Emily is starting another business, and this time is a product-based business—Almanac Supply Co.! So we’re launching a brand new podcast to follow along with her journey of building this maker/product business from scratch. Welcome to Making a Business.
Emily Thompson 0:01
From being boss, this is making a business,
Kathleen Shannon 0:05
a podcast about starting a business from scratch and overcoming the obstacles face when pursuing your dreams. I'm Kathleen Shannon.
Emily Thompson 0:13
And I'm Emily Thompson.
Kathleen Shannon 0:22
In this miniseries, we're following Emily's journey as she jumps into life as a maker and retailer with her new creative endeavor, Almanac Supply Company.
Kathleen Shannon 0:36
What's up, Emily?
Emily Thompson 0:38
I've been busy.
Kathleen Shannon 0:39
Yeah. So what have you been doing? And what are we doing here?
Emily Thompson 0:44
Well, I started a new business, as you know, but maybe not everyone else knows.
Kathleen Shannon 0:50
I've just I kind of can't believe it. I can't believe you have another business.
Emily Thompson 0:54
Well, girls got to do what a girl's got to do. So I have I've started, new business. It's called Almanac Supply Company. And we're going to be chatting about it extensively over the next couple of hours.
Kathleen Shannon 1:10
So let's do it.
Emily Thompson 1:16
All right, dear listener, there you have it, this entrepreneur is taking another leap. In case you're not already familiar. I'm Emily, co host of the being boss podcast, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, where I've been gabbing about doing business as a creative with my friend and co host Kathleen Shannon, for over three years and at the point of recording this over 300 episodes and minisodes, with almost 5 million downloads. I've been my own boss for over a decade with my entrepreneurial journey starting when I was just 18. When I was the owner operator of a tanning salon, I dabbled in a few other businesses along the way, all of which ultimately led to the creation of my web design and strategy studio, Indie Shopography, where I've spent almost a decade not only designing and developing websites for other creatives like myself, but also helping them start and grow their businesses both online and in their local community. This work has afforded me so many opportunities both in life and work from being able to work when and how I want to being able to choose where I live, that insight into what it's like to live and work as a creative entrepreneur has lended itself to the being boss podcast, and has even given Kathleen and I the authority to write a book on the subject of living and working as creative entrepreneurs. It's called being boss, take control of your work, and live life on your own terms, which is sold everywhere you buy books, I've led a pretty boss journey. But to tell you the truth, I've felt for a long time that something is missing. I've been getting more and more clear as to what could fill that hole for a little while now. And to practice what I preach. I recognize that it's time for me to take control. And so I created Almanac Supply Company.
Kathleen Shannon 3:18
When Emily, let me know that she was starting a new business. I was excited about it. But I have to admit, I was also a little scared for her. Emily has been talking about starting a maker and retail business for years. And I knew that this endeavor would be amazing because we're not the same bosses we were when she started talking about it five years ago. But we're also already very busy business women. I also know that we've certainly come a long way since we were baby bosses ourselves. And I knew she would embark on this journey using our own tools and tactics that we've honed at being boss to make it happen. From cultivating courage and overcoming fraudy feelings to finding the time and making sure she maintains a mindful balance between life and work.
Kathleen Shannon 4:09
Alright, so I'm really excited about capturing the journey of Almanac with you and really getting to ask you some questions because honestly, I feel like this is so different from anything I've ever done. And I know that we have a lot of bosses listening to the being boss podcast, who are maker bosses who want to hear more about that. And that's kind of what you're doing right. It's a maker and retail business. And I know that you've dabbled in that but tell me more about venturing back into what that is and more about like us capturing the journey as we go.
Emily Thompson 4:42
Yeah. So the whole thing is, is I want to get back into product business. I've, I started in product. I guess my first like business experience like even as a worker was in product and then with my first business, it was service and product with my first like maker business was products like, I feel like we're known for talking service businesses. But what most people probably don't know is I probably have as much experience in product as I do service. So Almanac Supply Company is me diving back into product and it's sort of maker meets meets retail business online, but I also want to do a whole lot offline. So I feel like we're going to be touching on a whole lot of things that we don't talk about a whole lot in the being boss podcast. So giving it some space to really explore it, and capture the journey as we go.
Kathleen Shannon 5:38
Okay, so you know, there's this thing that happens whenever you're a creative entrepreneur, and you're telling your friends and family like, I'm gonna do this thing. And then your friends and family are like, I don't know, are you sure? I'm kind of having that, like, are you sure moment and, and I think it's a little bit twofold. Like one I'm a little scared for you. Because this is new territory. And being a maker boss is hard work, especially, I think, you know, whenever it comes to business model, but even mindset and the amount of time that you have and your boundaries. So that's the first thing, but then I'm also scared for you like almost on this. Okay, so I think that when we start our businesses, like we had enough freshness in the whole world as people like in our careers that we kind of didn't know what we didn't know. And that naivete like kind of helped us launch without knowing what we were getting into. But you even know what you're getting into, and you're still diving in headfirst. And that makes me a little scared to have if I'm being totally honest, like, aren't we kind of too old for this?
