I didn’t want to splash out on expensive art so started designing my own prints – now my Esty business is set to make £100,000
- Kelly Brynes, 33, became a stay-at-home mother eight years ago
- The mother-of-three was looking for a way to get back into work in 2020
- Read More: Graduate who started a side-hustle designing jewellery in her childhood bedroom reveals she’s now making £500,000 a year
A savvy mother-of-three has revealed how the wall art business she started at home is set to make £100,000.
Kelly Brynes, 33, from Lincolnshire, explained how she became a stay-at-home mother following the birth of twins Lillie and Alfie eight years ago.
Speaking to Latest Deals, the small business owner said she was browsing all different kinds of artwork online in 2020 and was stunned by how expensive they were.
In order to save some money, Kelly had a go at designing some herself on her iPad.
Chuffed by how well they came out, the mother decided to try selling them online and set up her Etsy shop The Little Print Shop in August 2020.
Kelly Brynes, 33, from Lincolnshire, became a stay-at-home mother eight years ago and was looking for a way to get back into work in 2020
Pictured: a selection of Kelly’s designs, which she sells for £3 each on Etsy. The mother says she is always proud to see her designs ‘in the wild’ in shoppers’ homes
She explained: ‘I made a few designs and printed them out on our home printer and quickly realised I wasn’t going to be able to use a cheap £30 printer from ASDA!
‘So I started to research different printers and cards.. all the boring stuff!’
Kelly priced her prints at £3 each and made £2,000 in sales in her business’ first month after opening up her shop to international customers.
Despite getting off to a flying start, the mother says it hasn’t all been smooth-sailing.
She continued: ‘I just wasn’t expecting it at all, the next few months were up and down – it really wasn’t a stable income at all and varied massively.’
What’s more, the mother also had teething issues with her postage too.
She added: ‘It was only when I came to ship the items did I realise I had all of my postage fees set wrong and the majority of the orders I sent out actually cost me money to send them! It was very much a learning curve for me.’
In order to keep up with demand, Kelly had to buy second-hand machines that could process dozens of designs a day.
Almost three years into the business , Kelly is still operating out of her home office and says she still has enormous passion for her work.
Pictured: Kelly’s office in her Lincolnshire home. The mother-of-three says she often works 10 hours days and struggles to switch off
Kelly says she took £2,000 sales in her first month on Etsy and counts this black-and-white design among her most popular
The mother claims her business is set to hit the £100k mark next year. Her Esty shop has completed over 10,450 sales
She said: ‘I absolutely love creating wall art, I’m always sitting on my phone or my iPad drawing up new designs and it really makes me proud to see my prints “out in the wild” when customers send their photos in.
‘I love that it allows me the flexibility to be at my children’s sports days.’
That said, Kelly says there are some downsides to running her own business too.
She added: ‘It also means that I never truly switch off. I often find myself sitting at my desk at 10pm fulfilling orders to give me a head start on the next day.’
What’s more, the entrepreneur claims the business is on track to make £100,000 in by next year and has made over 10,450 sales on Esty alone.
She explained: ‘In my first year I made around £5000 – it was probably less than that actually as I kept forgetting to keep a track of all of my expenses! I am now on track for the next tax year for profits of around £100,000.
‘If you are thinking about launching your own online business, just take a leap of faith and do it. Be prepared to put in the time to make it work. Most days my screen time does exceed 10 hours a day.
‘It can be exhausting at times fulfilling orders, doing the post office runs, running social media, keeping up with messages and new trends…but to see something you have made doing so well is worth it!’
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