Interview with Dahlia Soleil- Crochet Hats For Women

I would like to welcome my brand new sponsor Dahlia Soleil to the blog today! *Round of Applause* Paulette the creator of Dahlia Soleil is here with us today to discuss what inspired her to create her Etsy business and what aspiring independent business owners should know.





Why did you start your Etsy business?

I started my Etsy business 6 years ago.I started it to offer an option to my offline customers who wanted to buy at a later date but lived in a another city or country.I was selling at a lot of offline events at the time in New York City and a lot of my customers were tourists.



What is your best selling item?

My best selling item is my slouchy hat.I've sold 1000s over the years.Mainly offline.







Have you faced any challenges in owning your own business?

Yes.There can be an ebb and flow in sales so I had to learn to budget during the busy times so I can make it during the slow times since this is my full time job.



Describe a typical day in your life... What do you enjoy doing in your off time?

A typical day in my life ...I am awake at 6am to prepare my daughter for school ...I drop her off to school then I return home to work in my studio during the hours she's at school.I pick her back up and she gets her homework done while I cook dinner.After dinner I try to finish up online or offline orders before it's time for bath and bed.


The great thing about commuting is it gives me some time to crochet while my daughter reads her books.



What advice would you give someone interested in starting their own business?

Have a back up plan.Don't quit your day job until you know it is a viable business that will last long term.I would suggest keeping a part time job to pay your living expenses.Running your own business is very time consuming ... people complain about a 9 to 5 but you will clock in more hours than that and you will be underpaid for quite some time since every dollar you make from sales will have to cover all your business and personal expenses.


There's this joke among myself and other designer friends that we think of paying for items in the amount of products we sell.lol.So my phone bill is equivalent to "2 hat sales". When you work for yourself you are paying for everything out of pocket.I absolutely love what I do but there's a myth that working for yourself is going to be easier than working a regular job.



More of Paulette’s work:





To grab one of these handmade pieces check out Dahlia Soleil and be sure to follow Paulette on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinetrest.