Meet Prianka, owner of Uniquely Expressive

We have Prianka Sadagopan with us this time, a person who is successful in her own business besides working in an IT firm. She is a proof that nothing can be a hurdle when doing a business with passion. She manages her business efficiently along with her IT Profession. A big kudos to her! Now, join me in reading her story. Read on.

Tell us a little about you:

I am Prianka, based out of Chennai. I’ve studied and I’ve been in Chennai almost all my life till date.

I am a software engineer by profession in the field of Data Warehousing and analytics. I continue my passion in crafting and painting along with my profession in the IT sector.

I finished my schooling in Holy Angels; my school had a focus in Art and Painting up to class 8 and that could have been the reason towards my inclination towards crafting.

My keen interest in different art mediums of painting like “Oil on canvas”, “Charcoal or Pencil sketching”, “Acrylic Mediums” etc., dates back to the end of my college life in 2007 – 2008.

I run the page with the name –“Uniquely Expressive” for all my handmade crafts.

I am also an artist who participates in group shows/exhibitions to display different mediums of my paintings. I paint various themes based on inspirations drawn from people/ places around me and also inspirations from the mythical world.

Tell us about your business:

Facebook URL - www.facebook.com/UniquelyExpressive.

I started this page, mid 2014 between July – Aug 2014. I focus on Personalized/Custom gifting, Home decor and accessories.

This is a passion turned business like many others.

Accessories: Initially started with Jhumkas, clay earrings, rings, bracelets, etc

Personalized gifting: Key chains, magnets, Mobile accessories, Message bottles, Miniatures in a bottle, Photo booth frames and props, Doodles, Thematic gifting , Scrapbooks/Albums , Explosion boxes etc.

Home Decor: Name-Boards, Lamps, Photo frames Clocks, Chest of Draws, coasters, etc.

Items that I would showcase as my personal favorite, my work which I call “Mini in a bottle” - miniatures in a bottle are all unique in design and each one is completely personalized and customized for every person who orders a piece or I can say theme specific uniqueness.

Sample on “Dad/Mom to be” concept:

Why did you choose work from home career?

I chose this secondary profession to pursue my passion. There is no replacement for the happiness and the appreciation for each gift I deliver, be it by the receiver of the gift or by the person who orders it!

How much one can earn in your business?

I don’t have a daily hourly schedule due to this being my secondary profession. But I have a minimum 10 -15 personalized order milestone I reach, based on the type of work intake I do.

1. For example Doodles – I take up 4-5 per month,
2. Name-boards up to 2 per month etc
3. Miniatures/ other accessories etc 4-5 per month along with other random orders

Recently I have streamlined by having a minimum processing time for some of the work I do.

I don’t make a consistent profit based on the random work I do. The margin varies from month to month

As far as I am concerned I don’t focus on a fixed margin or profit until I stabilize, which I plan to, by another 2 years maximum.

Pricing for handmade crafts I would say would be based on Raw materials + time associated cost  + effort associated cost + a marginal profit.

Difficult times you have faced and how did you recover from that:

1. Being handmade crafts, it is important to focus on packing, delivery and logistics within or outside the country. I learnt that I should keep the customer informed on separate charges for packing and separate for shipping or a fixed amount based on the size of the package.

2. Also since personalization involves a lot of specifications from the customer, I make sure I have all details recorded and acknowledged over an email before I start work.

3. When I get orders on replication it is difficult for me to convince the customer that it is not an ideal choice to replicate. I don’t mind losing an order instead of a piece of copy!

Top 5 lessons u have learned from this business which u want to share with everyone

1. Dedicated and punctual delivery irrespective of any personal constraints
2. Patience in complete discussion on personalized orders
3. A rough draft always helps
4. Prioritization
5. Packing time is as important as the work time

How are you balancing work and personal life?

Working in an IT sector, I have always had the balance between what life for me vs. life at work is. The same applies to this.  I’ve said NO to orders that may take up any personal time.

Showcase some of your best work:

Name-boards:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.752920141443415.1073741836.670149429720487&type=3

Mobile accessories:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.876109989124429.1073741845.670149429720487&type=3

Doodle Greeting cards:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.899841290084632.1073741848.670149429720487&type=3&uploaded=3

Mini in a bottle:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.741140209288075.1073741830.670149429720487&type=3

Dome minis:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.833216360080459.1073741841.670149429720487&type=3

Home decor:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.824793820922713.1073741839.670149429720487&type=3

Key-chains:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.914015985333829.1073741853.670149429720487&type=3

Future Plans:

• I am working on immediate ship items as part of personalized gifting
• To integrate my paintings under the same banner “Uniquely Expressive”

How to contact you if anyone is interested in working with you or buying from you?

Facebook Page - www.facebook.com/UniquelyExpressive.
Easily reachable through email - uniquely.expressive@gmail.com
My personal number: +91 9176145374


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