Kate Butcher
Hello. Welcome Stacey to the Business Foundations for Mums podcast.

Stacey Young
Hello Kate.

Kate Butcher
Hello. So today we have with us Stacey Young from meet the moon designs. And she’s going to tell us all about her experience of juggling business and motherhood and everything that goes alongside that. So first of all, Stacey, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your business, your family life and so on?

Stacey Young
Yeah, so I’m Stacey. I’ve got two children, at four and seven. So still on the little side, which is, a juggle as everybody knows, I have a business called Meet the moon designs and I specialise in making paper cut illustrations out of paper with a knife, if that makes sense. So I cut out illustrations with a scalpel and I also teach workshops for other people to learn how to do it as well. I also have an online shop and I sell templates and kits for those that want to try it at home. So yeah.

Kate Butcher
Fantastic. Thank you. And I have to say I love your work as you know, I bought a couple of pieces before as gifts and I’ve been desperately trying to get on your workshops. I don’t know how long but yeah, as is the juggle with family life and business. Trying to find times when I can get childcare to come on the course has been a challenge for me so we will get there definitely.

Stacey Young
Absolutely Yeah.

Kate Butcher
I’m really excited about it. So how did you, how did your business come about? Did it come about as a result of you having children or the other way round? Tell us a bit about how you got started.

Stacey Young
It initially began as a hobby. When I had my eldest daughter, as you know, when you have worked all your adult life and you suddenly are thrown into maternity leave and the endless days of routine and every wonderful aspect that a new baby brings, you’re also, your life changes it can be a massive adjustment. I really found that having worked in the creative industry for, at that time, I don’t know but 16 years as a creative art worker, being creative during those days. I suddenly didn’t do any of that. So I needed to find a hobby. And I tried a few things is basically when my little one was asleep, as you know when they’re little they sleep quite a lot. So I decided to try and find a hobby that I liked. And I, yeah, I had one day it was I remember it quite vividly. It was near Christmas and I decided I was going to make some decorations at home, keep myself busy, and I made some paper decorations and I really really enjoyed it and it kind of it suddenly dawned on me that that was the most productive afternoon I’d had since having Orla, it just sounds terrible. But I think, I wasn’t depressed having a new baby. It’s very lucky. I didn’t have postnatal depression or anything like that.

But I do think that, especially as first time mums we go through, almost like a grieving process of your life before, you know, I missed my workmates. I missed my, using my brain, the routine, being creative. I didn’t realise how important it was. And I did really miss that. So it basically started as a hobby and after I’ve made these sort of Mad decorations, I thought What else can I make out of paper? You know this. This is brilliant. I’m really feeling quite rejuvenated and I accomplished something I actually started a task and I finished it which when you have a newborn, you don’t really do that a lot do you? So it started from there really making, you know, started with cars. Then it became sort of framed pieces. And then I set up an online shop just to see how it would go and it went really well. So I carried on doing that. And then that progressed into craft fairs and then eventually taking commissions and doing bigger and better work. So that’s how it all started.

Kate Butcher
Amazing. I think you’re so right. Those early days you do feel like you’ve lost something haven’t you, it’s like you say it is a bit of a grieving process like life you had before. And I think finding something that you love to do is really important but you found something not only that you love to do but you’ve then been able to turn into a business as well which is really fabulous.

Stacey Young
Yeah, I think I, I went back to work at four months, which was incredibly early and I lasted half a day, I sat at my desk burst into tears. And I just said I can’t do this. I’m sorry. I’ve misjudged how I would feel. So after sort of a lot of evaluation, I thought, you know, I’m not going to be able to do the full time hours that I was doing previously. In my previous job, I was a freelancer so I was self employed, which is good. It was a benefit because I could work the days I needed to, but you know, working in a big office, you are there from eight till six. You can’t just come in and do a couple of hours. So it’s a commitment to do that. And I just couldn’t, it wasn’t sustainable for us as a family. As Orla got older, it became a little bit easier and same with when Charlie was born, I had to have some time off. But again, my parents very good and helped look after the kids when I needed them to but it wasn’t sustainable. Not for them either.

It sort of was quite nice timing nearly as meet the moon started to take off, the work sort of lessened a little bit, and then obviously COVID came along, and I wasn’t freelancing at all. I think a lot of companies just weren’t going to take on freelancers at that time. So that’s when everything started sort of ramp up quite a bit. I still like artwork and doing all the graphic design I used to do and I’m very much sort of involved in that whether I’m helping friends or you know, doing my own stuff. So that will always be the way what what I did.

