We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Polka Dots KC Meg and Heidi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Polka Dots KC, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
It is a rare thing in life that a person can make money with their passion. So often , life supporting work, and soul fulfilling passions are at odd with each other. Meg and myself had a childhood dream of owning our own business and getting to be together all the time. It was when we revisited that dream in our early 30’s, we realized childhood dreams spoke to a specific part of our soul. We had to overcome a lot of learned thinking about entrepreneurship and self employment. But when the thing we loved doing started to generate a revenue we could survive on, we dove in head first. Now we look around at each other and cant believe we did it.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Meg and myself just launched a brand new event rentals company in the Kansas city area. We have been event planners for years and felt this was the natural progression in our professional journey. We are cousins and our business is named for our moms who are sisters. We have been a consumer in this market so we have insight to what is needed and what can be improved on. As wedding planners first, we have a unique perspective on event logistics that informs out inventory and policies.
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?
Three skills or areas of knowledge that have been helpful for us knowledge of digital marketing. It is vital to all small business these days. Alternatively, its important to outsource the things you don’t have skills in. Accounting not your thing? Outsource it. Cant make your own ads? Outsource it. It will save you time and effort to hand it to someone who already knows. In that same vein, asking for help or to be taught is a crucial part of growth. You cant be good at EVERYTHING, especially right out the gate. Learn from others mistakes and draw on wisdom from your peers.
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
As a brand new business, our biggest obstacle right now is gaining traction and visibility. There are hundreds of strategies to employ to get in front of customers but we have found that it is networking that has served us the best. We lean on other industry professionals as a source of feedback and support. We have found that fostering these relationships is mutually beneficial and it helps promote community over competition. People in our direct branch of industry have reached out with support and congratulations. We couldn’t be more grateful.
Contact Info:
- Website: Polkadotskc.com
- Instagram: Polkadotskc
Image Credits
Copper Tree Photo
