Did you know that in 2008, UK threw out 85 square km of gift wrap...which is more than enough to cover Manhattan, including most of the skyscrapers within it?
I didn't know either, I learnt it from Doris Jetz who creates reusable and eco-friendly gift wrap: Hop Frog Pond. Inspired by a Japanese concept "Furoshiki".
Quite an intriguing concept, which compelled us to contact Doris and learn more about it and her product. So, here's an inspiring interview of Doris Jetz, the creator of our "Product Of The Week".
Doris, please introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Doris Jetz and I live in beautiful Vancouver, BC. I have two small children, 3 and 6 and a big one who's forty-something (er, actually that'd be hubby). I worked in the IT industry as a database administrator for 14 years. Not long after my second child came along, I left the IT world and decided not to go back. The 40 hour office work week didn't work for me anymore. I've always loved color and texture. I'm very glad to be able to work materials that make me happy.
Tell us about 'Hop Frog Pond'. When did you start it? How did you start it? Everything!
I started Hop Frog Pond in 2010. I registered my domain name and business, signed up for a blogger account, I invested in a sewing machine, found some wholesale suppliers and have turned my dining room into my studio. I *love* going to my fabric suppliers to choose fabrics. There are so many choices and so many possibilities! I do my own product photography and I set up my own website. I've got so many other product ideas that I'm itching to try out but this is a one woman show so they'll have to wait (for now!).
Enlighten our readers with the concept of 'Furoshiki'. What motivated you to start this?
In our house, we compost, recycle and try to be conscious of our purchases. There's a lot we can do that's easy. Gift wrap is not recyclable (at least not in our area). In order to recycle gift wrap, it must have 100% paper content. Sometimes it'll either have a plastic coating or have metallic designs. One of my biggest peeves is the amount of waste created by throwing gift wrap away. I tried to save the paper gift wrap but realistically, I never used it. One evening, I sat down at the computer to research some ideas on how to use fabric as wrapping and how to make gift bags. I came across the concept of Furoshiki. I'd never heard of it before but I loved it! The next chance I got, I tried it out. Where it would have taken me hours to wrap gifts for my family, I was done in less than an hour and everything looked fantastic!
While the concept of Furoshiki originates from as far back as the Nara Period (approx 700 AD), Furoshiki as we know it today became part of the Japanese culture around the end of the Edo Period (approx 1600 AD), when bathing in public bath houses became widespread. The first large bathhouses were built for the higher classes but soon all classes of society would use public baths, called sento. People would visit the bathhouse and wrap all of their personal belongings in a square of cloth. They would stand on their square of cloth to dress and undress, something like a bath mat. Furo means "bath" and shiki means "to spread". Over time, merchants began wrapping their wares in Furoshiki, then would use the Furoshiki wrapping to lay and display their goods at the market. After the second world war, the custom of wrapping in cloth faded are was replaced by disposable paper and plastic bags. Today's environmental issues have resurrected the idea of Furoshiki.
Is there anyone whom you look up to? Who/what is your inspiration?
I love colour! I love shopping for my fabrics and touching the fabrics as I browse the aisles. I also love browsing through yarn shops and feeling all the textures and taking in all the colours. If I'm feeling melancholy or blue, all I need to do is step into a yarn shop or quilt shop and it just makes me happy! I'm so glad to be working with fabrics and that I get to choose what I want to work with. I've got lots more projects and products in my head that I want to explore.
Tell us about the experience of being transitioned to an entrepreneur.
It was scary. I don't know anything about running a business and but I'm learning. Reading small business blogs really helps. There are tonnes out there. Reading other peoples stories helps too. You don't need to have all the kinks working out before taking the leap. Seth Godin talks about this in his blog. He says: "Prototype and ship. Repeat. Keep repeating." Once I realised this, it wasn't quite so scary anymore. The most difficult thing for me right now is the marketing. I wrote a piece which is on my website about making vs marketing. I talk a little about the challenges of running a business solo and the choices you sometimes have to make regarding where to spend your time and energy.
What are the challenges that you faced when you started your business?
Setting up shop is the easy part. Finding the idea that you believe in and going against the naysayers is one of the tough parts. There are days when I wonder what I've gotten myself into and I feel stupid for even trying. Very few business are made overnight. I made a commitment to myself to work at it for 2 years before deciding what to do next. I just push through those negative feelings. The other part, for me, was that it all seemed so overwhelming, I didn't really know where to start. I heard of doing market research and business planning. It seemed easy to get caught up in the technical details of starting a business. While those things are important, I decided not to let them hold be back from getting started. I'll get to them eventually.
What do you think about social media as a promotional tool.
I think it can be a good tool to use. I've heard lots of small business owner use them quite successfully. I'm on Twitter and Facebook and I've tried to join in the conversation but I've never been that great at small talk, even in social media. I pop in from time to time. I'll post things if I find them interesting but it's not the cornerstone of my business, at least not at the moment.
How many hours do you work a week?
I probably work around 15 - 20 hours per week right now. I have one child in school and one in preschool only 3 mornings a week. One of the reasons I'm at home is to be here for them so starting a business might seem a little counterintuitive. I want to control my own work/life balance and I'm still working on finding that balance. My kids might not understand it yet but I think it's good for them to see me working toward a goal and that working doesn't always mean sitting behind a desk. When they are both in school full time, I'll be able to devote more time to building my business.
Besides making Furoshiki reusable Gift Wraps; what are the other things which interests you? Tell us your hobbies, favourite books, blogs, movies, music, websites or artists?
I've rediscovered knitting. I learned from my mom when I was a kid. She's from Europe and used to knit mittens and gloves to earn money. All the girls learned to knit in those days. I grew up watching her make mittens and sweaters for all of us. For many years I didn't have the time since I worked full time. I picked it up again a couple of years ago and now I'm smitten. I have a stash and everything. Some women sneak shoes into their closets. I sneak yarns (shh - don't tell hubby).
Thanks Doris for a wonderful interview and for contributing to the environment. We wish you all the success in the future.
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