Color Me Brave

Every month, we celebrate and feature a woman who went for it, bringing their vision and passion to life. While their businesses and projects vary — they all have battled through self-doubt, jumped before fully ready and embarked on entrepreneurship while simultaneously carrying a heavy load specially reserved for modern mothers.

For November, we are chatting with Paulina Teng of PT Color Market. Founded six years ago with her husband Sean, their business creates handcrafted leather jewelry and accessories. She left a 20+ year career in education to pursue a full-time creative life — and experience all the joys and challenges that come with it.

Tell us about your business and the inspiration behind it.

I have always loved to create.  Growing up, my mom was always sewing clothes for me and for other family members.  She made quilts and was always busy with some craft, often while watching tv or waiting for me at a violin lesson.  She modeled for me living a creative life and it inspired me to pursue this business.  It has always been a dream to own my own shop from a young age and this business allows me to do so online.  

The decision to follow a dream is brave. The decision to follow your dream and make it your livelihood is brave, and also scary! How did you take this leap?

I was an elementary school teacher for over twenty years and working with children was a passion of mine as well as being creative.  After having my children and teaching for a number of years, I knew I needed to shake things up and do something just for myself.  Six years ago, Sean and I started making and experimenting with jewelry designs.  I would bring them into school to share with colleagues and people were excited and the business took off from there.  The decision to go full time came during the pandemic when I had more time to spend on my business since we were home all of the time.  I was teaching remotely which was totally wild.  Since then, I have decided to shift my focus from teaching to working on building this business.   I am keeping teaching in my life through workshops and tutoring. Having Sean as my partner in this business also played a huge role in helping me take this leap.  His unwavering support for me and this business has helped me take the final step into doing this full time.  His support has allowed me to pursue this new life and schedule so that it works for our family and for me.   

What have been the highlights of creating PT Color Market? What have been the greatest challenges?

One of the highlights of creating PT Color Market are the connections I have made with other local makers and small businesses.  They have become part of my new community.  We love supporting other small businesses and connecting with them.  Having a community of people that understand what you are going through, the ups and downs of owning a small business, is so important and helps you feel that someone out there understands those same challenges.  

Another highlight of the business is that Sean and I have been able to make special personalized gifts that are not only a piece of jewelry or a key chain but are pieces that are more meaningful.  For example, it could be an anniversary or a wedding date, a loved one's favorite color or something someone used to say.  Being a part of a memento of someone's love and/or memory of a loved one is an honor to create and something we are so grateful to be a part of.  I never thought that the things Sean and I create would provide that for our customers. 

Another highlight of creating PT Color Market is the opportunity we have to give back at a larger level.  I am grateful we are be able to donate to worthy causes that are both local and abroad. We were able to raise over $3000 for a local family going through a challenging time and have made countless donations of product, money and gift certificates to support local fundraising efforts.  We love how we are able to give through this business and have decided to make it official by having monthly donations going out to organizations that we believe in supporting.  

Another challenge is when one of our designs is a flop and figuring out why.  That can be hard.  We have had a ton of success with most things but sometimes even when we believe in it, it isn’t conveyed to the customer in the right way, the right price point, etc.   We do our best to reflect on what we could have done differently, what we could have done better and what we should do in the future moving forward.  We try to use every success and failure as something to learn from.  The failures often teach us the most in all honesty. 

Another challenge is that it is hard to do all of the things that are important to do when you own a business.  Because it is just Sean and I, it can become overwhelming when we are first and foremost, makers.  But as small business owners, we cannot just focus on the creating.   Managing the website, social media, product photos, emails, taxes/accounting and more are things we have learned to get better at over time.  There are so many things to remember and being a business owner requires you to know a lot about everything.  In that way, it is like teaching where there isn’t just one thing you need to be good at.  There is always room for improvement and sometimes it is unclear how to get at the root of the problem when there are so many variables.  Taking baby steps to getting better and improving is the only way to go, otherwise everything seems like a mountain.  

How do you navigate the impossible-to-balance world of entrepreneurship and motherhood? Any advice? Solidarity is also accepted :)

It is SO hard to balance it all.  Here are three things I believe in that helps me stay balanced:

LISTS:

I am a big list person which helps me get through days especially when I am feeling overwhelmed.  I have created a chart for myself that includes the days of the week, sections of what needs to get done on the daily for my business, family and myself.  That has been super helpful to keep me on task and helps me feel like I am working on it all in small chunks.  All of those things are important to me and I want to make sure I spend the time thoughtfully.   

SELF CARE:

I also make sure that I do something for myself every day.  That might be a workout, guided meditation, journaling or a walk with a friend.  We as mothers are doers for all and that is a mental toll and it is not possible to balance all the time.  We as business owners have a tough time taking a break.  Taking time out for ourselves daily is critical so that we can do our best to show up for others as well.  

BOUNDARIES

Setting boundaries with what you agree to do and what you should delegate to others should also be a critical piece of the balance both in your business and in your family.  It used to be much harder to say no to things I didn’t want to do or was too busy to do at first. I am definitely a people pleaser and saying no continues to be a challenge.  I do have to say, being aware of this has gotten easier with practice.  It will always be a work in progress for me.  We are all in different seasons of life and you have to acknowledge when you are too busy for another market or family responsibility, etc.  As you practice setting boundaries, it gets easier to say no, not right now but maybe someday. 

What is your favorite piece of jewelry that you've created? Is there a piece you're currently obsessed with?

Our butterfly collection is something that I just can’t get enough of.  I love them in wood, acrylic and in a variety of colors.  I love wearing them as earrings or as a statement necklace.  It is one of our top sellers and is the most eye-catching to many of our customers.  I am also currently obsessed with our PT Decades Collection and have been wearing my necklace every day.  I love how it looks, how the beads move and how it can be layered with a variety of necklaces.  I love jewelry that can be worn in different ways and on the daily.  It makes me feel like it holds more value to me when I can wear it with many different outfits and looks and I know our customers would agree.

Best and worst business advice you've ever received?

I haven’t really gotten any bad business advice but the best advice I have gotten has been to make sure you surround yourself with like minded people who understand what you are going through.  Having a small business isn’t for everyone and can feel very lonely, especially if you are just starting out.  Other good advice I have gotten is that it is important to have different goals that you are working toward.  You should have daily goals, weekly/monthly/yearly goals and more.  These goals will help set you up to work more efficiently and effectively.  The third best piece of advice I have gotten is to remain open to what might come your way.  Don’t clog it up with negative self-talk, like “I could never do that”, or “that wouldn’t work or that will never work”.  Keep your mind and heart open to the possibilities, the maybes and the dreams that you want for your future.  If you pay attention and stay open, things happen and if you put out to the world what your hopes and dreams are, I believe you will be shown ways to move in that direction.

What are your hopes for PT Color Market in the New Year and beyond? 

Sean and I are currently working on changing some things about our business and working on experimenting with different designs and possibly a rebrand.  I would love to continue to grow our email list/social media base, increase our online sales and start selling more in retail shops in the area, and go from there.  Getting in front of more people to share what we do is often the goal and honestly the sky's the limit!  I am excited to see what the future holds and where our business will take us.  

Lean more about PT Color Market here or follow their adventures on Instagram.