Emily Thompson 6:47
You're never too old for it. But don't I know it. Like all the things were? Well, first of all, I do want to say that I did tell whenever I told my mom that I was doing something new. She was so excited. And so right. And I felt like because in that moment, I was like, Oh my god, I'm about to tell her I'm going to start a new business. I can't like what is she going to say? And she bought into it immediately and loved it. And I was like, I feel like I've made it to a place in my life. Where people no longer worry so much about whether or not I can do something which was a moment of sheer and utter pride that I will hold with me forever, for sure. But all that to say, I've had plenty of other people in my life be like Emily, really? And yes, really. And we'll be talking about this a whole lot in a moment, I'm sure about sort of the fear that went into diving into something. And for me this time, it's not. It's there's no naive at at all. Like, I absolutely know everything that I'm getting myself into. And I've still decided to do it, I know that the business model is going to be different, I know that the processes are going to be different. I know that the profit margins on what I sell is going to be massively different. But I still want to do it.
Kathleen Shannon 8:03
Well, I trust that if anyone can make it do it is you for sure. And I also trust that you are self reliant enough and resilient enough to handle any bumps and challenges that come up along the way. And as your business bestie, I will be here to celebrate victories and successes with you along the way as well. So I'm really excited to dive in. And, you know, as our bosses know, we're like in it with you all and I'm excited to help share your journey with them as we go in real time.
Kathleen Shannon 8:41
There you have it, the first taste of the long and deep conversation that Emily and I will be having together over the next five episodes of making a business. We've made a career out of talking about the work we've been doing for the past decade. But after a couple of years of pulling back to share our journeys of being boss. I know Emily is excited to dive into the grind of starting a new business, not just talking about it. And while we're excited to see how the experience of Almanac Supply Company shapes Emily's expertise and insight that she brings to the Being Boss podcast, we are here to share her journey starting this new business with this podcast miniseries so that we can dive deep and follow the process, the exact kind of look into a business that just further supports the work we've been doing together over the past several years. We're here to share this experience and gifts of knowledge to the brave tribe of creatives who are taking control, getting paid for their creative work and living life on their own terms. This miniseries is for all you bosses out there who are in it with us.
Emily Thompson 9:47
Making a mini series of this experience, it came to me as I was navigating the first few weeks of committing to this business. I found myself bumping up against every issue that bosses bring to us over at Being Boss. The issues that I've totally taken for granted, as I've gotten comfortable in doing what I do. I found myself feeling hesitant, unsure, and combating some serious farudy feelings. I was mapping out my first steps, having some early in the process conversations with people in my work and life, and otherwise taking the steps and feeling the feelings of a baby boss, even as someone who has been a business owner for going on 15 years, and I just kept thinking about how valuable it would be to share this experience with you. We started the beam boss podcast when we were both several years into our separate creative businesses. So though we talked about our journey, we weren't using our podcast platform to share the journey while we were in it at those early stages. But this starting Almanac Supply Company, gives us the chance to really share the entrepreneurial journey from the beginning the insights and feelings and strategy for making it do as it happens. And not just the easy stuff, the tactics and steps that I'm taking along the way, but the ugly stuff too, like battling the imposter complex and making time for a side hustle. And we're sharing it here to give you a real look at the process, not one that's glossed over by the nostalgic perspective that's gained when you look back at hardships after they've taken you where you want to go.
Kathleen Shannon 11:29
We're here to show you what it looks like to overcome, show up and do the work. I'm excited about getting a peek behind the curtain of what it takes to start a whole new business. As Emily embarks on launching Almanac Supply Company using all the same tactics and tools we know and share in our book and on the Being Boss podcast. It's a look at how to step away from the security of your expertise into something new. A situation that we know so many bosses in the world are trying to navigate for themselves.
Emily Thompson 12:00
On the next episode of making a business. I have spent the past six months journaling my little heart out around what it is that I want to be known for. What do I want to be doing all day and what is it that I want to do next because with the Being Boss book coming out, with you know Being Boss really being in this place where more or less we can coast at this point unless we do want to scale bigger or whatever it may be and you know we don't know exactly what that is yet. I just have some space to do this thing that I've always wanted to do and it has Almanac Supply Company answers all of those questions in a way that I'm really excited about the moment.
Emily Thompson 12:51
Mindset, boundaries, habits and routines. These are what turn a creative into a boss. These foundations and more makeup our new book Being Boss, Take control of your work and live life on your own terms. A guide slash workbook slash sleep with it under your pillow book filled with what we've learned over the years as a working thriving creative entrepreneurs. Plus what we've picked up from the hundreds of conversations with industry leaders and experts on the Being Boss podcast.
Kathleen Shannon 13:24
And it's all so that you can cultivate confidence in your work. make good money doing what you're best at and live a life you love. To learn more about our book and order one for yourself go to beingboss.club/book.
Emily Thompson 13:37
And to check out Almanac Supply Company head on over to AlmanacSupplyCo.com get 15% off of your first order with discount code at being boss at checkout.
Kathleen Shannon 13:48
Do the work.
Emily Thompson 13:50
Be boss.
