I would like to say a few words about the facebook group “MyVisibleMend” so everyone of you can know how I think, what my goal is, how things connect to my business etc. I’m very much a fan of openness and transparency!
If you’re not already in the group you can request to join it here.
THE GROUP IS A PART OF MY BUSINESS STRATEGY
The group is connected to my official facebook page “Eva Kittelsen” and it is intended to help me gain traffic and customers. I am opening a web shop for mending supplies and other fun mending related stuff, and I do hope I will reach more customers by having this group. That is a natural part of running a business.
THE GROUP WILL NOT HAVE A LOT OF MARKETING FROM ME
Despite this I don’t want it to primarily be a company page with adverstisement. My main goal is to inspire and motivate people to mend more. I believe it is healthy for individuals, families, societies and the planet. I believe it has mental and economical benefits, as well as a positive environmental impact, especially if enough people start doing it and it can change the way we think about consumption. And of course, I think it’s a very fun and rewarding hobby and think you and many others can enjoy it too 🙂
SUBSCRIBING TO MY NEWSLETTER
I will very much limit posts about my shop in the group, unless the members eventually start telling me/asking me to share more. I will of course guide people to my products if they’re specifically asking for it, and I’ll share big events, or free downloads or similar if I think most people in the group would feel they missed out if I didn’t. If you want to know more of what’s going on in with the shop, receive offers, access to early releases and so forth you can sign up for my newsletter HERE.
In order to promote mending as much as I can, I need to also make a living doing it. Finding the balance between promoting mending and promoting my business, without seeming pushy is hard. I don’t want people to feel pressured to buy anything. My shop and my work is meant to be a service, to make it easier for people to mend and get inspired to mend.
MY LONG TERM GOAL IS ALSO TO CREATE JOBS
My goal is to make a decent living, but never to get very rich. I’ll cap my income from my business if it ever gets very profitable, and redirect any profits to more important things. (I believe that capping wages for business owners should be a normal thing!)
I want to be able to also employ other people in my business. I want to create jobs through the products I sell (like darning mushrooms and recycled mending yarn, cases for your supplies etc) through ethical manufacturing processes). I also have plans of direct employment through possible future mending services as well. I want to prove that taking care of our things is not just sustainable for our planet, but that it can also be a successful way to run a business.
NO PRESSURE TO BUY FROM OR SUPPORT ME OR MY BUSINESS
Despite this, if you’re in the MyVisbleMend group I want you to feel you can be there without ever buying anything from me, and that you can invite your friends without them feeling they’ve been dragged into a marketing scheme. I also want you to feel that you can share tips about other menders, books and resources, even if it’s in direct “comptition” with me.
Again, the main goal is to create an awesome community of menders and inspire non menders to start mending 🙂
I’M WILLING TO SHARE MY PLATFORM WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS
Another step in achieving a non spammy platform for me is to also allow other “professional” menders and sewing/craft businesses and organisations to post in the group. If I believe their product or service is valuable to the members of the group, they can share it there. I aim for more collaboration, and less competition, and hope that this will benefit everyone in the long run.
YOU’LL PROBABLY GET AN INVITATION TO LIKE MY PAGE
I will probably invite most active members of the group to like my page. Facebook gives me notifications like “these people liked your post, invite them to like your page” and I do. This is just a normal business thing, and I’d be a bit dumb if I didn’t. I definitely want you to feel you can like the group, without liking my page, but you might get an invite at some point. If you get more than one I’m sorry! That would be facebook glitching and not letting me know I already invited you.
MY PERSONAL ENGAGEMENT IN PUBLIC DEBATE
I’m becoming more engaged in public debate, through my art and my writing. I will continue to be engaged, and I’m sure I will say and do things some of you might not agree with at some point.
My general stance is one of more consideration for the environment, less consumption, less profits/less capitalism, more gender equality, and I guess you could call me a globalist. (I support local production for the environment when possible, but believe we’re all connected and need to look for global solutions to global problems). I’m very interested in ideas like a universal basic income.
I AIM TO KEEP MYVISIBLE MEND MORE NEUTRAL
I try to keep the mending group neutral. Any participation in that group does not mean that you agree with or condone anything else I do or say, or how I do or say it.
MyVisibleMend is about finding beauty in imperfection, learning to enjoy slowing down a bit, and being kinder to ourselves and our clothes. That’s it.
If you want to follow more of what I write and do that is not just about mending, I recommend following my page and/or my instagram account.
I’M OPEN TO CHANGE MY STRATEGY
If at some point the connection between me and the group creates friction/conflict/discomfort for members in any significant way, I will see if there are ways I can distance myself more from it so everyone can keep mending and inspiring each other as freely as I want and hope you will do!
Please let me know if you have any thoughts or input about any of this!
Thank you, and Happy mending 🙂
<3 Eva
