#24: Laurie Collins on Building a Business on Instagram, Outsourcing and Ethical Clothing

Laurie Collins is owner of the sustainable clothing brand, A Woodland Gathering (though at the time of release she is in the process of rebranding). Laurie has been on an incredible journey with her business: she started sewing clothes for herself, then sold them on Instagram, and then turned it into a successful business. We talk a lot about what comes with a journey like that, including impostor syndrome, running a business in a way that supports your mental health, outsourcing to make your work more sustainable, and doing it at as an introvert. And she also has some tips for anyone interested in making their wardrobe more sustainable. 

"It was definitely a business before I was prepared for running a business"- Laurie Collins

Some of the things we talked about:

Laurie’s journey to turning sewing into a business from a background in nursing How it fits around her mental health and experience of OCD Building up a business very unintentionally from a hobby, and figuring out the business stuff as you go Impostor syndrome and identifying as an entrepreneur Outsourcing to make your work more sustainable (and the mindset shifts that go with it) Some changes she has made in the business to create a better work-life balance, including bringing in a partner The positives and negatives of selling on Instagram (especially as an introvert) Strong ethical values behind the manufacture of clothes & treating the business with kindness Tips for anyone who wants to start dressing more sustainably For episode show notes & links, head to https://ruthpoundwhite.com/podcast/