all the good mornings and happy mondays to everyone.

here's to a super great week with lots-o-productivity. and by productivity i mean i'm going to fold that laundry that's been staring me down for two days. it's going to happen...today.

in other most fantastic news - can you tell i've had seven cups of coffee?

in other most fantastic news - it's another round of monday mama - and this one is such a treat!

(as a quick reminder - i'm running this monday mama series because i was really curious as to how all these moms were doing it all and still looked to have their sh*t together. i wanted to learn from them...ask them questions. and that's how the series was born! i digress...)

i found cassy of styled in print via instagram (not sure how) and i immediately fell in love with her design style. i even practiced my illustration skills using her goodies as inspiration. but friends - such talent!

after stalking her goodies via instagram for a long while i did what any sane instagram stalker would do - i messaged her and asked her if she would be interested in making an appearance on Sept. Farm...and she was / is / here she is!

 KARLI | where did your idea for your small business come from?

CASSY | The first business I started was my greeting card company, Classy Cards. That company started out of boredom at my job at the time. It was a combination of my design work, and my love for sarcasm. When I started to get busy with that company, it allowed me to quit my full time design job and go out on my own, running my greeting card company and taking on my own design clients. Because of the success I had from my first Etsy shop I decided to open another, Styled in Print. This shop focuses more on girly and pretty designs, and of course nursery artwork, inspired by my daughter. And other than my two Etsy Shops I also take on a limited number of clients a year for branding and website projects.

KARLI | who is your biggest support?

 CASSY | My biggest support is definitely my husband, Alex. Not only is he great with our daughter Lennon, but he is a huge help with my businesses, helping packing up orders and being my best salesman at craft shows.

KARLI | what's been your biggest win?

CASSY | Business wise, my biggest win has been having my work featured on BuzzFeed. It has been great exposure for my shop, and allows thousands of people to see my products, that otherwise would not have seen them. My most successful product has definitely been my wine themed calendar. I'm all sold out of 2017 calendars but I'll have plenty of 2018 calendars in stock for next year.

KARLI | any losses?

CASSY | I've been very fortunate since starting my businesses, and I haven't had too many setbacks. Becoming a mother has definitely been very challenging. It's hard to figure out how to balance running a business and keeping my baby alive and happy.

 KARLI | any valuable lessons you've learned?

 CASSY | I started Classy Cards as a hobby, and I never really thought that it would turn into what it has today, that being said, the first year when I did my taxes as a business I had no idea what I was doing. A huge part or running a business is being able to manage how you’re spending your money, and how to stay organized when it comes to taxes. Every year I’m getting better with keeping my finance’s organized, but it’s been a huge learning curve for me, I’d much rather be designing something. So if you try to keep your finances organized from the very beginning everything will be much easier come tax season, and it will literally save you money.

KARLI | do you work outside the home?

CASSY | No I work from my house, which means, yoga pants and ponytails every day!

KARLI | what would you say to someone who wants to start their own small business?

 CASSY | I'm a huge advocate of doing what you love, and if you can make money while doing it, then props to you. It's a lot of hard work, and it definitely takes time and dedication. Stay true to your work and make your work your own. It's great to love other people's work, but use it as inspiration and don't copy.

KARLI | how do you balance your business and your babe?

CASSY | As much as I want to spend every moment with my daughter, it's just not possible. I consider myself very lucky, Lennon is a great sleeper and isn't much of a crier, unless she's tired or hungry. I end up doing a lot of work in the evenings after Lennon is asleep, and I find I’m more creative in the evenings anyways, so it works out. And I always bring her with me when I drop off orders, and pick up supplies. If I have a week that I’m particularly busy my mom will help out and take Lennon for the day, and if that’s still not enough I usually find myself working on weekends that way my husband is home to occupy Lennon. But we definitely make sure we still do things as a family, like taking walks and getting out of the house on weekends.

KARLI | and what do you do with lennon while you're working?

CASSY | Currently I only have 1 daughter, Lennon, and she is almost 10 months old now. When she was first born it was still easy to work because I would just put her in her swing or on her blanket and she was good, but now that she is mobile, it is becoming more difficult. I have a play pen for her in my office that she will sometimes play in, otherwise sometimes I’ll be on my laptop in whatever room we’re playing in. And of course Lennon helps me with all of my deliveries and pickups, it just takes a lot longer to do now :) And once she is big enough I plan on getting a little desk and chair set up in my office for her so she can colour and do crafts while I’m working, so she can feel like she is ‘at work’ with mom. When I have craft shows Lennon sometimes will even come with us. She was at her first one when she was only 2.5 weeks old.
KARLI | where do you see your work in one and five years?

CASSY | In the next year I’m really trying to focus on wholesaling my products, and have my products in stores across Canada. And in five years, it would be nice to be able to hire someone that would be able to help me with all of the tasks that I have to do that aren’t designing, like filling and shipping orders. Designing and illustrating is my thing, so the more time that I can dedicate to that the better. And as much as I love working at home I would LOVE to have an actual studio space!
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oh yes! a studio space for styled in print! i love it! then your artwork could be all over your white, brick walls...that's my vision for you. painted brick walls.

did you love cassy? isn't she just beyond talented? and she quite possibly has the best little gal around - because the idea of being able to work on my laptop while my girls play...yeah right.

ALSO...cassy wanted to offer everyone 25% off her shop styled in print! just use code SEPTFARM and you'll be set!


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and hey! are you a mama or know of a mama who wants to be featured on Sept. Farm for the Monday Mama series? i'd absolutely love that. the only criteria is that you have to be a mama AND have started your own business...you know, so you can share your wealth of knowledge on how you're keeping your sh*t together while simultaneously tending your children throughout the day AND working. hello power-multi-tasker. just send me an e-mail at karli@sept-farm.com.