MEET LITTLE MAN
FOUNDED BY
CHRISTINE GUANIPA
LOCATION: Whitinsville, MA
@LittleManOriginals
THE INTERVIEW
Written by Boston Women’s Market
BWM: Can you tell us a bit about what lead you to the launch of Little Man? What are you aHa moment?
Christine: As a creative I was always in the process of making but a class that taught women artists how to become entrepreneurs helped me to become that maker that also was a seller! Shortly after I had completed the class we found we needed to move our little family of five to a more suitable house. That move took us out of the city, out of our circle of family and friends and into all things new. I decided it was the perfect time to put into practice my newly found skills in business and officially launch our family run business Little Man.
BWM: How have you continued to manage the growth of your business while also finding time and ways to invest in yourself?
Christine: Balance is always a hard thing to obtain when you run your own business. It's hard but necessary to step way from what you love and what you have to do. One of the biggest game changers for Little Man was moving our studio out of our home and into a studio /retail space. While working from home has its benefits it also blurred the lines of having a work/home balance and proved challenging at time to separate the two. It was scary to make the leap to a rental studio incurring a monthly overhead but once we made the leap, business seemed to follow and revenue increased providing for and making room for the change. Moving into a workspace outside the home made our business more viable, productive and really helped to separate business with the personnel. It was lovely to be able to lock up at the end of a working day and head home to a space that nurtured rest and relaxation.
BWM: Our community members are often just beginning to grow their business and many are interested in learning from other successful business women. What key pieces of insight have you learned from launching your business?
Christine: The "Go big or go home motto is overrated" I've learned that you can have a viable creative business that remains small and can more than sustain itself and your community without needing to chase the idea that bigger is better.
“It's ok to go slow. There's so much that can be learned + applied from the slow and steady approach to growing a business.”
BWM: With the business acumen you have now, what’s one piece of advice you wish you could tell yourself five years ago?
Christine: It's ok to go slow. There's so much that can be learned + applied from the slow and steady approach to growing a business.
BWM: We think the stories of failure are just as important as the stories of success. Can you talk about a time that you failed in an entrepreneurial venture or objective? How did you face and overcome this failure? What was the lesson learned?
Christine: When we were just starting out, we received an email, a not so friendly email, from a customer noting that one of the components in our handbags had broken. A business mentor had once told me to listen up to a customers complaint as chances are other customers may have had the same experience but only one will take the time to let you know! This construction malfunction helped us to address an unforeseen issue in development, correct it and produce an even better product. Because we take pride in our craftmanship the email was difficult to read but resulted in a solid change that served to uphold our design + craftsmanship aesthetics.
BWM: Do you have a favorite go-to business tool or resource you can recommend to our community?
Christine: Prayer.
PRODUCTS WE LOVE
ORGANIC COTTON SLEEP MASK
Little Man's Sleep mask are what sweet dreams are made of. Designed with relaxation and rejuvenation in mind our sleep masks offer a lovely and cost effective way to help you relax and induce the feeling of sleepiness.
TWIRL GIRL PRINT
Little Man’s boxes make gift giving as easy as 1-2-3. Each box includes one limited production Little Man facemask + key fob made from their signature fabric. Not to be left out is a sweet lobster lolli; we all know the best lobsters come from New England!