On Top of Your Day Job: Frantic Meerkat

Hi everyone! I'm Brenda and in addition to being a huge Lillyella fan and reader, I also design and knit scarves and accessories.

On Top of Your Day Job is my way to pay homage to the true heroines and heroes of Etsy: the "day" job employees who then run their indie biz, along with creating, marketing and everything else, in the week's remaining hours. This month, we're talking with Kim from Frantic Meerkat, a super talented greeting card designer by night and web administer by day! Her cards are beautiful, original and super funny ... all at once! You will be amazed by how she does it all - I sure am!

Name: Kim Bagwill
Frantic Meerkat at Etsy
Twitter
Blog
Trunkt
Own website

Tell us a bit about you: who are you, who do you want to be, what do you make, what makes you unique?
I was raised in rural Illinois, majored in art in college, and ended up in graphic design for quite a few years, all the while painting and taking photos on the weekends. I currently design greeting cards primarily, though I squeeze in a small painting or collage piece every now and then. What makes me unique is my slightly off (or some might say quirky) sense of humor. I love the absurd random images and phrases I find in old books and magazines and always look to find a way to integrate them into a card or magnet.



What do you think it is about you that makes your shop(s) successful?
I think it’s my unique sense of humor – everyone likes to laugh and sometimes when they see something in my shop and it connects with them so strongly, they just have to buy it.

What is your fulltime job? Do you plan to continue working fulltime or is your goal to join the ranks of the Quit Your Day Job artisans?
I’m a web administrator for an advertising agency. We work with movie studios so it’s interesting work and I love my co-workers, but yes, I’d some day like to join the Quit Your Day Job ranks.

Do you have partner(s), employee(s) or family members who help with your business? If so, what roles do they fill and how do they make your life easier?
My husband actually has his own very successful Etsy shop (mincingmockingbird), and he’s the one who encouraged me to start one. And as he actually “quit his day job” over a year ago, our businesses are now more like one business with two branches. I take care of the accounting and he runs to the post office every day. We both do our own shipping, but are able to fill each others orders if need be. And we’re always meeting over fast food lunches and brainstorming marketing or new product ideas. Also, my son has an etsy shop (robothouseparty) and he makes our magnets for us.



Which do you prefer: artist, artisan, crafter, maker or other?
Artist – I think that’s because of the whole art major thing and first being a painter.

How did you learn your particular art/craft form?
Well, I majored in art (painting/photography/graphic design), but got most of my mad computer skills on the job.

When do you fit in working on your business?
After I get home from work and weekends. I pretty much work 14 hour days.

Share with us your top two or three time management tips or tricks?
I try to do my etsy shipping the same day as I receive the order, otherwise things can get backed up quickly. I check email obsessively and try to respond quickly because if they get too far down on the list, I tend to forget about them.



If you sold last holiday season, how did you survive!? What was your biggest lesson learned?
This past holiday season was crazy! Luckily my day job is slow around the holidays, so I would sit at my desk making to do lists and stayed up way too late quite a few nights to just get shipping done (like 3 a.m. late).

What stresses you out the most about your business?
That I don’t have time to clean and organize my desk and workspace (as you can see from the photo). With the little time I have in the studio, I need to be creating or doing business-related things.

What gets you the most excited?
Our scouting parties are fun – one recent weekend we ran a few errands on Saturday, but then stopped at two libraries and scored all these old books for cheap! And the next day we hit the Rose Bowl Flea Market for old photos and frames. Once I have new materials like that, I can’t wait to get in the studio.



Tell us how you organize your workday and workplace?
I get up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. and sometimes work out. If I have time, I like to check my emails before I leave so I can let my husband know if there’s anything that needs to be taken care of for the day. While at work, if there’s downtime, I check email and my etsy shop. I get home around 6:30 and am usually in the studio by 7:15 p.m. because my wonderful husband makes me dinner most nights. Then I do my etsy orders, any wholesale orders, and any paperwork that needs to get done. If I’m lucky, I’ll have time to do a little creating, but that’s getting harder to do during the week.

How do you balance it all: life, work and business?
Well, luckily my husband works at home so he ends up doing all the things that need to be done during the day. It saves me from so much stress. And since we work together, we’re both a little obsessive about working all the time, which isn’t necessarily a good thing, but at least we’re on the same page. Our idea of relaxing is going out to eat and having a business meeting at the same time.

Do you take actual vacations and holidays away from both jobs? Or do you use vacation time from your day job to work on your business?
My two weeks of vacation time this year (and last) are being used at The National Stationery Show (six days) and at various long-distance craft shows like the Chicago Renegade Craft Fair. My “vacation” this year is taking two days to go fly to Illinois to go to my niece’s wedding and my son’s high school graduation.



What is your biggest challenge in finding time to do the things that have to happen during business hours?
That’s where my very helpful husband comes in. He goes to UPS, the post office, the bank, makes phone calls and picks up supplies.

How do you find time for marketing? Any tips or tricks to share?
Marketing has, unfortunately, been put on the back burner. We’ve found twitter and facebook – however sometimes annoying – a big help in letting people know what shows we’re going to be at and what new items we have in our shops. We also have a blog where we post new pieces and upcoming shows.

Do you get enough sleep every night? If not, how do you compensate?
I try to get at least seven hours of sleep a night, but often get less during the holiday season, which is when caffeine becomes my best friend.



How do you prepare for busy/rush seasons, without forsaking updating your shop with new designs/items?
Luckily I work at a computer all day, and when we’re not busy, I can sometimes design cards at my desk. Otherwise, I just write notes down in a notebook or use my lunch hour to design cards on paper, and then recreate it on the computer at night.

Share with us a few stress management tips/tricks?
I used to do yoga, and I know that’s something I should be doing. I try to work out a few times a week and every night I make sure I have an hour to unwind before bed, even if there are dirty dishes in the sink.

Share one of your personal guilty pleasures?
Red wine and light kettle corn while I relax at night.

Do you shop handmade? If so, what was the last thing you purchased?
Yes, I do. The last thing I purchased was dark chocolate-covered caramels for my mom for her birthday.

What else would you like readers to know about you and about running an online creative business in addition to working fulltime and even having a personal and social life?
What personal and social life? My social life is mostly a group of friends at work. We get together once a week for lunch and knitting and have been doing that for three years. Luckily my other friends are people I’ve met through craft shows and etsy, so we end up seeing each other at craft shows and gallery events.



Thank you, Kim! I think our readers will all want to know if your husband has a single brother! Be sure to follow Kim on Twitter - her and her husband's tweets always crack me up!

And a huge thanks to all of you! If you work at least halftime (20 hours/week) in addition to your indie business, let me know! I'd love to talk with you about your own On Top of Your Day Job feature.

I'll see you again next month with a new On Top of Your Day Job artist spotlight! ~ Brenda