That’s why I was qualified in so that’s always there but I love the paper cutting and I love, I especially love the teaching side of it. I get so much out of it. And it very much is centred around well-being actually, the more I do the more I meet people that are desperate to have some headspace and some mindfulness and it is very therapeutic and addictive. So good for you. Because as we know having a creative hobby can. There’s so many reasons why it’s beneficial. It improves your sleep, it improves your confidence, it stimulates your left side of your brain. It keeps you active and as we get older that’s so important to keep active. It’s been proven to slow down dementia. So you know everybody should try and have something that’s not work related, but is sort of a hobby that they can give their other side of their brain a bit of a workout. And yeah, and I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had some lovely feedback about my courses. And yeah, I just love teaching them really I get a lot out of it. And everybody else does, I think as well.

Kate Butcher
Amazing. I totally agree with that about the well being and actually, for me, part of the reason I’m really keen to come on one of your workshops is for exactly that. It’s for me, it’s timeout, it’s time away from the children. It’s time to do something that’s totally unrelated to my business or my home life. It’s it’s almost a little escape. And I know you make your workshops really lovely with cake and all that kind of stuff as well. Don’t you so.

Stacey Young
That’s one of the most important things and I’m starting to worry that people only come for the cake now.

Kate Butcher
Absolutely.

Stacey Young
It is really important to have that timeout and also the practical implications as well. You know, most of us if we do a craft project at home, we’ve got the kids involved and you know you can’t sit and do anything, especially not with scalpels, you know, it’s hard when you’ve got little ones running around, but also you know, the mess, you know, where do you, you know, you don’t have to tidy up at my workshops, I do all that, which is great. You don’t have to buy tonnes of equipment that you’re going to shove in a cupboard and never use again.

Kate Butcher
Although you do sell kits so people can do their own stuff at home.

Stacey Young
If you are really interested in it and want to carry on at home and I’m launching, fingers crossed, I’m launching two extra new kits this year which is really exciting. So yes, which is exciting. So yeah, it’s the practical side of it as well. Come and have cake. Come and have some adult conversation. It’s not just for mums, need to make that clear as well. It’s not just for women as well. Anybody is welcome as long as there, as long as they’re not children. I get a lot of people asking if they can bring their children. I don’t mind sort of older teenagers but when it sort of toddlers, no we can’t because of the dangerous knives.

Kate Butcher
Oh gosh, absolutely. Fantastic. I mean, there’s so many different elements to your business as well, which is lovely. And I know you launched an Etsy shop a little while ago, didn’t you as well.

Stacey Young
Yep, I’m really enjoying working on that. That’s a whole other side of my business that I’ve learned about. I think that’s, that’s one of the things isn’t it? When you start a business you, you kind of think about you know, not being able to do things because you don’t know about it, but actually, I’ve learned so much more by you know, even just opening my Etsy shop and all the extras that brings with it meeting other Etsy shop owners that has been a massive benefit to myself, you know, having face to face meet-ups with other people with Etsy shops in my local area. And I love that. That’s been brilliant. So yeah, it’s doing really well. And yeah, I enjoy that.

Kate Butcher
And the work that you’ve got on Etsy, Am I right in thinking that’s the, the less bespoke pieces, things that people can just buy off the shelf as it were?

Stacey Young
Yeah, I mean, I’ve got I, do a lot of pet portraits. People like a lot of either first sort of memorial gifts or birthday cards, things like that. That’s one of the personalised paper cups you can get from my Etsy shop. I’ve got a couple of other little bits and the baby sort of welcome presents. But mainly it’s just the cards, kits templates, because I find it quite difficult to compete on Etsy, if you’re doing something like I’m doing when it’s very personalised and very involved I like to maybe speak to the person to get a better impression of what they actually want all those tooing and froing. So sometimes is just easier if we don’t do it via Etsy because it’s not one size fits all. It’s fine when you’re buying greetings cards that are printed and posting them out but when it’s very involved you know, sort of big wedding commissions and things like that. It’s often easier just to get in touch directly.

Kate Butcher
Absolutely. And tell us a bit more about the bigger pieces that you would do. I mean, you’ve mentioned their wedding commissions. What sort of things would you do as your bigger bespoke pieces?

