We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Baker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
Burnout can happen to many of us. From my work and school routine to some of the mundane day-to-day stuff, it doesn’t take much to grow tired. I’ve experienced burnout because I’ve struggled with time-management, taking on such a heavy workload and with delegating it to the kind people in my circle always offering a helping hand. I desire to have a business that people remember and love coming back to support because of the product quality and excellent customer service. Thankfully, these qualities are some of the main reasons people come back but I had to remind myself that this should not have to come at the expense of my personal life. While I’m not always the most successful at avoiding burnout, some of the key strategies I strive for are setting realistic goals and a work schedule that wouldn’t leave me deprived of sleep, and most importantly, taking breaks to see family.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My name is Laura, and I create custom pet portrait products for people who just love their pets and want them to be a part of their special moments. I am Los Angeles born, a wife, and a grad student. I study education, taught for a short time and gravitated towards business ownership. With a desire to be creative and zero art or business skills, I opened an Etsy shop and sold earrings. A customers’ request for custom pet earrings and my eagerness to swan-dive into an artsy area I had no idea what I was doing in, had just spiraled into a business of products that pet lovers are feeling are a go-to gift idea and wedding-day staple. I’m still blown away with how much people are supporting my art. Every order and bit of feedback has been an opportunity to grow, from improved pet portraits to product quality. People are finding my products special because it’s personal to their life, their style, and the pets they love.
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?
Determination and perseverance were qualities that I found to be helpful in time. Of course, struggles are no fun, from limited art skills to products that started falling apart and customers who were unhappy with the paint, I had to take a step back and reevaluate what I was offering. Over 1000 Etsy customers later, since 2020 only 1% have had some form of issue with the product. It was still very important to me to find ways to improve even though those moments of product failure were defeating. I had to remain positive and quickly problem-solve while taking those intrusive thoughts of failure captive and learning to not dwell on the negative feedback. With more practice, a request for clarity in photos and fur color confirmations, as well as upgraded metals and the life saver of UV resin, the improvements were successful. Communication and integrity were also qualities that impacted my journey in this business. Being that the majority of my customers are dealing with time-sensitive situation such as gifting my products on a birthday or a wedding day, there is a level of stress apparent on both ends of the spectrum. I want to assure these special items are delivered on time and while brides and grooms are already dealing with the heavy stressors of planning a wedding, the least I can do to help alleviate some of the stress is to have an open line of communication. This has actually led to some unhealthy habits on my part, such as 3AM responses to customers on the other side of the world, but a response within 12hrs was always the goal and customers have really shown their appreciation for that. In my efforts to be available for customer questions, the quality of having integrity has also played in favor of my business. Remaining humble and transparent about what I’m working with from physical ability to skills and the overall functionality of the materials and requested designs, customers have been very gracious about that. I’ve found that when you’re honest and upfront about what you can do but show a willingness to try to accommodate their needs, customers know what to expect and are less likely to be unhappy with a fully customized product. My advice: persevere through the hardship; don’t be afraid of negative reviews and use them to your advantage; be honest about your product; share your story because people like to relate; and finally, keep an open line of communication as this leads to a better overall buyer-seller experience.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Becoming overwhelmed has become a frequent occurrence in juggling the things transpiring around me, lately, especially with such a heavy workload. I often need to briefly step away from my work to clear my mind before diving back in. Starting again with a new approach of breaking down a large project into smaller segments has helped me complete tasks one goal at a time. It’s important for me to remind myself that when I’m uneasy about the things feeling as though they are getting out of control, I can trust God for peace. So I find myself in prayer just as the Apostle Paul reminds us to do in Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. When I choose joy and to think about what I’m grateful for, there really is no room for worries.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.laurelevecc.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/laurelevecc
- Facebook: Facebook.com/laurelevecc
- Other: Etsy.com/shop/laurelevecc
Image Credits
Elope Telluride Photography Keri Calabrese Photography Marissa Gago Photography Five Five Media Co. Cineluk Mexico Photography
