Meet Meghan from Gypsy Knot Co - The Cleveland Moms

 

Tell me a little bit about yourself..

I’m originally from Fairview Park, and that’s still where I live. I bought a home here after college – then 4 years ago, I actually bought the home I grew up in and my younger brother bought our home!

What are some of your favorite things to do as a family?

Ever since my son was little, I always tried to find things for us to do – parks, festivals, museums, whatever I could to get us out of the house and doing something! I always had such great memories growing up of doing things with my family, it felt important that my son had the same. My family jokes that I can’t take a “relaxing vacation,” that I always have to be doing something (yes, I’m that person who makes an agenda!)

What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

I am a HUGE reader! I like anything fiction, as I get enough reality in real life. I’m an early riser, so I usually read in bed before I get up to start the day, or I end my day with some reading before I go to sleep. My Goodreads book goal for this year is 150 books!

What are some of your favorite things about NE Ohio?

My favorite thing about NE Ohio is being right on Lake Erie, but also right next to the Metroparks – there’s so much to do outdoors! In addition, we have the city of Cleveland – which offers us all that comes with a large city (sports, restaurants and bars, entertainment) but without getting lost in a “big city” feeling.

Please tell us about Gypsy Knot Co! Why did you start it & how did you know this is what you wanted to do?

Well, one day my husband told me I didn’t have any hobbies (it was a good-natured comment when asking what I wanted for my birthday, however I was a full-time working mom who traveled for work so it wasn’t like I had much free time!) I had always been interested in macrame and weaving, so I just started watching YouTube videos and reading books (there’s my books again!) to teach myself. I was traveling for work and in hotels every week, so I jokingly created my “grandma bag” full of cord and fibers that I took with me to work on projects while out of town. After a while, I was just giving pieces away to friends and family and I still had a room full of projects – enter my husband again, saying I should try selling what I was making and here I am!

How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?

It’s been crazy how helpful this community has been in making my business grow! I have been able to connect with so many local small business owners who have given great feedback and advice that I have taken to heart. Of course, I decided to start this business last year and then we found ourselves in a pandemic – shows I had scheduled were canceling and I wondered if I had made a bad decision. It was around this time that my full-time job was eliminated due to Covid. Having this small business not only allowed me to continue supporting my family, but also has given me a purpose when I would’ve/could’ve been just sitting around the house and worrying about things.

Do you have any advice for someone wanting to start their own business?

Advice for starting a business: just do it! Kind of like when people are deciding if they’re ready to have a family or not – there’s never going to be a “perfect” time or the perfect set of circumstances for anything, so you just need to take the step. Be open to learning and be willing to adapt and make changes – don’t make the mistake of thinking that means you did something wrong or you’re not successful!

How do you juggle being a working mom?

I wish I had an answer for how you juggle being a working mom! Every mom has a different situation, and different things to work through. I have been lucky this past year to have been more present since working for myself, however even that has its challenges – do I feel bad that I’m home and my family is home, but I need to work from home (so I’m here, but not fully present)? And I know that I will have to adapt again once I begin working “outside” the home. I think we all just have to do what works best for our family situations!

Where do you hope to be in 10 years?

I have no idea where I see myself in 10 years – I think something this past year has taught me is to be more flexible in my expectations. I know that I need to set goals for myself, however I’m giving myself grace in evaluating if I have achieved them or not. I will say that I would love to still be creating things that hopefully bring people some happiness, and my son will be 23 at that point so I’m hoping that I’ll be doing some traveling to places I’ve always wanted to go (that is a strange thought that in 10 years, my son will potentially/hopefully be out on his own!)

For more info on Gypsy Knot Co, visit Meghan’s Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/GypsyKnotCo & follow along on Instagram: @gypsyknotco

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