Stacey Young
So I do a lot of architectural paper cuts, which I love working on. That’s a real meaty project for me to get my teeth into if you can imagine, you know, somebody sends you a picture of their wedding venue and it’s this beautiful Tudor sort of manor house. I mean that’s, that’s really sort of, you know, I get excited doing things like that. Yeah. So that that’s quite popular getting wedding venues or sometimes people’s houses. House commissions, you know, their house that is special to them and their family. I’ve done a lot of those for anniversaries of housewarmings, obviously, wedding presents and, pubs, strangely enough, people have very favourite pubs and are very fond of them. So that’s always a good one. And yeah, just favourite places. A lot of people like to buy gifts for people that are very personal. Maybe they have a favourite place, or maybe that’s where they got proposed to, or somebody lived there. So yeah, various kind of nice sort of landscapes and architectural buildings.

Kate Butcher
That sounds like incredibly involved work when you’re doing the paper cut, to and I’ve seen some of the beautiful pieces that you have done and you shared for example on your, your Instagram page, you’ve got loads of your pieces shared on there, and they just look so incredibly detailed because it’s incredibly, well it’s very clever what you’re doing isn’t it?

Stacey Young
They take quite a while.

Kate Butcher
Sorry.

Stacey Young
They do take quite a while, it’s, I’m almost doing it twice because I, with a big piece like that, everything is drawn first. So I will draw it first then I will cut it so it’s always just sort of doing it twice really. But I love it.

Kate Butcher
Oh my gosh. I mean, this comes from somebody who doesn’t have a single creative bone in my body, so I just look at your stuff and think it’s amazing.

Stacey Young
I’m an absolute firm believer that every single person is born. With creativeness. We are creative as children. It’s instilled in us as toddlers, you know to get the crayons out to get the paints out, messy play, exploring sort of sensory activities. That’s all part of your creative development. And it’s just society as we get older. We get boxed into following rules and regulations and we forget to do it. That’s all it is. We forget to pick up pencils and paint. Nobody has time. You know, that’s, I think that’s that’s sad. That’s sad that people don’t have time to be creative. And you know, if you don’t use it, you lose it. It’s that side of the brain again, isn’t it?

Kate Butcher
It’s very true. It’s very No, you’re quite right. And I have to say much as I sit here and say I’m not a creative person. I’m very aware that I maybe just haven’t found my creative outlet, Or,

Stacey Young
That’s again, creativity comes in so many different ways. Cooking, running a business is creative.

Kate Butcher
True.

Stacey Young
You’ve, anyway you are making decisions. You are choosing, your branding colours, you are choosing the design of your website, you’re choosing how you would like your flyers laid out, it all takes a creative element. So you know everybody whether they realise it or not, is being creative every day when you wake up and you choose what clothes to wear. You’re sort of expressing yourself, cooking your meals, you know, doing things with your children that only sort of, you know, develops even further because you’re going back to doing things that you probably haven’t done since you were a child.

Kate Butcher
That’s very true. Very true. Actually baking is one for me, I baked with my mum as a child and as an adult. I don’t think I’ve ever baked anything by choice. It’s just not something that’s ever worked for me. And suddenly my children are both obsessed with baking and we’re baking every weekend and it’s not something that comes easily or naturally to me. But we’re doing it all the time now because they just want to bake cakes all the time.

Stacey Young
And that’s odd, isn’t it when it’s something that’s not your favourite thing to do by my daughter’s suddenly into sewing. I bought a sewing machine when I was pregnant with her as another kind of I’m gonna find a hobby. I’m gonna try and make my own maternity clothes. I failed miserably and it was terrible and I just can’t do it. I’ve tried so many times and I am so envious of people that are just brilliant at making all these things. And now Orla’s really really interested in sewing and she’s like “mum” you know, “can we get the sewing machine out and you teach me” and I’m like, I don’t know how to do it myself. So we’ve moved on to knitting because I can knit so.

Kate Butcher
Fantastic. Actually, yeah, my husband is the one that does the sewing in this house. Definitely. So there’s all sorts of leather things and makes his own aprons for work and all sorts. So yeah, no, but for me, I wouldn’t have a clue if my daughter asks for help with that. Well, and in terms of business, Stacey, what would you say is the best bit of advice that you have been given since starting your business?

Stacey Young
I think there’s been lots, there’s been lots of advice people have given, some that I didn’t take and wish I had and some that I’ve kind of stored until I needed it, if you know what mean? But one thing that really sticks out is about really procrastination. I’m a massive procrastinator, and I’ve always sort of put things off until I really, really need to do them, you know, tax returns, insurance, anything like that. I dread it. I don’t like doing it. I don’t like doing it. I’m not going to do it. I’ll just wait right up until the wire but I think what really stands out is the one piece of advice that if you don’t be scared about not doing anything because you don’t know how to do it, just start trying to do it. And every single piece of information that you will need to complete it will show itself you will either find somebody that needs you know that wants to show to you or you will outsource if you really can’t do it and I’ve been trying to get a website designed for literally years. I don’t know how to web design. I’m embarrassed, but I don’t know how to do it. And in the end, I met somebody that said I’ll do it for you. So that’s being handled at the moment. So,

Kate Butcher
Amazing.

