Innovative, Beautiful & Sincerely-made Amigurumis

What is your business about?

The Crochet Stop is a pitstop for all things crochet. If I were to describe The Crochet Stop in 3 words, it would be “Innovative, Beautiful & Sincere” - innovative & beautiful products coupled with a sincere attitude towards customers. Currently, I provide amigurumis, key pouches, and bags. All products are handmade by me!

What made you decide to start your business? When did you start?

The Crochet Stop started on 23 April 2020 with the aim to provide cute, affordable amigurumis and crochet products for all! Crochet has been one of the skills that I have always wanted to learn and the long break after A levels has granted me the opportunity to try out crochet. I discovered my passion for crocheting and found myself wanting to crochet every day, which is something that I continue to practice up till today. My friends were impressed with my creations and encouraged me to start a business of my own. As starting a business is something that I had never done before, I feel that it is a good learning opportunity to learn more about marketing, business management, and public relations with customers. Hence, I decided to take up the challenge and start my business.

Why did you choose to take part in SEM?

I think that SEM is a good and safe platform for small business owners like myself to gain experience in liaising with vendors, managing a physical setup, and learning skills in inventory control. The desire to gain more experience in business management has prompted me to join SEM.

What are some of the challenges you face as a student entrepreneur?

I think one prominent challenge faced by student entrepreneurs is burnout. As we are constantly juggling between our studies, multiple commitments out of school as well as our business, it can get very tiring. Sometimes during the exam period, it becomes harder to gain inspiration for new products. This also emphasizes the importance of taking appropriate breaks throughout your business career. Taking appropriate breaks reduces burnout and helps me recharge myself and rekindle my passion for crocheting.

What is one tip that has helped you in juggling your responsibilities as a student and entrepreneur well?

I think Planning and Scheduling is very important. It is important to consolidate your schedule for the school semester and to spot which months are more packed with submissions and assignments. After that, you can start inserting to-do lists for each month for your business (eg. any new product launches, any order datelines to complete). I find that having them all on one calendar allows me to view everything I have to do at a glance and makes it easy when I have to shift things around as well. Planning well also means that if you have a product launch during exam periods, it may be advisable to finish the products for that launch ahead of time, so that you can focus on your exams as well!

What motivates you and keeps you going in your business?

I think that starting my business has its ups & downs. One key factor that keeps me going is the people I interact with. When I am done with an order, the customers usually give me feedback on my items and it heartens me to know that they really love the items. I am very blessed to have customers that are understanding and appreciative of my skills. Apart from customers, another group of people that has kept me going are my friends. When I make a new product, I will always show my friends. They are the ones that give me feedback and support me throughout my business. They motivate me and encourage me to try new things for my business and provide me with advice. I am grateful for the friends and customers that I have, which have kept me going for 2 years. With the continued support, I foresee myself continuing the business in years to come.

Meredith is a Year 2 undergraduate student from the NUS Faculty of Pharmacy. Her works are on sale at NUS Co-op@Central Forum under the Student Entrepreneur’s Market (SEM) programme (coming soon).

Instagram: @thecrochetstop