We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kasey Orr a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Kasey, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
The feeling of imposter syndrome seems to be familiar to a lot of small business owners. It can be scary putting yourself out there, doing something out of your wheelhouse and wondering if people are going to tell you to get back in your lane. But that is where growth happens! I feel this way occasionally, usually when I’m doing something new. I remember having this feeling when I released my first course. This is what helps me figure it out.
I ask myself the following questions.
Why am I doing this?
What is the truth?
What can I do better?
Why am I doing this?
For me, I made my first course because I started getting nearly daily questions in my DMs about how to do leatherwork. I wondered if I could put together a course that had all of the most asked questions I received and sell it! To save me time, answer more questions in a better format and also to add another passive revenue stream to my business. That is why I started. Why I continue is because of the great feedback I get telling me I’m helping people enjoy leatherwork more.
What is the truth?
Well, what’s the actual definition of an imposter ?
“A person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain.”
Does that description actually fit me? Am I saying I am something I am not? Nope.
Am I trying to deceive others by lying about my credentials or telling them they will receive the moon with their product, but not actually give it to them? Also no.
Some people have a very overblown sense of themselves while other people sorely lack in confidence.
I think you have to find a balance between being delusional about overselling your skills and experience vs. being self deprecating. Just be honest.
What is the truth of the scoreboard. You can’t fake your reviews and feedback. If you’ve released a product and people are raving about it, believe them! On the contrary, if you are getting a lot of the same negative reviews, you have to genuinely ask yourself if they have any merit to them and improve, if they do.
What can I do to be better?
Leading up to the release of that course I absolutely felt imposter syndrome. Thinking about all the people who had been doing leatherwork longer than me. I had only done it for 8 years. Was that enough time? Did I earn my place? What were other leatherworkers going to think? Up to that point I had only made leather goods and gave a lot of people free advice in my DMs. Was my course worth actually asking money for? Was I even good enough?
I reminded myself of the reasons WHY I was doing it and took a leap of faith! I figured, I’ll let the people tell me if it’s good or not. If they say it’s bad, I will be bummed. Then I will take it down and try again. Thats the worst that can happen.
In the following days after launching, the good feedback started to roll in. The more positive reviews that came in the more my confidence grew and the more my imposter syndrome shrank.
As time went on, 2 years after the release I couldn’t stop thinking about all the things I wanted to make better. How one of the videos has a drink can in the frame, I could now make better patterns than 2 years ago, I could explain things better, I upgraded my camera so I wished the photos were better. Things I saw in hindsight that I wanted to improve upon. At the time it was truly the best I could do and people were enjoying it! But I started feeling like it could be better. The more things I saw that weren’t up to my 2 years later standards, the less confident I felt to advertise the course. I knew thats when it was time to take it down and create a new one that I would be proud to sell! So thats what I did.
I think I feel like an imposter sometimes because other people see the value in me and my work before I do. Selling yourself can be weird because you have to believe in yourself and a lot of us were taught not to brag or show off. I try to remember, I am not my work. If someone says my product sucks, they are not speaking directly to me as a human. Products are easy to fix and try again. Likewise, if someone is raving about my product I try to remember, they are not speaking of me and my character. If I don’t let the lows get to me, I can’t let the highs get to me either.
Don’t be afraid to try something new even if you feel like an “imposter” for a minute. Your brain just doesn’t believe you fit that role yet. But you will convince it, eventually it will follow suit.
Be honest. Believe in what you have to offer. Be willing to improve your offering. Do the absolute best you can in the moment you are in. Make sure the you aren’t the only one gaining value from the deal. When I do this, my imposter syndromes isn’t around for long.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Horses were a big part of my life growing up. Beautiful tooled horse tack was always around and I remember thinking – I want to learn how to make that. I found a local leatherworker in my hometown of Redmond,OR and he taught me the basics. In trade, I did all of the grunt work, post office and lunch runs. Anything he needed done I was happy to do it to get to be in the leather shop. Being horseback was my favorite place, but the leather shop was a strong second. I started when I was 16 and 12 years later I’m still doing it.
