Fearless Friday – Tammy McCain, White Iris Designs June 20, 2008

Welcome to another edition of Fearless Friday!  I’m excited to present a very special treat – a Fearless Female Entrepreneur with TWO – count ‘em – TWO businesses!  She is a “floral designer by day – jewelry designer by night…..”  This is especially inspiring to me because I’ve had difficulty narrowing down which of my passions to focus on.  I want to do it all and that’s not the best plan when you’re just starting out.  It’s encouraging to see that it is very possible to be successful at more than one business, especially when they complement each other so well.  Tammy’s love for what she does and her confidence in where she is going shine through in her personality.  She’s always “up” and and “up for” having some fun with her great sense of humor.  Tammy is always there with words of encouragement and support for others.  Her creative gifts are evident in her unique jewelry designs and floral arrangements.  She exemplifies the wonderful words of advice that she offers at the end of the interview.  Enjoy this glimpse into her world and please join me in wishing her continued success.

And now, I give you Tammy of White Iris Designs.

Which came first, the jewelry or the flowers?

The flowers definitely came first. I have loved flowers since I was a little girl spending time on my maternal grandparents’ farm. She had all of the old fashioned standards, lilacs, wisteria, snowball bushes, hydrangeas, and peonies. I can also remember sneaking to the rose bushes that divided our yard from the neighbors and cutting roses off to take to my mom.  My first real memory of designing with flowers was when I was about 10 or 11; I entered something in the county fair and won Grand Champion. But my first real floral design job was my senior year of high school I got a job at a local florist. Funny thing, her daughter is the owner of  the other flower shop in the town where my shop is located.

The jewelry came about 3-4 years ago from my love of unique designs that I could wear and not go out and see the same pieces on other women. I am not one for mass produced pieces. I love art beads like lamp work glass, ceramic beads, forged metal etc. Using this kind of beads in my designs makes pieces that are not only one of a kind, but it is like wearing a little piece of art. My only problem is that I get attached to pieces and it is hard sometimes for me to sell them, because I know that I will never be able to get those beads just like them again.

So now I am know as the Floral Designer by Day ~ Jewelry Designer by Night

What inspired you to create your own business?

I had worked in other flower shops and felt like I was stifled creatively and really did not like the styles of designs that I was being forced to make. So almost 8 years ago I got asked if I might be interested in purchasing an existing little flower shop. It took me over 6 months to decide to go for it. I changed the name and the style of designs and it took off from there. After about a year in that location, I had out grown the space and I moved to a larger location. I am now in the process of trying to decide what my next move should be. On that, I will have to keep you posted as the details unfold.

How did you fund your business(es)?

I borrowed the money from a bank with my father-in-law as my cosigner. That part really worried me. I was so afraid that if it were to fail, my father-in-law would be held accountable for the loss and I would be humiliated and an embarrassment to my husband’s family name. Not only was my father-in –law the owner of our family farm, he was in public office and was a very well known sports official in and around our state. That was my great motivator to make it work.

How long did it take to feel that your business was a success?

Well since it was an already established business with a customer base, all I had to do was expand on that. People loved my designs from the start because they were unique. It just took off from there. I also offer gifts and some home accessories.

Are you able to devote all of your time to your passions?  i.e., do you have another job?

Well, no I do not have another job… but I do design jewelry also. That is something that I do in the evenings or at the shop when business is slow with the flowers. There is never enough time to do all that I want to do, because if it is artsy in any way I want to try it. I have been known to do other kinds of art, such as paint my own ceramic beads, I have dabbled in lamp work bead making and I also draw occasionally. I have done some pieces using soft pastels. But no, I fear I will never be able to do all that I would like that I am interested in.

Do you feel that you have enough time and energy to invest in both ends of your business?

No, there are not enough hours in my day or enough energy in my mind. I have too many things that I would like to do but I also have to just stop, I need my sleep. LOL

Did you have any reservations about starting more than one business?  Challenges?

Not really, because the whole jewelry end of my business really was never intended to become a “business”. That just happened as a result of my accumulating what is known as a “bead stash” in my living room, that my husband really wanted me to relocate. So 3 summers ago I took the “stash” to the flower shop and opened up a bead section there. We offer beads, beading supplies, findings and offer classes on occasion. We also do birthday beading parties for young girls.

How do you balance work and play?

Well if you know anything about most creative minds, they tend to get bored easily. At least I do. So I really have no problem balancing that. I love to kick back on the weekends and piddle in my flower and herb gardens. I even enjoy mowing the yard…ipod full of great music and a pretty tan kind of makes a chore fun for me.

Do you have a website?  Blog?

Yes, my blog is whiteirisdesigns.blogspot.com
And my website, which I am hoping will be going live very soon is whiteirisdesigns.com
I will be showcasing mostly my jewelry on the website for now, but I am planning to add the flowers to it in the future. You can see galleries of both of my floral and jewelry designs there.

Do you spend more time building your businesses locally or online?

Wow, that is a great question, I would say that in the past mostly locally, but now with the addition of the website, I have been working on that a lot. So at this point in time I would have to say both.

What advice do you have for other women beginning a business?

Don’t ever let someone tell you that your dreams are impossible. I’ve always wanted to own my own flower shop, so when the opportunity presented itself, I thought to myself that if I didn’t do this, I would always wonder, what if. Could I have been successful?

Believe in your product or skill and never compromise your standards or style for anyone. In the back of my mind, I am always thinking, does what I am putting out there for the consumers represent ME? Is it something that I would purchase and am I proud of what it is? That is also all I ask of those who work for me…be your own creative person and as long as the designs you make look like they came from White Iris Designs, then I am happy. I will never stifle someone’s creativity like what happened to me. It will make you crazy.

And my last piece of advice is to be truly passionate about what you are doing. I thoroughly love what I do and I think it shows in both floral and jewelry designs.

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