tirelessly at it. Days off disappeared. I’d sew all day while I was off, and at night after working at the grocery store. Every spare moment I was making those masks for everyone I knew and the orders just kept coming in. I never expected in a million years that sewing was going to be my apocalypse super power. Go figure! So that was the start of Proxima Design (named after my little black cat Proxima Midnight). I was making the cat toys from the beginning as well, as something for my own cats and to bring for the kitties at the shelter I volunteer at, but when the masks sales dropped after a year or so is when I really started to pivot the business exclusively to cat toys. I didn’t want my small business adventure to be over! So then it was Proxima Design Cat Toys, and this was still HELPING. Enrichment and play for kitties is so important to their quality of life, and I was determined to build irresistible, safe, durable and super cute toys for all kitty play styles. Animal welfare has always been one of the most important things in my life, and now with my toys I’d found a new way to contribute!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Proxima Design Cat Toys is my growing small business! Even from those first strange looking toy prototypes I knew I was onto something special! In the beginning there was a lot of trying out different materials and shapes and tossing them at my cats to see how they would react, and how the toy would behave under stress. I just kept tweaking the design, making it more durable, and really focusing on safety. As an overprotective pet parent I always prioritize what’s safe to introduce to my kitties’ world so I take a lot of care in my toys in that respect. Once I was confident I had a firm grasp of how to construct a durable toy then I really got to the fun part designing all the varieties. The tacos were the first food toy that happened and it was an accident! I was just playing around with some pieces of felt bending them into different shapes to see what might make a good toy shape and I happened to fold a yellow, green and pink circle in half together. The lightbulb went on and I realized I was holding a tiny taco in my hand! I just laughed so hard when I tweaked the pattern to look more polished and I had all these tiny tacos all over my work bench. It was amazing! It was joy! I had to make more. I had to share them! The ideas just kept coming and before long I had a whole line of food shaped catnip toys! I’ve got almost too many varieties of toys now to keep reliably in stock. Along with the felt toys I now have Kickers, Crinkle Mats, and even a few varieties of 3D printed toys using a non toxic and incredibly durable filament. My Ring Things are the most popular design! They are inspired by the rings you strip off milk jugs. Cats love those! These are bigger and more durable, and come in bright colors, or glow in the dark!
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?
Perseverance, respect and care for others, and creative problem solving were and are still the foundation of my small business. Building a brand from scratch is not easy, but it has absolutely been made easier by the relationships I have fostered with friends, customers, and other small businesses along the way. Small business is very much a community and there is so much opportunity to support one another. Yes, even your competition. My advice is always take the high road. Do the right thing. Always find the opportunity even in the dead ends, slow sales ventures and failed designs. You never know if maybe you were in the right place after all that day, even if you didn’t make a dime maybe someone saw your work that is going to open up a future opportunity. Maybe that design that didn’t work out isn’t going to be your next best seller, but it may teach you what doesn’t work, and that’s valuable. Small business is very human. Your competitors are not soulless corporations. They’re people with families and bills and struggles. A small kindness can mean everything. Being kind is easy though. The rest is very hard work, but if you’ve done right by your peers, customers and competition, that comes back to you in so many different ways.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
My next big challenge is going to be scaling up to the next level. More and bigger wholesale accounts, more hands on deck to help with sewing. More investment into a more polished social media and online presence. I’d be lying if I didn’t feel a little sad at the idea of leaving the craft fairs and small shops behind to make room for bigger scale things. My challenge is not even how I would scale up, it’s deciding whether or not that’s the direction I truly want to go. I’m really enjoying the journey and looking forward to seeing what’s next no matter what road I take.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.proximadesigncattoys.com
- Instagram: Proxima.design.cattoys.instagram.com
- Facebook: https://ProximaDesignCatToys.facebook.com
- Other: https://ProximaDesignCatToys.etsy.com
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