THE AMBER WEITZER PODCAST SILHOUETTES OF SUCCESS
WENDY CONKLIN | EPISODE 65 | SHOW NOTES
FEATURED GUEST
Our VIP Featured Guest is a former educator turned boutique chair decorator helping people around the globe infuse personality, color and whimsy into their surroundings.Through her company, Chair Whimsy she offers various options to turn a boring and beige room into whimsical and wow, including a collection of ready-made designer chairs, custom chair design, fabric selection services and a host of courses to unleash the DIYer’s inner artist.
In 2020, she introduced her first course-the response prompted her to create five more courses! Dovetailing with the pandemic, the courses struck a nerve with thousands of women looking to learn a new skill while brightening up their homes. In under 18 months, sales for the courses hit over $500K!
She lives in a personality-filled home in Round Rock, Texas with her husband, two daughters and two furry friends, where she enjoys greenhouse gardening, mixing tasty cocktails!
CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS
Common Sense: Wendy talks about how it all began. She was an educator, a curriculum writer, Grad student, wife and Mother but seeking something different in her work life. She started off my asking for an upholstery class as a birthday gift, then took another, opened an Esty shop to test the market with her chairs. She shares how asking a lot of questions, asking friends, getting into a coaching program with a little bit of tough love and accountability helped her navigate the steps to pricing her chairs properly, that reflect the value and worth of her efforts. She is a firm believer that you should have skin in the game by participating in coaching, Mastermind or being a part of a group to participate for accountability and collaboration. She wanted to quit her day job and do this full time, about four years ago she was able to go full time! Do you need an MBA or just use basic common sense in your business? Wendy affectionally referred to herself as the “weird chairperson in the group”!
Rules & Routine: Checklist, structure and routine are important to allow Wendy the space to be creative. She talks about how her entrepreneur schedule and home scheduled intersect and shift based on her goals. She talks to us about how for her, the mornings are ideal to work with clear thinking and no distractions. Wendy’s morning routine allows her the freedom to focus and accomplish her checklist to do’s and reach her goals successfully. Tip: Use the coffee pot timer settings and prep the night before! She lights her favorite candle, drinks a glass of water and gets busy for the task at hand. She gets works out, walks the dog and handles the business admin before getting into the shop by around 11am. She is the creator of her own social media content and is a firm believer in doing it yourself so that your customers are able to connect with her followers in authenticity. Of course, Wendy does delegate those admin tasks but she keeps the heart of the business hers.
Entreprenista: Showing up, being yourself and making connections. HGTV Magazine was a little bit of wait (a year and a half) but she stayed the course to bring this relationship of a dream to life. Collaborations are created when you show up. She shares a significant example in a story about meeting Elyce Arons, Founder/CEO of Frances Valentine in Austin at a Trunk Show and the colorful collaborations that follow. So many cool opportunities take place when we show up, build with quality. Hard working people tend to be drawn to support and work with other hard-working people. Wendy talks about a smart way to embrace “feedback”, love this. She also gave her solid friends credit for being there for her, to bounce ideas off of or gets stuck. “I stand on their shoulders”. Business coaching, Masterminds and the private groups are invaluable. Pay attention to what other people who know you tell you, their feedback, their suggestions-it means something! She brings a whole new perspective that even took her by surprise early on that there was even more beauty beyond her chairs , apart from her joy and fulfillment of design, the fabrics, the colors, the whimsy that she creates, in addition to her courses…she found that the public, consumers, customers and followers were drawn in to her, her style, her passion and the art she generously shares with all of us. That’s life changing.
INTENTIONAL INSPIRATION
When you are building or wanting to build a business, the key thing to remember is to be true to yourself.
RESOURCE LIST
Website: Chair Whimsy.com
Instagram: Chair Whimsy
Some Favorites:
Frances Valentine
Tobi Fairley
Katie Kime, Inc. (Jill)
Sarah Blakley: It’s fun to make money, it’s fun to spend money and it’s fun to give money away.
Books:
Richard Branson, Finding my Virginity
Jen Sincero, You are a Badass at Making Money
This Month’s Business Spotlight Winner…
