Featured chik: Victoria Woolard

We're so excited to introduce you to Victoria Woolard, owner of Still Waters USA! Victoria brings traveling craft workshops to the community - empowering folks both in their own crafting and running their own workshops. Read on to learn more! 

Tell us a bit about your company! What do you do? What is your mission? 
We are the first truly traveling DIY Workshop and at home party provider in the US that offers over twenty traveling workshops to inspire, educate and empower participants in the world of crafting. Through our opportunity to offer positions for DIY workshop leaders, our goal is to inspire other entrepreneurs, as well as people that are looking to do something for themselves while meeting others and teaching them how to make a beautiful product from scratch. It has been so special to me to offer this opportunity to others and see how proud people are of themselves while changing the narrative on what being creative looks like. I also yearn to to be an inspiration and help to people in the small business world or looking to start their own. Still Waters makes a variety of gifting options too through a custom hands on ordering process.

How did you get started with your business? 
When the pandemic hit, I lost my job. I started jewelry making as a hobby. I taught myself everything and I’m super proud of how far I have come. Fast forward two littles fifteen months apart, over 175 self made products and 20 traveling DIY workshops, here we are!

What do you feel is most important for others to know about your business? 
Still Waters offers jewelry as well as so many home decor items for anyone. A lot of our products are based with sea glass but we also offer pressed flower products as well as plain and simple jewelry. We also customize products with monogram and handwriting jewelry which takes peoples handwriting and turns it into a jewelry piece. We do traveling workshops and offer at home parties as well as ways to collaborate with other small businesses to bring something fun and different customers. We love being a part of making memories for people!

How would you describe your leadership style? 
As a leader, I want the people that work with me or collaborate with me to feel comfortable suggesting ideas, to feel comfortable communicating with me as well. Morale is super important to me, and so I am all about working with other people, as well as having a healthy, welcoming, work environment. I want people to feel encouraged and I want to empower the people that I work with.

When you were growing up, what is your ultimate dream job? If it's this, how does it feel to have met your dream?! If it was something different, how did your dream change over time? 
As a child, I always loved jewelry. I never really thought that I could make a job out of it. My art teachers weren’t very supportive growing up, so I didn’t really even consider art as a potential job for me. I eventually went to school for healthcare and achieved my goal of being a Director of recreation, but when the pandemic hit, I lost my job. I started jewelry making as a hobby. I taught myself everything and I’m super proud of how far I have come I wish I could tell that little girl that she could do anything she puts her mind too. Now, I hire other women that are looking to do some thing for themselves as well to be our workshop leaders. We now do traveling workshops and have over 20 classes that alternate.

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How would you describe your leadership style? 
As a leader, I want the people that work with me or collaborate with me to feel comfortable suggesting ideas, to feel comfortable communicating with me as well. Morale is super important to me, and so I am all about working with other people, as well as having a healthy, welcoming, work environment. I want people to feel encouraged and I want to empower the people that I work with.

When you were growing up, what is your ultimate dream job? If it's this, how does it feel to have met your dream?! If it was something different, how did your dream change over time? 
As a child, I always loved jewelry. I never really thought that I could make a job out of it. My art teachers weren’t very supportive growing up, so I didn’t really even consider art as a potential job for me. I eventually went to school for healthcare and achieved my goal of being a Director of recreation, but when the pandemic hit, I lost my job. I started jewelry making as a hobby. I taught myself everything and I’m super proud of how far I have come I wish I could tell that little girl that she could do anything she puts her mind too. Now, I hire other women that are looking to do some thing for themselves as well to be our workshop leaders. We now do traveling workshops and have over 20 classes that alternate.

Every business owner faces challenges. How are you empowered to overcome yours? 
I have been empowered by overcoming my challenges because I want to inspire other stay at home moms or just women in general that they can start their own business and they can do it all as well! I feel often times a lot of people feel that they need to choose between their dreams or having a family but the truth is you can do both. I also want to inspire my daughters to go after whatever they want as well.

Tell us (in one word) how you would describe your boss-chik business! 
Innovative

Anything else we should know about you, your business, or just a fun fact?! 
I am a proud stay at home mom of two little girls that are 15 months apart. Upon the suggestion of my husband this business got started because we had so much sea glass and nothing to do with it. The rest is history!

Where to find her:
Website | Instagram | Facebook

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