Meet Kimberly Weaver of Belews Creek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Weaver.

Hi Kimberly, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
After spending more than 20 years working my way up the corporate ladder in retail & sales management, I decided to step away and completely shift gears in my career. I wanted a work-life balance, so I found an administrative job working 6-4, Mon-Thurs. With the newly found spare time, I had not worked 60+ hours every week, so I decided to get back into crafting. I grew up doing it with all of my grandmothers: from a woodworker & florist to a painter by trade and another who loved to dabble in it all. It is some of my fondest memories as a child.

I have always dreamed of entrepreneurship and realized this with my crafts. I could start a business doing what I love. I did just that in March 2021. I started selling on Etsy and primarily worked with heat transfer vinyl, making shirts and can coolers; I began on my kitchen counter with an iron and ironing board. In 2022, my designs and products grew as I made my sales, and almost every penny of profit was reinvested back into the business for equipment, inventory, and supplies. At the end of 2022, I had made over $50K in sales.

Belewsy will continue to grow in 2023. I have over 500 items in my Etsy shop and have opened up my storefront with my Google domain belewsy.com. I have sold to all 50 states in the USA. I design, market, make and ship all products from my home in Belews Creek, NC. A priority now is working on how-to videos for products and the behind-the-scenes on the business end. I still work my W2 job but am working towards going full-time with Belewsy at the end of this year. This rekindled love for crafting and the path of entrepreneurship has tremendously helped in my “metal blues” moments. Along with the home-based shop being located in Belews Creek, NC, Belewsy was born.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
It has not. There have been so many breakdowns throughout my journey. So many times, I’ve asked myself why I am doing this, but every time I work through it, I come out stronger, as does my business. Building your website has its learning curve. All the numerous pieces of equipment have their learning curves, from the heat presses to vinyl cutters to the sublimation printers. Trying to fulfill orders quickly (especially during the holidays) while working a W2 job and caring for life’s other adult to-dos can be daunting. It has made me feel like I put myself back in the same boat I was in before with my corporate job, but once the emotions pass and rationality comes into play, I know that is not the case. I am on the path of doing what I love full-time and growing it into something so much more than a home-based business. I look forward to entertaining the offers I have received from wholesale orders, small businesses, and big box retail stores that want Belewsy products on their shelves. I look forward to celebrating many more successes, from handwriting all your shipping labels to automatically printing them with a thermal printer, hand ironing each piece, and having multiple heat presses to work with. I look forward to hiring an amazing team to help Belewsy continue to grow into what I know it can be. Nothing worth celebrating comes easy, so I will continue to push through every challenge I face and celebrate all the victories, large and small.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I made a career in sales & customer service in the retail world. I excelled at it because I knew it was about the people and your relationships with them. I took a lot of pride in being trusted when someone needed something for their home, so many of my clients became an extended part of my family. I loved what I did and was great at it, but time is precious, and working in retail & sales management is something you only have a little of. I’ve always done well with the administrative part of my management job, so I decided to change to that career to obtain more of a work-life balance. I have brought my customer service skills over to Belewsy. The best way to thank people for shopping with me is to always offer the best product and service from start to finish. I also enjoy working with clients on custom orders. Belewsy is mainly known for home decor and party favors, but custom orders are also welcomed! It is another avenue of using my creative mind to help bring a thought someone has to celebrate a certain occasion to life. I also love assisting businesses with promotional items, as this is another way to showcase my customer service skills and my creative side. I am most proud of being the contact from start to finish. From the designing, making, shipping, and everything in between, I am the one they work with. It adds a personal touch to their experience.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I am obsessive-compulsive. Everything in my home has its place, and I can only sleep if things are in order. I am extremely particular about how things are done and love to be in control of the process; a neat freak and a control freak. It has its pros and cons. The cons are that some things don’t have to be overanalyzed the way I do, but it also gives me an edge in certain situations, whether in business or home life decisions.

Contact Info:

• Website: belewsy.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/belewsy
• Facebook: facebook.com/belewsy
• Youtube: youtube.com/@belewsy
• Other: pinterest.com/belewsy