Designer Spotlight: Beau XOXO

Some people are born with creative instinct. They just know what to do, how to do it and go about getting it done. Georgie is one of those people. As the creator behind the online hair accessories shop "Beau XOXO", Georgie has effectively translated her creative skills into a source of income. 

In 2010 she began selling her pieces in markets and officially launched her Etsy shop online. In 2011 she was invited to partake in a clothing show, where an X-Factor hair stylist purchased a variety of her pieces for pop group Little Mix to wear on the show. Much to Georgie's surprise, when the show aired, Perrie Edwards was wearing one of her pieces. Since then, Beau XOXO has boomed and is still going strong.

This photo set is a creative derivative work of original images owned by BeauXOXO. Logo via Beau XOXO's blog Dreams That Glitter. 

**Prices are approximate conversion from GBP -CAD/US**

With her continued success you might think to yourself (as I did)... How did she do it? How has she grown her crafting business? 

Well, Georgie did an interview with Seek My Scribbles last spring to share the answers. It's a great read for any DIY crafters wanting to grow their business. She explains in the interview how she started selling in local markets and then grew to selling online after getting a good reaction. Here's the meat and potatoes:

Do you have any advice for crafters wanting to take the next step and sell their creations?

Well like I said before, market stalls are a fantastic way to start, and so many stalls are as little as a few pounds and you will be surprised how much money can be made, and even if you don’t make much, you will learn so, so much. I do think cracking into the big wide web world is quite hard, but I would definitely advise anyone to join Etsy, Folksy or similar at first, so that you’re part of a community, so it’s kind of like one big market stall in a sense! I adore Etsy. I am so thankful to the community and I have met so many other gorgeous crafty ladies and that’s what it’s all about. Once you have built up a strong customer base it’s then good to look at places like Big Cartel, but this is just my personal opinion! Bear in mind some people will just shop on Etsy and so on. Most importantly though, be determined, be pro-active, network, have fun, be passionate, research your market thoroughly, have fun and never ever, ever give up! I truly believe this period in time is perfect to start a crafting business because interestingly there’s a massive crafting boom right now, despite the struggle for larger retailers in the economic climate. I guess that’s partly due to the fact people are really thinking about their spending, and crafting has the ‘specialness factor’ so it makes you stand out from the mainstream. And don’t be hard on yourself if you find it hard to sell much at first, simply take a back seat and evaluate what it is you adore about other stores, and make small changes. I find the best shops are the ones where I see an item and think, ‘ahh, that’s so, and so’s item!’. It’s really good to keep a scrapbook or simply note down how you want your shop to look from the start.

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