My Journey.....
This was a childhood dream in some way; it is a combination of my lifetime experiences that I had and I am sharing with everyone else.
From childhood, I was very creative. We had a very simple upbringing...my parents struggled financially to raise us up and I think with the combination of my creativity and a desire to achieve instilled in myself a challenge to somehow create something personal , unique, and appealing .
I have experimented with all sorts of hand crafts. I enjoyed every minute of it!
I qualified as a Hotel Manageress; which I loved. My kids came along, and I decided that a career change was in order! I decided to work around my kids; also I took up an interest in learning the ceramic craft which slowly turned into a hobby & into a Business. This evolved, through my love of Cottage Craft, slowly changing to my love of Christmas. This has now become my niche market. I followed this up by offering unique items and then I started offering Personalized Ceramic Products, where I can offer my customers...the chance to have something that they can treasure for many years to come.
While raising our 2 kids I was working with preschoolers, afterschool care & special kids for 25years. Hence I decided for another change in my career. I decided to combine my love of creating and my experiences working with kids into an “On Line Gift Shop”
This has not been an easy road, as there was a lot to learn and I am still on a Learning Curve. I seemed to have been building my Business for quite a few years now...but actually have been doing it fulltime for the last 3 years.
I had to adapt and change with the times. There was a time when my crafts were in big demand and all of a sudden recession hit; that is when I decided to introduce my educational products and it sort of balanced it out. Then my Christmas range took off and as I offered personalised unique products, I had no problems competing with the rest of the market. I have a great relationship with my customers, some I have known probably for the last 15 to 20 years. Every Christmas it is like a reunion!
I might not have become a millionaire, but through my years of having my own business I enjoyed every minute of it. I also gave pleasure to a lot of people all around the world...some I might meet one day. It is so weird but very fulfilling in some way to see my work in others people’s homes. In a way I feel humbled but at the same time very proud that my work is appreciated by many.
Finally I have achieved my dream having my own Gift shop...one that can be seen and enjoyed all around the world. I thank each and every one of you for giving me the pleasure of feeling this way!
You can visit Marthese's store Romantic Flair Original here http://www.romanticflairoriginal.com/
Marthese
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