* Please tell us about your education and professional experience
My education was a combination of liberal arts, and many art courses over about 4 years. I did end up with an associate degree in Visual Communication Technology. I did an assortment of freelance art jobs and Craft shows along the way as well.
Debbie Mumm
* How were they helpful?
I believe that everything you do, every experience you have, every person you meet contributes to preparing you for the next thing. Nothing is wasted even if it doesn’t feel like specific “training.”
* What inspired you to start Debbie Mumm, Inc.?
I was always a kind of artsy person who felt out of place in the 9-5 workplace. (I worked for many years at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle and realized that type of work environment did not suit me) I really wanted creativity to be a part of my life. My main inspiration was to enjoy my work and the desire to express myself as a creative person.
* What were your goals and your lifestyle needs?
I was young, married and child-free at the time. My lifestyle needs were pretty simple which gave me a lot of flexibility. I turned a large spare room in my 1908 Craftsman style home into a design studio. Soon after, I had a small staff working part time out of my basement. My financial goals for the business were initially to make enough money to be a contributor to the household income and be able to quit my “day job.”
* How was the transition from being a quilt designer when you started to a fabric designer and licensor?
It really made sense for me to move to a new level at the time I did. I was ready. Change makes your business (and you) dynamic and keeps you moving forward and excited. The initial reaction from an Entrepreneur to change is always excitement. If fear enters in, it comes later and in a much smaller dosage than the excitement. Fear can paralyze, and an entrepreneur can’t go very far if they are paralyzed.
I love designing fabric. Always have, always will. Even though that has been a constant for me, the arena, what we do and how we do, is always evolving.
The same is true for licensing. Creating new art that will show beautifully on product is always my challenge. The products are always changing and the trends come and go which affect my processes.
* Did you want to have partners or do it solo?
I am grateful for the expertise and energy that others bring to my business. If you’re creating art that is explicitly as an expression of the artist, that is one thing. But if you’re creating art, product and inspiration for the marketplace, then there are so many factors beyond my expression that need to be integrated. I realize my vision is expanded by the influence of others. And I believe a strong team with strong leadership makes a strong business whether you’re selling an art brand or tires.
* Tell us about your business and the products and services you provide.
I describe my business as an Art and Lifestyle Brand. We create original art and ideas for crafting, living and decorating. We license the Brand, art and content for use on an assortment of Craft, Home and Gift products including fabric, books, dinnerware, stationery, scrapbooking products, calendars, kitchen and bath linens, collectibles and decorative accessories. I work with approximately 30 companies (called licensees). The licensees manufacture and sell the product and pay us a royalty based on sales.
* What in your business are you most passionate about today?
This fall we are going to launch a store-wide product assortment with a national retailer. This has been an exciting venture and will provide a venue where my customer can find a great assortment of my product lines. This is an intense and exciting venture and very exciting to design for. This is the kind of opportunity we “entrepreneur types” get pretty passionate about.
* What were/are the most demanding conflicts you face as you began to grow?
For an entrepreneur, growing often means changing the whole dynamic of what you initially created. Turning your cozy little “thing” that was mainly about you, into a collaborative process involving many is an interesting part of growing. However, I really like the variety that expansion brought into my life. I am grateful for all the enormous opportunities for personal and professional growth my business brought to me. I have done so many things that I never could have envisioned in the beginning. Since growing is about going out of your comfort zone – having a business will do that for you in spades.
* What things do you find personally rewarding as an entrepreneur?
Even though we all work within the “systems,” I do have a great sense of creating my own destiny. I feel like I’ve created a nice little world where basic goodness and creativity are at the heart of it. I’m doing what I love to do which is be creative. And like Grey’s Anatomy, I have a great ensemble cast, (luckily, sans the drama). I love inviting collaboration, which gives us enormous strength as a team and really combines our collective talents. I find collaboration very invigorating and rewarding.
* What advice would you give an aspiring entrepreneur?
Identify your dream and prepare yourself the best you can. Then, just make the leap right into your dream and have faith in yourself that you have what it takes to live it. Oh, and be willing to change along the way.
* Additional Advice
Learn as much as you can about what kind of leader you want to be; what kind of environment you want; what kind of culture you and your company would thrive in. Create the world that you want because you’ll be living right in the middle of it. Products, projects and people will all come and go – but you will be the constant.
To learn more about Debbie Mumm and her businesses, please visit www.debbiemumm.com