The Start of Southern A-Door-nments Decor

Have you ever wondered how I started my little door hanger business and grew it into the Southern A-Door-nments Decor that it is today? If you’ve been around for a while you may remember watching my Facebook Live where I taught my community how to make a bow. In the middle of my Facebook Live, my phone fell over and I had to set it back up and keep going. That video is actually how many of you found me to begin with. I have had so much fun watching Southern A-Door-nments grow into what it is today and I am so grateful that I get to wake up everyday and do what I do. It hasn’t always been like this though, and I would love to share my story of how it started and the humble beginnings that led me to where I am today.

The Very Beginning

My story starts back in 2013 while my husband was in the military. He was deployed and I was home alone with my two little boys who were three and seven. As a busy mom, I needed an outlet that made me feel human again. I came across an article where people were hosting Pinterest parties and doing a DIY project together with their friends. So I created an event on Facebook and invited my friends and their kids over, so that while we were all crafting, our kids were playing in the playroom. As the party was wrapping up, they all asked when we were going to do it again. For the next year while my husband was deployed, we met every month to do a project.

Once my husband got back home and he lost his deployment income, we were looking for a way that I could add to our income. At the time of the parties I was hosting I was only charging for supplies, but I thought that I could start a business and host these types of parties for people in my community to make money. I did the math and figured up how many people I could host for a certain amount of money and then I posted to Facebook that I would be hosting door hanger painting parties.

Southern A-Door-nments Painting Parties

I started my business and began hosting door hanger paint parties in February of 2015. I was cutting my own wooden blanks and charging about $25 per person. At the time, I was seven months pregnant with my daughter. I did several parties before she was born then I took a short break leading up to her due date. Three weeks after I had her though I was back to hosting my first paint party. By August that year, I had twelve paint parties per month.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that twelve paint parties in one month was way too many. In between the paint parties, I had to create and manage the Facebook group for each one as well as cut all the blanks and prepare my supplies. I eventually topped out at eight to ten paint parties a month and increased my prices to about $35 per person with a minimum of ten people at each paint party. I did these paint parties for about a year and a half before Facebook Live came out and really shifted my business.

A Shift in the Business

When Facebook Live released, I decided to try it out. While I was painting any custom orders I received, I would turn on Facebook Live and converse with the people that were watching. It once again filled that sense of community I was craving whenever I first started my business.

While they were watching, they were asking questions like “what kind of paint do you use” or “what type of wood is that” and I would just answer. This was the first time they saw someone in this industry answer questions about door hanger painting. Most of the time people would just say “sorry, that’s not information I’m willing to give out.”

The Start of Painter’s Clubhouse

After a while, I started sending out wooden blanks and painting virtually with a group of women. Over time, I realized that these women didn’t need me to send them wooden blanks because they were capable of cutting their own. From this idea, I created the Painter’s Clubhouse membership group. It provides members with two new painting tutorials every month (one from me and one from a guest) as well as a free template to go along with each so they can cut their blanks themselves.

As these women started building confidence in their painting skills, they started selling their door hangers and starting their own businesses. 

Southern A-Door-nments Decor Today

So many people tell me that painting is a creative outlet for them, and I really do understand that.  If I could credit one thing for contributing to my business growth, it would have to be consistency. Continually showing up for people and looking to see what my community needed that I could provide for them. I just feel so grateful to show up everyday and talk to you all and get to teach people how to paint. It genuinely brings me so much joy! 

Related Resources

• Are you running a business solo? Check out these tips for running a business solo! 
• Here are ten reasons to start your own paint party business!
• Think that your hobby is becoming a business? Here are a few signs!
• Follow along with my business on Facebook!