Today we’d like to introduce you to April Haug.
Hi April, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started out making vinyl decals for my Etsy shop back in May of 2023. My husband purchased a small 3D printer for himself around that time and I asked him to print me a dragon for my bookshelf. We listed it in my shop and it went went a little viral. Our one 3D printer quickly multiplied. In the fall, I had to leave my full time job so that I could focus on the Etsy shop and keep up with orders. In 2024 we added vending for conventions and local book events. We continued to get busier and busier so my husband left his full time position in June of 2024 so that we could both focus on the business.
We currently have 22 3d printers. We started out primarily on Etsy, but we recently opened our Shopify store. We continue to add more in person events to our schedule and offer different products. We’ve just added at Laser cutter to the family. We are so very thankful for all of the support that has gotten us here.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Yes and no. We were very fortunate and lucky to become successful so quickly. Some shops will sit dormant for years, struggling to bring sales in, but that part of things went very smoothly for us. We kept waiting for a slow down but it never came.
That being said, it was a struggle for us because we both worked full time for most of the first year. This meant shipping orders until 1 to 2 am some nights and getting up to work our jobs during the day. There is also a huge misconception that 3d printing is easy. You just click print and go about your day, but that could not be more wrong. 3d printers require attention all day long. This was very hard to manage early on while we were still working.
Now that we are home and able to put our full attention into our business, it’s become easier. We now struggle with life/work balance. We can’t just check out for the day when work is at home.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We are most known for our book themed products. I am a huge reader and that’s essentially how this business started. We license with designers for much of our products, but over the years I’ve been teaching myself how to 3d design my own files. Our selection has grown with a lot of my own personal designs and that’s what I’m most proud of. We are no longer one of the the only shops that offer 3d printed bookshelf decor. So my personal designs are what help set us apart from the others.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is happiness. We’ve built this life for ourselves, where we get to spend each day doing what we love. It doesn’t get more successful than that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://createfantasycrafts.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/createfantasycrafts/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/createfantasycrafts
