Dora and Joey of Akumulnk began their journey toward creative independence after a fruitful shopping spree. After much research and planning, they've been able to quit their day jobs to run their own t-shirt business. With a background in 3D animation, illustration and working for a children's publishing company, Joey enjoys the ability to utilize his skills while being his own boss. Dora applies the business skills she's currently learning in her degree program to the busy Akumulnk shop. Keep reading to find out why they claim blogging and excellent customer service are their best marketing tips, why music is an essential part of the work day, and how the Quit Your Day Job series played a part in their decision to pursue their dreams.

How did you originally get into the business of making things?
Dora: We came up with the idea of making our own t-shirt designs instantaneously, really. It happened on a day when we had just completed a major shopping spree. Without thinking, I asked Joey, "How about we start a t-shirt company of our own? You can draw the designs and I can take care of the business." I think it took two weeks for the idea to sink in and for us to take it seriously. Before jumping into purchasing the equipment and supplies, we did research on screen printing for two whole months, since neither of us had previous experience. It took us another several months to better our techniques before we finally launched our online store in February 2008 and opened our Etsy shop in March 2008.

Joey: I have always been drawing — since I was very young. I went to college to study illustration in Montreal and then went off to to study 3D animation in Toronto. I spent the last four years working as a 3D illustrator for a children's publishing company in Montreal. Being an artist is a huge part of who I am and how I make a living, so it was an obvious choice to start printing on t-shirts with Dora.

When you first started selling on Etsy, did you have dreams or goals of eventually quitting your day job?
Dora: I'm still in college while working on Akumu Ink full time. It is tough, but when Joey quit his job two months ago I knew that Akumu Ink was heading somewhere and that it was possible for the company to get bigger and for us to be successful. Once I get my degree, I will work my future job around Akumu Ink.

Joey: When we first started, I really hoped we could just sell one shirt. I had dreams of leaving my day job and working for myself, but I had no idea that we could actually do it for real. It was only this last year that we saw the possibility of making this work as a full-time job. Even when I quit my actual job, my boss offered that I continue working 2-3 days a week and I highly considered it. It's so scary to leave a steady paycheck and to rely 100% on yourself to make your income.

Did you do anything to prepare ahead of time?
Joey: We had been running the company for about a year and a half before I could even consider leaving my job. It just got to a point where an hour of printing online orders every other night become 4-6 hours of work every night, aside from my 40 hours a week at work. We also sell at 3-day conventions, so it came to a point where I didn't have enough vacation and sick days to accommodate those events.

Before committing to quitting I had asked for an extra personal week off, which was dispersed throughout the summer, to be able to attend all the shows we were hoping to attend. I could have continued working and watch our company fail because of the lack of attention, or I could jump in and do something about it. It felt great to be able to give our company and our customers the attention they needed.

What are the most effective ways you have promoted and marketed your Etsy business? What's your best marketing tip?
Dora: We found that blogging about ourselves and our company has been a way we can keep our followers interested. Maintaining great customer service will always keep your customers coming back.

Joey: Having a good product and good communication with our customers is essential. Having our Etsy shop mentioned on blogs also helped.

What have you found to be an unsuccessful promotion?
Dora and Joey: We have been lucky in making good decisions so far. We may have made small mistakes here and there, but we haven't really done anything we couldn't retract from. Any promotion is a good promotion, even if we lose a bit of money. Since we're focusing on creating a company that will last, any promotion to get another fan, customer, or client is important. Don't be afraid to try new things, as long as they're logical and fit your company's market.

Walk us through your typical workday.
Dora: I wake up in the morning to check sales and relist Etsy items that sold. I go to school in the afternoons, but luckily there's wifi on campus so I can respond to customer and other business related emails during class lectures. When I get back from school I sew labels for the t-shirts that Joey printed that day and put "blood" (red paint) on our hang tags. Then I prepare envelopes with stamps and mark the addresses. We usually work well into the night getting things together.

Joey: Monday through Thursday I wake up around 9-10 a.m. to have breakfast. Then I look through my Etsy Conversations, emails, Facebook comments and Twitter updates. Then I drop Dora off at the train station. I screen print for a few hours a day (when there is a show coming up or if there are orders). It is very important for me to have music playing throughout the day; it's just one of those things you can do as your own boss that I felt was lacking when I worked for others. Either there was no music or there was lame Top 40 radio...

So back to describing my day: I prepare orders that need to go to the post office. Usually around 5 p.m. I pick up Dora at the train station and head over to the post office. It's great to beat the post office rush hour. We usually arrive minutes before the line starts. We know all of the post office clerks by name. We're always joking around with them. Then we come home and walk our dog, Tiny, and we talk about our days. Then we have dinner and it's back to work or we relax and watch a movie, depending on what needs to get done.

Fridays to Sundays we fly or drive to conventions locally or across North America. We spend all weekend selling shirts we've spent all week producing. This year we'll be attending a total of eleven shows, and next year we're looking at attending up to twenty shows, which would mean almost every second weekend we'll be at a show. Doing conventions can be very draining. I don't think this is a life for everyone.

What do you enjoy most about not having a day job? Is there anything you miss?
Joey: I love that I don't have to sleep in my car during my lunch breaks because I'm so exhausted from working all night. I'm happy I don't have to have a coffee every morning to get me going and a Red Bull when I get home to keep me going. I love that when I have an idea I can stop working and go to my computer and work out my ideas. It's great to be able to wake up at 2 a.m. (if I'm not tired) and work on things without worrying that I'll be too tired for work the next day. Of course I miss the friendships I had at my old job — that, along with the paycheck, was the main reason it was so hard to leave it.

What's the hardest part about running your own business?
Dora: I find that bookkeeping is the hardest task to do, but it is necessary for tax reports every month.

Joey: Finding time to get things done. We're always coming up with new ideas, but we're only two people. Sometimes you can't even do everything on your checklist because there aren't enough hours in a day to get through them. The hardest part is that you always hope you're doing your best to give every part of your business the attention it deserves. If you seem away too long from the public they might think you've disappeared even though you're working hard in other areas of your business. It's important to always keep up to date.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself? What advice would you give someone else?
Dora: I would encourage myself to not doubt our products and to keep trying new venues where we can expose and sell our products. I would advise everyone else to not give up on your work.

Joey: This isn't for everyone. A lot of people need to go to a job in the morning and come home at 5 p.m. My best advice is to start small and grow from there. Be patient while doing the best you can.

What goals do you wish to accomplish in the coming year for your Etsy business?
Dora: We hope to increase the number of our Etsy sales by ten fold (*crosses fingers*).

Joey: We also plan to offer new designs and remove older ones, as well as adding new and different styles of items — all handmade, of course.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Dora and Joey: Running your own business is hard work. It takes a lot of sacrifice; we have put off get-togethers with friends and family time and time again. If waking up ready to work on your own ideas and products excites you and going to bed exhausted from working all day is something you look forward to, then work toward your goals. I would look forward to reading the Quit Your Day Job series every time it came out, and it was the main inspiration to work toward my goals. If you love what you do and work hard, you'll get there. It's a really great feeling to create things and have people around the world buy them and say they love what you do.

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