104 | Turning a Hobby Business Into a Thriving Retail Shop with Audrey Woollen, Urbanic
In this episode of Proof to Product, Audrey Woollen, of Urbanic Paper Boutique, shares how she discovered her passion for gorgeous stationery, beautiful office supplies and supporting smaller, creative, product businesses. She tells us how she turned her weekend hobby into a business.
She started work in her garage and turned it into a thriving business that has seen incredible expansion over the years. Her brick & mortar shop, Urbanic is well regarded in the retail space for its innovative merchandising and mix of unique stationery and gift products - many of which are sourced from independent, women-owned businesses around the world.
Building a business is never easy, and in this podcast episode, Audrey talks about the challenges she faced as she started and scaled her business including an IRS audit in her third year, and the store getting robbed at times. Audrey brings us alongside her entrepreneurial journey, detailing the passion she has for her creative community and why she prioritizes a strong customer experience as part of the Urbanic brand.
Turning Your Hobby Into a Business
Audrey Woollen founded Urbanic in 2006, on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice, California – a sought out destination in Los Angeles. Audrey’s impeccable taste and eye for up-and-coming talent in the stationery and gift industry made Urbanic a must-see stop, attracting not only a strong customer base but also a great deal of press and visibility.
Urbanic quickly amassed a large social media following and since then, her original lifestyle brand and retail shop has attracted a great deal of press and enabled Audrey to develop collaborative signature product lines with some of the nation’s top artists and designers.
It didn’t start there, though. Before moving to Los Angeles, Audrey worked in the corporate fashion world. As many entrepreneurs do, she began feeling dissatisfied with her day job. She spent her evenings and weekends creating custom wedding invitations. Friends referred friends and soon Audrey was selling at different venues, markets, and festivals around the LA area.
Audrey experienced what many entrepreneurs experience, the realization that as much comfort and stability as a corporate job brought her, it wasn’t enough to keep her happy. She was ready to leave the corporate world behind and focus on growing her side-hustle into a full-time job.
Entrepreneurs start businesses for a myriad of reasons. Some want to be their own bosses. But some business owners “fall into business”, meaning that a hobby evolves into a business.
Unfortunately, though, hobbies don’t always pay the bills. At some point, these entrepreneurs are faced with the decision of maintaining a hobby or turning that hobby into a career.
This decision comes with a lot of logistical pros & cons about day-to-day work schedules, stability, and finances; but also pros, and cons, as well as big feelings. You might encounter some of the following thoughts or feelings that lead you to make the decision to go all-in on your business:
an opportunity comes along to grow the business that can’t be passed up
sometimes people are ready for a lifestyle change that allows them to work at a different pace
financial reasons can contribute to the desire to turn a hobby into a business
working a full-time job and running a side business results in that “I just can’t do this anymore” feeling
Before you start your LLC or filing taxes, though, it is important to figure out if you really are ready to turn your hobby into a business.
How to get started as a brick-and-mortar store
With so many small businesses out there, it is important when building your business, that you create something unique that will stand out from the rest. Audrey did this by curating an aesthetic that is specific to Urbanic.
letterpress goods
desk accessories like journals, pens, etc.
custom wedding invitations
carefully chosen gifts, cookbooks, wrapping paper
seasonal additions like blooms from a florist for Valentine’s Day
dog treats for the 4-legged friends who visit Urbanic
Audrey shares about the last two specialty items that keep things exciting inside the store. These fun and seasonal items help to create the creative environment that many people now know as Urbanic.
In addition to the carefully curated items in the store, Audrey is strategic about the shopping experience she creates for her customers. Things like the music they choose to play, candles they burn, how they package merchandise, and the cheerful attitude of the Urbanic team.
Want more tips on turning your hobby into a business with a brick-and-mortar store? Check out these other Proof to Product Podcasts all on owning and running a brick-and-mortar store.
Overcoming personal & social challenges in business
What It Takes to Run A Brick & Mortar Business
Leveraging point of sale systems in a brick & mortar
how to create an aesthetic as an online retailer
Maybe you are not ready, or even want, to open your own brick-and-mortar location. You can still work to create an aesthetic and experience for your customers on your e-commerce store or on your social profiles.
Some things to consider when building out your customer experience in the online world are:
creating an authentic social media presence
interacting with your customers in a personal way
stay in frequent contact with your customers through your email list
How to Get Started in Wholesaling
Urbanic is a brick-and-mortar store that many small businesses think of as a dream wholesale partner. Audrey shared the importance of being connected if you are wanting to get into the wholesale business.
Audrey stays connected by participating in shows like NY Now, shows in LA and London, and by building relationships with independent designers who have not yet made it to some of those bigger shows.
When Audrey is looking at new submissions to add to her store, she is looking for the following:
new items
something that hasn’t been seen before
a fresh voice
new color stories
items that coordinate with the buying season (if she is buying for spring, she is looking for things that pop versus cooler and darker tones in the winter)
PAper camp
If you are looking to get into wholesale, then check out our signature program, Paper Camp. This program is specifically designed for small businesses that are ready to scale the wholesale side of their businesses.
Inside Paper Camp, we cover:
Product Development
Sales Tools & Reps
Wholesale Marketing
Tradeshow Marketing
Challenges of Turning a Hobby into a Career
Audrey shared several challenges she has faced as a business owner- things like staffing shortages, getting robbed, always being tethered to the business, and even being selected by the IRS for an audit.
She went on to share the importance of hiring out for services that are beyond your skill level or time commitment. At the beginning of her entrepreneurial journey, she hired someone who matched her current financial ability. The IRS did not turn up any issues but she did discover that the bookkeeper she hired, while affordable, lacked experience and ended up costing Audrey in the long run. For her, this meant finding a bookkeeper that was knowledgeable, experienced, and likely cost more money.
You will have setbacks and challenges in your business but the process of learning is what allows your business, and yourself, to grow and evolve.
In Conclusion,
Just because you decide to turn your hobby into a business and take it full-time, doesn’t mean you can expect a sudden change in orders, profits, or even an online following. This might happen but it takes time and a lot of intentionalities.
On the other hand, many small business owners purposefully decide to keep their businesses small. Take Kiwi Schloffel for example. She chose to keep her business small and focused instead of attempting to build an empire.
I talked with Rachael Hetzel and Briana Feola on episodes 89 and 90 of the Proof to Product podcast all about keeping your business small.
If you are ready to turn your hobby into a business, remember the saying “slow steady growth.” This is what I teach students inside of Paper Camp and LABS because it is important to remember that success isn’t overnight.
Quick Links:
Here is a quick recap of links shared to help you as you turn your hobby into a business.
Listen is as Kiwi Schloffel talks about realizing she didn't want to build an empire
Check out this two-part series on growing your business
Join us in our next round of Paper Camp!
Download These Quotables to Save and Share
CONNECT WITH AUDREY WOOLLEN
Website: Urbanic Paper | Facebook: @UrbanicPaper | Instagram: @Urbanic | Pinterest: @Urbanic | Twitter: @Urbanic
Connect with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.
Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct
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