Start Up Advice from a Pro, Sew Crafty's Sarah Gabbart

It takes some nerve (some might say stupidity) to walk in to a business owner's establishment to conduct an interview without any prior experience. Nonetheless, this is exactly what I did today. Being 39 weeks pregnant, I blame it on hormones and the raging Houston heat.

While sitting with Sew Crafty's owner, Sarah, for our informal interview I took note of the cheeriness of the joint. Bright colors, smiling faces and fun grown-up toys surrounded us. These "toys" consisted of crafting tools, glue guns, fabric and thread- all the makings of the business' mission: to bring a fun crafting environment to the Houston Heights and beyond.

There were a few things I wanted to know. Why did Sarah start Sew Crafty and how did she coordinate the funding and the nerve to risk.

After chatting a bit about various topics, we got down to the nitty gritty. When asked whether she wanted to puke starting her own business, Sarah jested, "my mom always says I have more courage than sense." She and I agreed having courage and a capability for decisiveness were probably good strengths for an entrepreneur and small business owner.

Starting Sew Crafty became a passion pursuit for Sarah as she traded her penchant for perezhilton.com for crafting blogs. After being a life long DIYer, crafter and attending the Parsons Art School in NYC, Sarah returned to Houston to finish her degree at St. Thomas University in communications. After graduation, she worked in PR at the Natural Museum of Science, as an operations manager for Alexandra Knight (a local hand bag designer) and as a copy writer for David Weekly. Although she found it difficult to leave a comfortable position at David Weekly, it was time to make her dream of building a crafting lounge come true.

So, how did she fund her passion project? She recommends starting with a very strong business plan. The next step is to pitch your plan to banks and/or investors. These days banks are much tighter with lending and she recommends making loan inquiries through the Small Business Administration where minority and women run businesses are of particular interest. Starting her business, she and her husband were able to limit their debt and save in order to put their money where their mouth is. They expected to turn a profit in 2-3 years and recommend having enough saved to weather the storm and run as lean as you can. "The hardest thing about running your business is you never really know how you are doing. Sure, there are sales and employee retention numbers but you always know there's something you're not doing."

As advice for upcoming or new business owners Sarah says this: "Take the plunge and be decisive" and "Be quick to admit your weaknesses then seek answers, resources and address the problem quickly."

Sarah finds having a realistic and relaxed view point of herself helpful. To her, it's more important to admit when she doesn't know the answer than to fake it 'till you make it. She finds the most joy in her business when she reads a good review or hears something positive said of her business. Also, she loves making people happy.

Her willingness to make the customer happy is evident in the classes Sew Crafty offers, in the cheerfulness of the lounge itself and its retail. As a two time class member (sewing boot camp and Amy Butler birdie sling), I highly recommend experiencing this unique crafting lounge for yourself. Be sure to check out Sew Crafty's Web site and blog for future offerings including crafting kits for out-of-towners who can't attend classes and starter kits for class members.