Stacey Young
You know, I just needed to start I just needed to you know, get some visuals together and go there you go. Have a look at that, same way that the next thing to handle is getting an accountant because I’m no I will do it myself. I will try and learn all these accounting techniques and I will try, you know, just start making notes, researching an accountant, get somebody to help you and it’s all done. And, you know, that’s a big kind of piece of advice. And a lot of people I think put off doing things because they don’t know how to do it or they’re scared about doing it because they think they’re not doing it right but you can’t, if it’s your business, I don’t think you can actually go wrong. You can make maybe misinformed judgments but I don’t think you can, you can’t screw anything up because you haven’t got an employer looking at you and watching what you’re doing. If you if you make a bit of a pig’s ear of something, doesn’t matter. It’s all a learning curve. And I think it’s important just to start even, you know, just doing something towards something that you need to do whether it’s right or wrong, just start doing it.

Kate Butcher
Absolutely. And I think what is so very true is that the best way to learn is by making mistakes.

Stacey Young
Absolutely.

Kate Butcher
Without doubt, you’re quite right getting started is the first step towards getting it done. Definitely. And if you put it off and put it off and put it off. Actually that pressure starts to really build as well. I mean, you mentioned tax return there. And I know that’s one for so many people that tax return date is creeping up and the anxiety really starts to build. But it’s one that if it can be worked on consistently with a bit of work every week and really makes a difference.

Stacey Young
And it becomes less scary and I think like you said when you have a project that you, you want to do, but you don’t know how to and it kind of plays on your mind. It just, in your mind just gets bigger and bigger and it gets heavier and heavier. And then you know, until something happens, but once, once you just start, you know you don’t have to do a lot towards a task or a goal to actually make yourself feel better do you? Just have to start.

Kate Butcher
Absolutely. Yeah, it does make a huge difference. Just getting it started is usually such a massive relief, isn’t it? Yeah, definitely. Thank you. That is a good piece of advice. Definitely. And do you have any particular favourite books in business and self development books, audio books, anything that you?

Stacey Young
I’ve got, well I guess, I’ve had to write down the latest name actually because I forgot it. But one of the books that I read, I think it was a year and a bit ago a couple of years ago, is to grow your handmade business by Kari Chapman and I struggle sometimes with books about business because being an owner of a handmade creative business is so different to any other kind of business, you, I think you are on display a lot more. I think judgement a lot more on your creative abilities are, sometimes you feel a little bit not worthy or you’re always trying to prove your validity as a business. So many people assume that if you are creative and have a creative business, it’s your hobby, and they in turn, treat it like that.

So you know it’s very common for owners of handmade businesses to drop their prices completely for friends and family and you know not charged people because they think that you know, customers, if they know you, they think well you know it’s your hobby just make me one just make me one and actually you would never say that if your sister was an accountant or a nutritionist or or somebody you know giving legal advice you would never ask for those discounts. And I think that’s, in the creative community, that is a massive problem with not feeling like you are justified in owning a business because it’s “Oh, it’s just knitting” “it’s just sewing.” “You’re just making ceramic pots” or “you’re just drawing” “it’s what you would do anyway. So why are you charging so much?” I feel quite passionate about that. That it has an impact when you are running a business. But this book is particularly good for handmade businesses especially when you’re dealing with marketing, pricing, and feeling your worth really, so that’s a good one.

Kate Butcher
But could you repeat the lady’s name for us?

Stacey Young
It’s Kari Chapman is K-A-R-I, Kari, I’m guessing she’s American so she might pronounce it differently. But yeah, the other one that I, I’m actually reading it again because I loved it so much the first time is Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield Thomas.

Kate Butcher
Fantastic book.

Stacey Young
It’s an awesome book, I’ve just bought her prequel to that as well, that’s on the shelf ready to read. So she is a money mindset mentor, I guess you’d call her, and she specialises in dealing with women who are struggling to earn what they think they should be earning. And she’s got lots of techniques in there with the money blocks, that blew my mind. That’s that is amazing. And actually just showing you how you shouldn’t be giving away your power as a female and putting your hands up and going I don’t understand about money or finances and leaving it to other people and she goes through a lot of celebrities that just have left all their sort of massive finances up to advisors. And if you don’t know about finances, you need to obviously you need to get help to understand it, but just leaving it up to you know, random people to make your investments is not, is not a good idea. But it is a brilliant book. And like I said I’m reading it again, because I need to take more in I think sometimes when I read books again, it’s to get more out of it.

