Entrepreneur ventures into the business of crocheting

When Amanda Brown was heavily pregnant and ordered bed-rest, she could no longer work as a seamstress and was left with nothing to do to earn.

Then, one day she was scrolling through Pinterest and saw some crotchet pieces that caught her attention and asked herself if she could do it.

It piqued her interest, and it caused her to do some YouTube searching on crotchet and she was amazed by the things yarn could make, all hand-made, skillfully crafted and before you know it, she was hooked.

It happened last April. Brown, 26, had a child, was pregnant with her second child, and wanted to earn.

She was determined to become self-taught, while on bed rest she had the time to watch some videos via You Tube and she began practicing after buying some yarn.

“It was a difficult pregnancy for me. I could no longer sew to earn and I was placed on bed-rest so I wanted to do something with my time until the delivery of my baby and became self-taught at crotchet,” she said.

Unknowingly, it was the start of a new small business venture for Brown, who was very eager to learn and expand her skills from sewing to crotchet.

Brown told the Pepperpot Magazine that she acquired a mannequin and began her crotchet journey, and her very first piece was a skirt, as a sample and it turned out well.

It motivated her to keep on trying to master the art of crotchet and she became better with time and began taking orders online.

“After the birth of my baby, it was challenging for me with time management because having two children was a job by itself, but I would do my orders at night so not to take away time from my home and children,” she reasoned.

Brown reported that her firstborn is seven years old and her other child is just over one year old and she has come a long way in terms of time-management, maintaining a good product, and being consistent and reliable.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that her crotchet small business was officially established in September last year and all started from her home.

As a city girl, Brown did not like the idea of being employed in both the public or private sector and she put everything she had into crotchet and became successful in her growing small business.

Brown disclosed that crotchet is an acquired skill that takes time to master, and it takes two to three hours to make a bralette by hand.

“If you love what you do for a living, it is not about time but the product you put out there,” she said.

The small business owner stated that customers used to visit her place of abode, but she was not comfortable and needed her privacy, so she created an online system where measurements are taken and sent to her and also a downpayment is transferred via MMG.

Brown noted that with her pick-up location at a co-op location in Kitty, her small business is growing and this is the peak season (summer) when there are activities such as Jamzone. The swimwear is a hit among the young people and also the middle-aged folk.

Brown explained that her pick-up location is temporary since she has to pay for the space, which is basically a shelf that needs constant re-stocking. So a permanent location (store) to display and sell all her products is necessary and convenient.

She specialises in swimwear, hats, clothing, bags and water bottle holders and can hand-make any piece of clothing based on orders.

“Crotchet has given me time to work from home is a blessing because it gives me more time to spend with my children and take care of my home,” she said.

Brown added that she has a handle of things and she would take orders she can finish during the peak season like now, August is a busy time and she has had requests from some male customers but mostly women order crotchet pieces.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that crotchet has given her a chance to be creative and to express herself through her work since she has a lot of ideas and would one day like to have her own store and host a crotchet fashion show.

Brown stated that she also wants to participate in expos. This year, she had a booth at the “Manifesting Relationships You Want” Conference at the Pegasus Business Centre on August 27.

Brown added that she would like to make a name for herself in the crotchet industry and as a crotchet designer.

Giving a reflection, she reported that from when she first started to now, she cannot believe how things have evolved for her and crotchet has helped her mentally because she has a great feeling of empowerment and she can fully express herself via her work.

Brown said she has a lot of support and she hopes her visions can become realities and she remains focused on putting out a good product.

“Reliability, excellent product are features for good customer experience and service and I maintain my customer base with ease since I deliver on time, every time,” she said.

Brown explained that her brand, Polishstitch is the name she gave her small business because it signifies neatness and cleanliness and that is what her work is about: a good product, which clearly speaks for itself.

She added that in the near future she would like to offer crotchet classes, an excellent life skill to earn from your own small business.