I met up with Anne recently to do a Branding Shoot for her small business, Semper Southern. We had a blast!! I’ve known Anne for several years….we met in Kindergarten. Hahahaha… actually, I was teaching Kindergarten and her daughter was in the class next door. 🙂 Her little bit caught my eye because she was always dressed in precious custom clothes (that I later found out Anne made) and she gave my friend Kaylee really AWESOME teacher gifts!!!! 🙂 Anne’s business has evolved into a customized creation business as well. The day I met up with her, she had a table full of glittery mugs and glasses that she was prepping for shipping. As a mom to three girls…you know I LOVED all the glitter…but I really enjoyed hearing more about Anne’s business and photographing her at work. She’ll be able to use these images on her blog, her etsy shop, and her social media outlets. They show a little of her behind the scenes action, highlight a few of her products, and she also got a few beautiful headshots.

If you are also a small business owner and would like to book your own Business Branding Shoot, please email me at corryfrazierphotography@gmail.com!! I’d LOVE to help you take your business to the NEXT LEVEL with professional images that will truly set you apart in your market!

Anne’s assistant…Miss Charlie 🙂

Here’s a little more about Anne’s business:

Name of Business: Semper Southern and Three Little Birds (take your pick LOL)

Name of Owner/Owners: Anne Montgomery

How did you get started in your business?

I’ve had my small sewing business (Three Little Birds) for the past several years and have always enjoyed many different creative hobbies. Semper Southern started with literally ONE cup, I had made a gift for my husband and the response was overwhelming! Based on that response I realized I had found an untapped niche in the market so I took a chance on starting a new “branch” of my creative business and haven’t looked back!

What do you love most about your business?

There are so many things that I love about it I love that this isn’t WORK to me, it’s my creative outlet and more often than not is a way for me to relieve stress. I truly enjoy the process of creating each and every order I receive and I love that no two items are exactly alike!

What do you love most about being your own boss?

Foremost I love the flexibility that I’m allowed; I am fortunate enough to be at home with my kids and run this business at the same time. I love that it’s not a “typical” 9-5 job and that I can choose when “work” fits into my daily routine. If I need to spend a few hours working, I do that. If I want to take my preschooler to storytime and meet a friend for coffee, I do that! Sometimes my work day consists of answering emails and Etsy messages in my pajamas over a second cup of coffee, a trip to Hobby Lobby, lunch at Panera, and then drowning in glitter while watching a princess movie with my little girl! Not many people get to do that so I consider myself very fortunate to have this opportunity!

What are some of the challenges of owning a small business and being a creative entrepreneur?

One significant challenge is definitely time management. Because I work from home, my day to day routine is never the same. There can be several days where I don’t have much work that needs to be done so I just enjoy the downtime but then struggle to get back to the grind when I find myself faced with several orders requiring my attention. The “feast or famine” issue and lack of consistency makes it difficult to create a solid work routine.

How do you hope to overcome those obstacles?

More coffee? 😉 My youngest started preschool this fall so with that new addition to our routine I am able to create a more consistent work schedule for myself.

What are your go-to resources for building your business and growing it- books, seminars, workshops, online resources, blogs?

I am a member of several different groups on Facebook and participate on a page in which I collaborate with other work at home moms and boutique owners. We have found that networking and working together rather than competing against each other has helped each of our businesses grow tremendously!

What other jobs have you done prior to owning this wonderful business?

I am certified as a middle/high school social studies teacher

Do you have any future plans you’d like to share or is there something new you’ll be adding to your current business?

I’m constantly on the lookout for something new and exciting to add to my shop that I think my current client base would like, I just need more hours in the day to work through my “want-to-make” list!

What types of custom sewing projects do you offer?
If I can find a pattern for it, I’ll make it! ☺ Most of my orders are for special events; birthdays, military homecomings, vacations, family pictures, etc. Majority of my little customers are girls so I definitely make my fair share of skirts, dresses, ruffles, and all things pink but I don’t limit myself to girl attire!

What types of products do you offer for monogramming and personalizing?

I’ve done everything from floppy sunhats and beach towels to aprons and lunch boxes! We’re in the south, if it will sit still long enough and will fit on my machine, I’ll monogram it! ☺

You can find Anne’s creations at her Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/sempersouthern?ref=search_shop_redirect