Kate Butcher
I totally agree. My book I’m currently listening to on Audible is the fourth time I’ve listened so I listened to it the first time and then I went straight back to the beginning and started again a second time and then a third time and it’s it’s been probably a year and a half since I put it the first three times and I just thought I need to go back. And I’m taking totally different things from it this time.

Stacey Young
Yeah, I always find that and I think that is because you especially with self help books, which I quite enjoy reading. I think sometimes you’re not ready to hear information and then you sort of get into some sort of grow zone. And then you’re ready to hear it. You might not need it the first time when they might not go in. But the second time around, it’s applicable.

Kate Butcher
Absolutely. I totally agree with that. Yeah. In fact, I think that’s one of the quotes in the book I’m reading is that you only actually hear things when you’re ready to hear them. So true. Yeah, very much so, thank you. Fabulous. And is there anything else you want to tell us about your business? Do you have anything else coming up soon that you can tell us about?

Stacey Young
So I tried to concentrate a little bit more on my workshops since the pandemic, obviously, that had a major impact on me. I couldn’t teach my classes even when we did start to get back up and running. People were still very twitchy about it. And I completely understand I was as well, but all the rules changing, what we doing this week? How many people am I allowed? All of that jazz. So I want to really make the commitment this year to get as many workshops in as I can. I’m also opening up a lot more dates, trying to get a lot more venues in different locations just so it enables people to get there if they’re not local to me and different days of the week as well. So a lot a lot of weekday sessions because I know that’s when the kids are at school and maybe that works better or maybe you know, people’s weekends they’re working. They can’t always make a Saturday or Sunday. So that’s my aim to do this year and also the private workshops, that’s really taken off. That’s been fantastic. I had a brilliant one last week. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just went into somebody’s office and I had eight of their staff not knowing why I was there or what was going on and they were treated to two hours of screen free time. They made some beautiful cards. They loved it. I sold eight kits which was awesome.

Kate Butcher
Amazing.

Stacey Young
Yeah, and the managing director had sort of treated them all and then they had lunch out afterwards, which was great. It was like a belated Christmas, but I’m really enjoying that and I’m really, again, tied in with the whole wellness aspect. It’s so important to keep your staff happy. Obviously team building doesn’t have to mean muddy assault courses and cringey problem solving in conference centres. It doesn’t have to be that this, something like this, which is you know, two hours out of your day, you know, screen free time no talk about work and you know talking to your colleagues, do something creative with your colleagues. You’ll be really really surprised how receptive they are to it.

Kate Butcher

Sounds fantastic.

Stacey Young

Yeah. And I was really, obviously I’m observing while they’re beavering away but I really enjoyed seeing the lack of work conversation it, all the conversation was about home and about stories, holidays, it was great. And it really made everyone feel really relaxed. And they all enjoyed it. And I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to do it. So yeah, I’d be doing a lot more office based and all you need, basically, all you need is a meeting room and chairs. So you just need a table and space for tables and chairs. And then I’ll come in,

Kate Butcher
That’s amazing.

Stacey Young
Bring everything with me, clear up afterwards and different packages available as well. So they can you know, I can always supply refreshments, more complicated projects if they’re working for longer. So yes, love doing that.

Kate Butcher
Oh, that sounds really exciting. Awesome. And how do people find you?

Stacey Young
Mainly on Instagram, I’m on there quite a bit which is, I can’t remember my handle now, www.instagram.com meet the moon designs, I think. Also Facebook, same meet the moon designs. Website obviously work in progress. So as soon as that’s up, that will be meet the moon designs.

Kate Butcher
That’s exciting, because that’s something we spoke about probably a couple of years ago, the first time so that’s really exciting that it’s happening now.

Stacey Young
I know it’s taken quite a while because as it evolved, there’s a lot more to it that I need, I need booking systems for my website. You know, for my workshops, I need my shop on there, you know, all sorts of sort of showcasing my work and things like that and a blog section, because I’d like to start writing a blog to tie in with that as well. So yeah, it’s all happening, which is good. It’s all very exciting. So yeah, the best way to get in touch is either Facebook or Instagram or good old email, you know, meet the moon@hotmail.com.

Kate Butcher
Fabulous. Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us today and telling us all about business and parenting and juggling the two and all about your fabulous business and your exciting plans for the future.

Stacey Young
Thank you for having me. I’ve enjoyed it.

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