Tea and a Chat with Hannah of Fastenation Studio

Hello!  Good to see you, the kettle’s just boiled – what would you like to drink? 
I would love a cup of lemon green tea. Thank you!

So, tell us a bit about yourself and your business. 
Hello! I’m Hannah, owner of Fastenation Studio. I’m a young business owner who enjoys working hard to provide customers with quality products & service. In my studio I design & make polymer clay buttons, and one of a kind shawl pins. I make all different shapes, sizes, designs, & colours. I also love to do custom orders to help customers get just what they’re looking for. I’m constantly adding products to my shop shop & will continue to add “categories” as I have the time to design different items. I have multiple in mind. ; )   The one closest to being perfected & made available (with my Mom’s wonderful help) is hair bows, barrettes, clips, bobby pins, all things hair, with buttons for interest of course. I love getting input, ideas, encouragement, or just a quick hello – so I welcome all comments! Thanks so much.

On the personal side, I love staying busy & enjoy many varied things including spending time with my family (I’m the third child & oldest girl in our crew of 13), cooking & baking, knitting, anything outdoors (including the farm work I do when we’re home in the fall/winter), & I love Baseball! My Daddy was a professional (MLB - major league baseball) athlete & is now the pitching coach for a Minor League Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Due to the “baseball life” we live, we travel & move around a lot, get to see many new & exciting places, & I personally have lived in over 10 States. However, the most important aspect of my life is my religion. 

What (or who) inspired you to start your creative business? How did it all begin?  
 My Mommy was the one who inspired me to start my business & is a constant encouragement to me in my work. My mom & I are also avid knitters so I knew that we would both benefit from being able to “fasten” our own projects with my buttons & they would be exactly what we wanted. 

How has your business changed and developed since it started? 
Well, I just opened shop in the end of April so although there have been many changes & developments they’ve been small but steady & I couldn’t pinpoint a particular one. 

What are the main ways you promote your business?  Which methods have been the most successful for you?
 I run ads on Ravelry & that has been a wonderful place to promote my business. I also have had giveaways & found that to be very helpful as well.

What’s your workspace like?  Can we have a sneak peek?  And do you have any workspace organisation tips for the rest of us? 
My workspace is any table we happen to have, my craft travels well & is easy to transport & do anywhere. I keep all my tools & clay in totes which are on the bottom of a bookshelf right now. I’m quite an organised person but as my business is working with small items I don’t have a ton of things to organise. My biggest tip would be to take the minute or two to put your things away correctly the first time, instead of allowing things to build up & get out of control so that it takes you hours or sometimes days to clean. 

What are the best and worst bits of running your business? 
The best part is probably making the buttons (especially when all goes smoothly) although I really enjoy interacting with & helping my customers. I don’t know that I have a worst bit, I really enjoy it all.   

What other small (or not-so-small) creative businesses do you admire?   There are so many out there it’s hard to choose from, here are just a couple:
Addiah.com
The Cottage Home
How Joyful
http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com 

What tips can you give to others who run (or hope to run) a small creative business? 
Right now I wouldn’t say I’m in the place to give tips as I’ve just started myself. But… determining the cost of your goods & the time involved, to determine the price of your product(s) correctly is a major part in the success of your business. Overpricing & underpricing alike will hurt your business. 

What are your hopes, plans or ambitions for the future?  
 I hope to become known for my honesty, quality of service, & well crafted goods. I would love to grow & be able to involve others in my work as well.  

Finally, where are the places we can find you online if we want to partake in a little friendly cyber stalking? 
My shop website www.fastenationstudio.com is the place where you’ll find out more about myself and my business. My blog www.fastenationstudio.com/blog/  is where you will see shop updates, tips for working with clay, giveaways sales & coupons, and also occasional stories about our life. Come subscribe to stay in touch. You can follow me on Pinterest, I’m hannahdew2. I’m also on Ravelry as knitsnnotes & have a group Fastenation Studio. 

Thanks so much for stopping by – it was so nice to be able to take the time to chat with you! 
Thank you for having me, it was a pleasure.