Sarah Bak Pottery
Starting a business requires passion, determination, and patience. These are the same principles that guide Sarah Bak every time she sits down at her potter’s wheel in her basement studio. “Creating different forms poses different challenges and there’s always the chance for failure.”
In 2015 the mother of two quit her job to start a business selling her handcrafted creations. “I definitely had doubts,” Bak recalled. “What if nobody buys my work?”
Bak started selling her one-of-a-kind mugs, bowls, plates and vases on Amazon Handmade, and sales have been steady ever since. She’s now seeking a bigger studio space as her business continues to take shape. “It was my dream to be a studio potter and to be doing what I’m doing.”
“Growing up, my mother would light a candle every night at 6 o’clock.” Today, Sejal Parag is lighting her own path, selling hand-poured, soy-based candles on Amazon Handmade. “We started KarmaLit out of a desire to give back and to do something that set our hearts on fire.”
Parag created custom scents for her candles. “Favorite Hoody” is a customer favorite, along with “blue jeans” and “cozy nights.” KarmaLit is also committed to education. Its “Smell Good, Do Good” campaign helps fund teacher projects and classroom supplies.
With her husband by her side, running the business and raising a family has its challenges, but Parag wouldn’t have it any other way. “I’m a small business owner, but I’m also a mom, and they’re two completely different jobs but the two best jobs I could ever ask for.”
Jodi Lewis has always had an eye for design and the heart of an entrepreneur. But it was her son who inspired her to start her own business. “He always wanted me to be home more,” Lewis said, “and I wished I could, too.”
The registered nurse worked as the transplant coordinator for the Veterans Administration in Idaho. Noting the trend in vinyl wall stickers, she bought a vinyl cutter and launched LucyLews, making and selling custom decals. “I thought I’d maybe sell a couple per week so I could take one day off at work.” But her side business soon became her full-time job. “I started selling on Amazon Handmade and my listing just started selling and selling,” said Lewis.
Lewis is living her dream – brightening the homes of her customers, doing what she loves, and spending more time with her family. “To me, the ability to sell my products on Amazon has meant freedom. I can go to my son’s basketball games and never miss one and attend all the kids’ functions. That’s important to me.”
You can shop more unique gifts made by moms, for moms, on Amazon.
