Momtrepreneur - Coral + Cloud

Coral + Cloud creates modern, hand-made, hand-painted wooden bead jewelry and decor pieces that are versatile and fun, that add a pop of colour to any outfit or room.
Necklaces and bracelets are one-of-a-kind or limited edition pieces strung on up-cycled fabric. They come in sizes for toddler to adult and are always both stylish and comfortable. Designs are often asymmetrical but are balanced at the same time. Both sizes are made in similar colours so that they can be coordinated (eg, for mama and child, gifts for friends, etc.).
Mobiles and garlands are suitable for a nursery, child's room, or make a great accent piece or centrepiece in any room of the house.

Coral + Cloud is a home-based, mostly one-woman operation - Miko designs and hand makes jewelry and decor items made of wooden beads and t-shirt fabrics. Her most popular items are her kids necklaces.  I love that they are durable, comfortable, metal-free, and so fun and colourful. She launched her Etsy shop in 2014, not knowing if it would be more than just a hobby, but it's now a full time job!
 
How do you juggle running a business while being a mom?
It's tough! You never really get to close up shop and leave for the day, and there's always work to be done after I put my daughter to bed. But what I love is that I have a flexible schedule and I'm able to do school drop offs and pick ups, and spend time with Saya after school. So I guess it really is a juggling act - both balls (work and kids) are always in the air - but I wouldn't have it any other way.

What do you find most challenging?
 I never thought I'd run my own business because I'm not a big fan of instability and uncertainty (who is?). So I find the ups and downs stressful. And I'm not very good at promoting myself, so in that sense I guess I'm not much of a "hustler" but I know I need to work harder on promoting the business, and understand it's not about promoting myself, but my products.

What advice would you offer mother’s who would like to start a business?
Don't be afraid to ask for help. Reach out to others - it can feel isolating starting up a business, especially if it's from home, but there's a community of women out there who are very supportive, have lots of advice, and can become potential collaborators. Also, don't give up - it is such a roller coaster owning a business, but you'll learn from your mistakes.

 What are the future plans for your business?
 I feel like I'm still in the early stages of growing my business, so there's a lot I'd like to accomplish! I hope to be able to launch my own web shop soon (not just sell on Etsy), and also hope to hire help for painting, so I can focus more time on designing and marketing. As always, I want to expand my product line and do more interesting collabs with other cool women makers.

Coral + Cloud
Instagram: @coralandcloud 
Etsy: www.coralandcloud.com