One of the first pieces of advice that I was given by several people when I first started Greenleaf was to find my nitch - To try to focus and market 1 particular piece or style (e.g., long, narrow scarves, pastel baby hats, pot holders, anything - just as long as it’s specific and I do it well.)
Most of you who know me probably know that it’s hard for me to stay that focused. As far as knitting goes, I love knitting a variety of styles, shapes, colors, textures and get bored pretty quickly with the idea of producing the same thing (or at least the same style) over and over. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t quite find a specific enough nitch for my business in the past year, and thus Greenleaf has struggled.
However, over the past several months, something magical has happened… I’ve found my nitch, my style, my focus (at least for now). :) With a few exceptions of course, I’ve found myself entering an awesomely fun, inspiring, sometimes-practical 80’s vibe of knitting. As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve made wrist warmers galore, several sets of leg warmers, and recently venturing into headbands.
I'm currently working on these leg warmers, which will soon be embellished with bright red heart buttons
to match these perfectly 80’s wrist warmers
So fun!
In addition to the ongoing inspiration that I’ve encountered in this focused realm of knitting projects, on the business end of things, it’s working! People seem much more interested in my stuff (probably because they’re actually able to focus now and not feel overwhelmed by the incongruent diversity of products), and the sales at markets and in my etsy shop have begun. Hurray for focus! Let's hope it lasts.
