New Year's letter for 2020

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the business in 2020, and also to those who have recently discovered it and are learning about the concept for the first time!

Here is a small summary about the business, what we have achieved, and a little about the future. I am committed to full transparency and openness and want to share both ups and downs. It may not be common, it may seem unprofessional, but that's how I like it, and I hope you appreciate it too.

So, this is me.

A hard-working creative person who hit a wall in December 2018 after life was turned upside down a bit, while I was still breastfeeding at night and working on the startup of the ethical clothing company Fair & Square.

I was employed part-time as a product manager at Fair & Square and gave lectures and altered wedding dresses and several other things on the side. Unfortunately, NAV (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration) would not approve my income from my sole proprietorship, and 2019 was quite a difficult year both physically, mentally, and financially. In the autumn of 2019, I knew that the small amount I would receive from NAV would stop in December, so I had to develop a strategy for how I could get a decent income before I fully recovered. The solution was to stop taking new sewing assignments and focus on lectures and courses. That would provide a higher hourly wage. I could build up a repertoire and have a few each month, recovering in between each one.

By January 2020, I had booked 2-3 lectures or courses a month through April/May, and new inquiries kept coming in with shorter notice. Things were looking bright; I was going to manage this!

Then came Corona, and all assignments were cancelled, including the last sewing assignments I had for weddings and baptisms, which were now postponed. With virtually no income in 2019, there was no point in trying to get compensation for the lost income. Zero assignments, zero support schemes, closed kindergartens and schools, and zero sick pay if I were to get sick myself (still freelancing a few hours a week for Fair & Square). I had long played with the idea of starting an online store. The plan was to sell a few basic repair items, mainly what can be bought in the "visible mending starter kit" in the online store today. 

I had been to a trade fair before the lockdown and bought products for the starter kits for a few thousand kroner. While in lockdown, I got help from followers on Instagram to finally decide on the name for the online store. I registered the domain and created the My Visible Mend group on Facebook.

Initially, I considered selling via Vipps, but I decided to wait a bit longer with the launch and make more of it! It would take a long time before courses and lectures would be relevant again anyway, so I could use the time to build something lasting. I started a trial subscription to the Shopify e-commerce platform.

I created a separate Instagram account (@myvisiblemend) for the store, with a slightly cleaner aesthetic than my "personal" business profile, which is a bit more messy, spontaneous, and socially critical :P :) (@evakittelsen).

The online store opened for the email list on 24.06.2020 with 15 products and became open to everyone else a few days later. The products sold! (THANK YOU!) I moved the boxes out of the sewing room and packed orders in the living room, then packed everything down again and stacked it back in the sewing room. I went to the post office, sent off orders, and ordered new and more products and colors.

My health gradually improved, and it wasn't as difficult to leave the apartment regularly anymore. I noticed that not having proper space, neither for the business nor the family, and the mental strain of constantly seeing household chores around me with a home office, now weighed more heavily than regularly getting out. Fair & Square had a vacant room they were going to rent out, and I quite spontaneously decided I would rent it.

In September, all sewing and craft supplies and inventory were moved from the sewing room and storage in our apartment in Romsås to the new office in Ensjø. In addition, the inventory can be kept in Fair & Square's warehouse. Turnover was now approximately 10,000-15,000 per month.

I started sourcing products from other visible mending enthusiasts around the world whom I had met on Instagram. THAT was fun. Instead of being competitors, we became allies, and I saw that the online store could have positive ripple effects beyond people repairing. My purchases, and your purchases, support other entrepreneurs. At the same time, I received the first prototypes of the darning mushroom I created in collaboration with Others Norway. It was a strong motivation to see that the work with My Visible Mend had extensive, positive ripple effects.

Although sales were good, I had poor liquidity after starting without any significant start-up capital. I had managed to set up an agreement with Olympus Thread to purchase sashiko equipment directly from Japan, for which there are no wholesalers in our part of the world. I also had an agreement for the import of darning tools, but I didn't dare to make the purchases. So, I created gift cards. Fortunately, several of you trusted me, and with the income from the gift cards, it became easier to order these and more products.

Then things really took off! In October, I set a goal of 200,000 in turnover for 2020, and perhaps, maybe 250,000 if I was lucky. As of today, turnover is 296,000. Maybe we'll reach 300,000 before the year is out? It's a fantastic result regardless! And it's all thanks to each and every one of you. Everyone who shops, who shares, who repairs and shows it off, who talks about repair, and perhaps the online store, to friends and family.

Thanks must also go to Putsj magasin, Greenhouse.eco, Norge Rundt, Dagsavisen, ELLE Norway, Fett feministisk tidsskrift, Pust kaffebar, Harvest Norway, and Krigsropet, all of whom have written about My Visible Mend, visible repair, or published texts I have written this year.

There's not much income yet; the surplus naturally goes towards investing in a wider range of products and larger volumes. There are still many useful products I want to offer to make repair easier and more accessible for you and everyone else.

With almost 300,000 in turnover in 6 months, without any notable start-up capital, this is, after all, a great success! I am convinced that I can make a living from this, and eventually employ others too!

The first item on the list for 2021 is to establish a limited company!

The goal is to achieve a turnover of at least 1 million next year and thereby slowly but surely push our consumption in a more sustainable direction and demonstrate that there are alternative ways to measure value and create value beyond consumption. Fair & Square will handle the inventory, and I've also secured an accountant, so I'm crossing my fingers that I'll be able to spend more time on instructions, guides, tips, and inspiration in the coming year. That's what I'm primarily trying to finance with online store sales, in addition to continuously developing my own skills and knowledge about repair and consumer society in general, so I can make the most of the opportunities I get, both artistically, literarily, and through the online store and social media.

None of this would have been possible without the support from customers and supporters on social media and online! So, thank you, thank you so much!

I personally find that focusing on repair can be truly good therapy and provide hope. I hope you experience some of the same! It has strong symbolic value, especially in the times we are in now.

I am generally very open to input on what you want and need to make it easier to repair more and have fun in the process, so feel free to send emails or messages on social media with wishes, tips, and inquiries. This doesn't mean I'll be able to implement them immediately, but it helps me prioritize and set a course that most people will benefit from. I started the online store, but it's because of your demand and interest. In many ways, this is a grassroots movement, and I'm trying to facilitate everyone who wants to participate. This is our project. Our effort to set a new course. Allied repair enthusiasts who want to repair the world little by little with care and solidarity, one stitch at a time.

Thank you so much for being on this journey!

Hope you've had a Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!

<3 Eva