Hi! I’m Meghin. I am now 26 years old and I have the sweetest daughter, Oaklyn. She is my best friend and my motivation every day. When I was 21, we were in Panama City Beach and my nephew and cousin were out walking after dark. We had a little house on the beach so we were all on the back deck watching for them. Shortly after they left, they both came running back and were out of breath. They said, “There’s a sea turtle down here!” We all got excited, but we’re from Tennessee, so we were thinking at most it’s a Tennessee-sized turtle which is about the size of a dinner plate. We get down to the beach and it was a Leatherback Sea Turtle and the Turtle Watch members said it weighed nearly 1500 pounds. We had called the Turtle Watch once we saw her trying to lay eggs so that they could come set up her nest.
We all sat with her the whole time she laid and then made her way back to the sea. It was one of the coolest experiences of my entire life. Shortly after that happened I discovered another company whose sole mission was to support marine turtles. All of their products featured turtles with different designs on their backs. I reached out to them and asked if there were any ways I could be a part of the brand and they rejected me. I just kept thinking I want to do something like that and wondered how I could get started.
That led me to start researching the best printing techniques and T-shirt brands. I started learning everything I needed to know about running a business. I knew I wanted to create a brand with my own designs that support all marine life. And with that, my first business venture called WaveMakers Clothing Company was born. I made tees with sharks, whales, turtles, and seahorses. I also made little bracelets with crab charms, shark charms, and whale charms. 15% of all profits I made every quarter were donated to a marine wildlife rehabilitation center in Florida. I did that for about a year and then decided I wanted to pivot. Instead of just doing marine wildlife, I wanted to focus on all wildlife. I love animals and wildlife has always fascinated me. So I re-named my brand Style for the Wild. I designed tees with koalas, kangaroos, and all kinds of other animals. When my brand re-launched I also included a T-shirt to support wildlife rehabilitation during the Australian wildfires of 2020.
Several months into 2020, I did some more thinking about what I wanted for my business and I decided that, once again, I did not want to limit myself to animal designs and I wanted to re-brand. That’s when Made by Meghin was born. Changing my brand name made it easier to find me and make anything I wanted to without being off-brand. I now do commissioned art, greeting cards, stickers, key chains, home decor, jewelry, and apparel. My latest rebrand helped me expand in the designs I was doing and my creative process. I still do charitable cause products, but the new brand allows me to be even more creative and have way more room for different designs and products.
I just love to create. I love to design and make things. There is no joy like seeing people wear and use the stuff you make. I strive to be the best business owner I can be so that one day my daughter can see it’s possible to have a job that doesn’t always feel like a job. I might stay up until midnight working on orders sometimes but it doesn’t bother me because I love it so much. It is so fulfilling working for yourself and you really get out of it what you put into it. Creating what makes you happy is how you fill your cup with contentment.
Starting the Business
Starting my business was a whirlwind and I have had to teach myself so many different things along the way. I’ve had many successes and many failures while owning a business. We like to highlight the good so much that it may seem like there is no bad. I don’t want to get on my business page and pout that I didn’t sell anything today. But, it’s a feeling all business owners feel at some point. When I re-branded to Made by Meghin, I was very heavily active on Instagram and I saw other businesses advertising launch dates, so I thought that looked like a fun way to pull in customers.
I spent about a month getting products ready for a launch with my new brand name. I made new designs, created new products, changed my website to match, and I was super excited for the big day. I had very high hopes. Then launch day came. I did not get a single order on the day I launched the new collection. Not one order.
I remember that night. I felt so discouraged and embarrassed. I kept wondering if nobody liked the products? What did I not do right? Is it time for me to stop? Why did I work so hard to not get one sale? I spent that night in a dark place wondering what would happen next for my business. I ultimately decided to keep going. I was going to keep posting these products until I got them all sold. I was going to act like I was a success and not a failure. Within two weeks, all of the products from that launch had sold. If I would have stopped that night, I’d still be stuck thinking I wasn’t good enough or I did something wrong. This was a lesson to me and a lesson I hope will touch other business owners with. Just because someone doesn’t like or buy something one day, doesn’t mean it’s time to give up. It’s time to keep pushing and sometimes it calls for self re-evaluation of what you want for your business and how you will get there.
Overcoming Fear of Rejection
I have had to grow into someone who isn’t constantly worried about what others think anymore. For a long time, that held me back. I was afraid of what people would think of my products and I spent so much time trying to make things that would appeal to others. I was constantly worried about my likes and social media. I had to let all of that go and create what makes me happy and decide that if I don’t get a single “like” it’s okay as long as I like it. I realized I was unhappy when I was constantly looking at other small businesses and comparing myself. How are they so successful? And then I realized that I will never be them. I am me and I need to focus on myself and how I will achieve my goals instead of worrying about others.
You can’t compare your new business to a business that has a social media following of 670k. You only hurt yourself by doing that. We are all on different paths and at different stages and what works for someone else may not work for you. I got past this when I decided my business was not to be compared to others. I really had to grow into someone that was happy with myself and my work before my business could grow.
I definitely had to get over a fear of rejection and still do sometimes. It’s hard when you’re making products to not worry about what people will think. But here’s the thing, there will be people that don’t like your products. It doesn’t matter what you make or do, there will be people out there that just don’t vibe with it. And that is okay! When you do what makes you happy and are consistent with it, people see that. And your people will stay with you and support you.
When I started designing what I wanted to and not just what I thought others would like, I got so much more traction. I wasn’t trying to do what others were doing. I started to make a unique style for my brand and I was way happier than I would be if I was just trying to keep up with everyone else. When I started putting out what made me happy, I think people could see that. A lot of my customers really hype me up about my artwork and designs and it just hits differently when you’re creating from the heart. My business has continued to grow ever since.
And part of creating what makes you happy is making sure you’re happy altogether. I’ve had to learn not to overwhelm myself. I have a planner and I plan my days daily. It’s important when planning to plan YOU time. Pencil it in your schedule no matter what. Even if it’s just watching a show. I literally sometimes have to schedule time to watch my favorite shows. It’s important to not use every second of your time for your business. You need to make time to keep yourself happy as well. This also prevents you from getting burned out.
Summing It Up
When owning a small business you will experience both success and failure. It’s okay to pivot, it’s okay to try new things. Different things work out better for different businesses. I don’t think anyone that owns a business has ever not faced a setback or disappointment. We all feel it sometimes. It’s important to always keep going. Don’t ever give up on your dreams! It’s okay to rebrand. Change can be good! You want to make sure you are doing what keeps you happy and that will fuel you and your business. Don’t ever let fear hold you back or guide your business. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I have gotten some of my biggest clients by putting myself out there even when I thought the answer would be no. My biggest advice to any seller is to just keep going!
One future goal I have for my business is to pick up more wholesale clients and be able to get my brand out there in other stores. I love doing team orders and have picked up several schools doing their team shirts. I also really like working with other brands and creating designs for their businesses. I think it opens up many more doors. But my biggest goal right now is to get to a place where my business is my full-time income. Right now, it is just too uncertain for me to leave my full-time job because some months are awesome, but some are lower. I need the sales to be more consistent so that I can fully support my family. It’s a dream that I will never stop working towards!
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