Small Business Q & A
1. How long have you been in business?
Brett and I started Oxford Pennant on Christmas Day, 2013. We never set out to start a business; we just wanted to make wool felt pennants to sell online and at local festivals for beer money. Today, we have 13 employees in Buffalo, New York.
2. What are the unexpected positives of having to work from home?
My wife and I have a son and welcomed a baby girl in early April, so I’ve enjoyed spending time together as a family. My son is a wild kid, so we have daily “adventure time”. I take him for drives, we go to the park and we buy pizza. It’s been nice to bond with him in a way that I usually wouldn’t have time to do.
3. Have you set a schedule or stuck to a routine? And if you have a routine, what’s your fav new routine?
Not really, no. Once the kids are awake, the bullets start flying and the day is dictated by their moods!
4. What are you doing to stay creative during your free time?
Actually, I’m trying to sharpen my business tools by taking online courses. I signed up for LinkedIn Learning and turn on the audio while I’m cooking and cleaning. I can only get 15-20 minutes in at a time, but 6 weeks in to our quarantine, it’s beginning to add up!
5. What’s your ‘go-to’ Netflix show?
I just finished the movie “LA Originals” and loved it! Word around the house is that we’re getting ready to start “Ozark."
6. Send us a picture of your WFH space!
My gosh Ali, we just had a baby and we have a toddler running around all day. Absolutely not.
1. How long have you been in business?
I started Polished Prints in March of 2018, so a little over 2 years!
2. What are the unexpected positives of having to work from home?
We run Polished Prints out of our home space so I’m no stranger to the WFH life. Without a doubt, I would say that my favorite aspect is the work/life balance it allows me to have. We have two little ones so right now I feel like I’m running a small business, a preschool and a nursery. It’s pretty common to find me packing orders with my littlest strapped to me in his baby carrier or responding to emails in between dress-up sessions with my toddler.
3. Have you set a schedule or stuck to a routine? And if you have a routine, what’s your fav new routine?
Yes. My new routine really revolves around nap time and batch working. I get up, get ready and work from 6-8am, then I batch work again during my daughter’s nap time from 12:30-3:30. I spend time in the studio/warehouse in the evenings when my husband fully takes over, but truly each and every day is different!
4. What are you doing to stay creative during your free time?
I’ve been doing a lot more drawing / writing. I find that the bulk of my inspiration stems from moments where I can create freely. Even taking 30 minutes a day to write in a journal helps me to get my wheels turning!
5. What’s your ‘go-to’ Netflix show?
I absolutely LOVE Working Moms. That show seriously brings me to tears I laugh so hard!
6. Send us a picture of your WFH space!
I go back and forth between the dining room and the outdoor warehouse right now :)
1. How long have you been in business?
Our online business started almost five years ago (in November) and our brick-and-mortar is just turning three in May!
2. What are the unexpected positives of having to work from home?
SWEATPANTS + new baby snuggles have become the two highlights of my day.
3. Have you set a schedule or stuck to a routine? If you have…what’s your fav new routine?
Two words: NEW BABY. No schedule, no routine. Only survival. ☺ And trying to soak up all newborn the goodness along the way.
4. What are you doing to stay creative during your free time?
We’ve become queens of the quick shift given the current COVID climate. I find most of my creativity in my daily Instagram or Pinterest scrolls. I’ve also loved learning about how other small businesses are positively turning their lemons into lemonade in today’s world. It’s inspiring and motivating to know others are on the same journey we are. I’ve always believed, whether in good economic times or bad, that creativity is the key to survival.
5. What’s your ‘Go-To’ Netflix show?
My husband and I just started rewatching The Office. Jim + Pam forever.
