Tell me a little bit about your company's origin story:
We can't really take credit for it as it really just fell in our lap. Micah's sister, Kristen Jansen of Juniper Blue Designs in Duluth started making the beeswax wraps first. She tinkered with the recipe and process for a couple of years and then the product really took off. She wanted to have more time designing fabric, however, and asked us if we wanted to take over making the wraps. So we got our business license at the end of October, 2018 and set to work with names, a logo, packaging, etc. to get ready to sell some for Christmas gifts. We chose the name SHŌR because we live on a beautiful lake and want to be a part of keeping it (and other shores) free of plastic.
What do you love about being a small business owner?
We are grateful to have the opportunity to make and sell products we think are worthwhile.
What is the most difficult part of what you do?
Balance. We have been and are still trying to figure out how to balance things well while working from home. It's easy to keep working and there is always something else you could do. Finding a rhythm between the business, family time, and other work is a challenge we are navigating.
What is your favorite product from your company?
Micah's favorite is the 10" wrap from our starter sets. Something about that size just seems right. It is also the perfect size to wrap a block of cheese which is one of our favorite foods to wrap. Cassidy loves the Super Wrap. It often serves as our catch-all, wrapping just about anything and also a great size to fold into a snack pack for trail mix.
What advice would you give to other people trying to start their own business?
Oh boy, I'm not sure anyone should take our advice as we are still learning the ropes. One thing that sticks out as I look back at our start is to be patient. I'm sure there are some businesses that take off right away but ours has been a slow and steady growth. And that has been fine with us as it has given us time to learn the process of making the wraps well and learning the business/legal side as well..
If you didn't do this, what else would you be doing?
We live at a youth and family camp so we'd keep doing that. Micah's fall back is to be a math teacher. Cassidy would love to work at a coffee shop and continue to make pottery so she could give it away.