My parents let me work in their spare room when I was just starting out and it was more of a hobby. Then my husband and I moved to Roseburg for a few years for his electrical apprenticeship. Leatherwork was still just a hobby at this point, but I either needed to get a job ASAP or see if I could turn this leatherwork thing into some actual money.
My husband worked out of town for a few weeks and back for a few days. I didn’t know anyone when we moved there so I just dove into trying to make a real business out of my hobby. I listened to audiobooks, podcasts and YouTube videos all day long. Anything I could learn about how to grow on social media, improve customer service, run ads, business terms I should know, entrepreneur’s stories, I wanted it all and somehow I never got burnt out on it. I got to choose my “friends” everyday.
When we first moved there I was a little lonely. A little bummed! But, being alone like that and away from distractions was the very best thing that could have happened to me. You really learn a lot about yourself in those kind of situations. Without that time, and the financial safety net my husband provided while my business was growing, I do not think I would have what I do now.
Fast forward from using the spare room in our Roseburg house. We now live in Prineville, OR. I have a commercial space where I work out of and teach classes!
Right now I’m looking forward to teaching more classes and the launches of some online mini courses. The classes are such a blast. It’s usually a group of friends that come and they just laugh, talk, drink and tool leather. Those classes are about 1.5 hours long just enough to enjoy creating a small project. It’s not an in-depth class.
We can do one on one sessions there as well for more serious aspiring makers.
The online courses are great for my business because it’s something that I only have to build once and many people can benefit from. Reading reviews that my courses make leatherwork fun and easier for people, all of the good feedback, for me there is nothing better than that.
Custom leatherwork will probably forever remain the strongest pillar of the business. I know I said there is nothing better than getting a good review on a course, but getting a rave review from a bride-to-be about her custom leather wedding set is right up there too. I think it’s addicting almost! I’m not overly interested in the “like count” on a post, but give me those good reviews and tell me I nailed bringing your vision to life! Ohhh yeah! That’s the fuel that keeps me going.
Kasey Jean Leather Designs is here to bring your visions to life through custom leather work. And to make leatherwork enjoyable through courses and classes.
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?
Learn everything that you can and don’t overthink it! Today we have an immense amount of information at our fingertips. This is great, but sometimes it leads to a lot of over analyzing and trying to find that magically perfect, non existent moment, to start something new.
Don’t get what they call “analysis paralysis.. You can only google so many questions before you have to jump in and figure it out for yourself!
Prioritize customer service over everything. Making your customer feel important and giving them the best experience possible I think is the most important thing about your business. People want to be heard and valued. Your customers are the lifeblood of your business. See them as the people they are, talk to them as such. Not like they are problems to solve. When you receive a new order, don’t see it as just the one time dollar amount. Give that customer the very best experience, value them and that is a returning customer you will have for life.
Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?
I absolutely love audiobooks! I enjoy sitting down to read as well, but working alone in a leather shop all day, listening to books is the perfect way to multitask.
There is no way I can pick just one.
Sam Walton: Made in America- An autobiography about the rise of Wal-Mart. This man was absolutely obsessed with growing his store. It taught me that it’s okay to be seen as a little crazy in pursuit of your passion.
5am Club- I read this book when I was 20 and it is solely responsible for turning me into a morning person.
The 10x Rule by Grant Cardone- Taught me that we are capable of so much more than we think we are. Don’t play small.
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert- This book is perfect for artists and creatives who start to sell their work. I remember an anecdote of ideas. How they will come to you like a creature waiting for you to bring them to life, but it will move onto the next person if you don’t put it forth soon enough. Relating to the feeling we get of excitement for a new idea then 3 months later, we haven’t made any progress and somehow what once brought us passion is fizzled out.
Contact Info:
- Website: kaseyjeanleatherdesigns.com
- Instagram: @kaseyjeanleatherdesigns
- Facebook: Kasey Jean Leather Designs
- Youtube: Kasey Jean Leather Designs
