Founder Journeys: Kim Spencer-McDonald
Kim is the founder of Just Like You Aotearoa and has recently finished the COIN South Start It programme. We caught up with Kim to find out about business and where to from here.
Tell us a little bit about your business and how it came about?
I am lucky to say that my business is a Covid 19 Lockdown success story. Literally one year ago in lockdown, I saw our PM (Jacinda Ardern) wearing some feather earrings and because of lockdown postal restrictions on non-essential items, I couldn’t purchase the earrings. After some Googling and checking out Pinterest I discovered how the earrings were made. I created a pair and posted an image on Facebook – from that one post I received orders for 6 pairs and the rest, as they say is history.
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Since my first creation I have developed my own cutting style and story. Inspiration comes from friends, whanau, flora, fauna, Maori atua/gods and philosophies are a huge component of my mahi/work inspiration. I also love to create custom pairs for clients. Recently I was asked to create a rainbow/pride pair. Normally the design would then be named after the original person who asked me to create it. But the client wanted them named after her son – Rehutai. Rehutai is the rainbow that is formed in the mist of an ocean wave.
Often design ideas come to me when I am out walking in nature and also a few have come to me in dreams. I’ve learnt that when this happens, I need to get up and draw them, otherwise by the time morning comes the idea has disappeared.
What channels are you using to sell your product and which do you find is working better?
I have my own website: www.justlikeyou.co.nz
Social media – Instagram and Facebook. I normally post on Instagram and have it duplicated over onto my Facebook page. I love the format of Instagram but at this stage I have more followers on Facebook. I also place ads on both Instagram and Facebook.
I sell my products via retail shops across Aotearoa. I haven’t approached shops – they tend to approach me so this process has grown organically. Often clients have worn my earrings into a shop and the shop owner contacts me. I am also now not afraid to cold call or email retail outlets to see if they need more products.
What are your two most important lessons that you have learnt so far?
When your products are bespoke, you need to give realistic timeframes of when you can actually make and ship the products. I don’t keep stock on hand so this can have an impact on timeframes.
Social media marketing has been a huge learning curve for me. Consistency and also creating an image that is “nice” enough for Instagram. This includes consistency within how my page feed looks and the flat lays. Also, how often to post, best times to post and to think of creative ideas and wording to go with the post. OMG makes me feel tired writing this!!!
Do you have any advice for other start-ups or people with a clever idea like yours?
Do what you love. Don’t do something just for money. You will put a huge number of hours in and if you love what you are doing then it doesn’t really feel like mahi. Don’t be afraid to ask for support or look for it. I am terrible at asking for anything, so at times I do struggle and risk burnout. Also, when you price your products think about things like wholesale, retail, GST. Include these components from the outset so that your product is valued correctly. Remember to value your time in this equation as well. These are some of the things that I didn’t do, so it has been a challenging journey so far but one which I love. Be gentle on yourself – what would you say to your best friend if they were doing the same thing. Also, I struggle a little when asked “Is your business scalable?” We put a huge amount of pressure on businesses to get bigger. Which for many is fine but also what about a life with meaningful mahi, connection and a love of what you do?
Where do you see your business in five years time?
I would love to expand the products that I sell on my website to include other beautiful creations made by people from across Aotearoa. In the ideal world I will open up a small retail/workspace in the cottage on our farm. An off the main road stop for people to get their NZ fix. I would also like to do some collaboration work with my candles. I’ve been making candles for over 15 years and struggle with the fact that candle jars and containers cannot be recycled. I would also like to look at creating more art pieces that incorporate the recycled rubber, feathers and Maori influence in my mahi. In the ideal world I would also be busy enough to be able to employ a couple of local wahine. The business might even sell coffee and cake 😊
You’ve recently completed the Start It course. What was your biggest takeaway from the course?
Biggest takeaway ironically is probably how important it is to take action. Ideas are really the easy part. But actually making the idea a reality is the challenge.
When you’re a small business, it’s easy to feel like you’re on your own. Having the Start It group and the Coin team there all rooting for you is awesome.
Where can people find you?
You can find Kim’s products online at justlikeyou.co.nz, Insta: @justlikeyou.aotearoa, Facebook: Just Like You, Aotearoa
