TBible Interview with Jennifer Krebsz

1. What is Sick on Sin ?
   
   Sick On Sin (www.sickonsin.com) is an online store for clothing and accessories that was launched in December 2005. We carry shirts for men, women and kids with a wide selection of unique and cute designs; as well as a ton of devilishly delightful 1-inch button and magnet sets. Sick On Sin is also the official retailer of merchandise for the comic, Orneryboy. Sick On Sin is based out of Ontario, Canada – however, it attracts a worldwide audience (one of our biggest fans is in Cyprus!). It is owned and run by me (Jen) – I look after everything from making the shirts to packing orders to writing web copy to coming up with new design ideas to doing all the marketing. However, I get huge help from my talented fiancé, Michael Lalonde (creator of Orneryboy). Michael does all the designs for the merchandise, as well as designed the Sick On Sin site. He has a real knack for drawing adorable stuff!
   
   
2. What made you start your own business ?
   
   Who doesn't dream of having their own business!! I had entertained the idea for a while, however I was working full time as a Kids Website Producer and didn't really have the time to explore it. When it reached the point where I knew that it was something I really wanted to try I bid farewell to the corporate world. I then spent the next few months figuring out all the logistics of ecommerce and getting the store ready to launch. There were several things that drove my decision to start my own business – the interest in selling merchandise online, the ability to work from home, the curiosity to see if it would be successful, and the desire to work for myself... I think when it comes to starting your own business, you need to just accept that it's a risk and might not work out - but unless you try, you have no idea of how successful it could be. So many people I talk to tell me they wish they could break free from 'the man' and go on their own but that they are too worried. Unfortunately you just need to throw caution to the wind and try it. Of course, it's good to have a plan in place before handing in your notice – and to have a little bit of survival money saved up!
   
   
3. What does Sick on Sin offer society/consumers ?
   
   Sick On Sin offers up some super cute merchandise that brings smiles to people's faces and warms their hearts. What else does the world need! Haha! It also provides a smooth and enjoyable online shopping experience, and the knowledge that your supporting a lil' indie shop – not some huge, uncaring corporation.
   
   
4. What inspires Sick on Sin's stuff ?
   
   The majority of the inspiration comes from things I personally love or would want to wear. For instance, I am a vegan, animal-loving gal who digs skulls and zombies - hence the desire to carry pro-veg, animal and goth/punk type stuff. I view my target audience as people similar to me and Michael, and I've been really lucky in the fact that there seems to be a lot of people out there who dig the same sort of stuff as us! Obviously current trends play a small part in the inspiration of some ideas (e.g. Our 'Carbs' magnet set was in response to the Atkins craze). In other cases, trends help to bring attention to a product that would have already existed. For instance, would I have done an 'I Love Zombies' shirt if zombies weren't so popular at the moment? Yes, because there have always been zombie fans - myself included (and I think it's a kick-ass design). However, would the shirt be one of the hottest items if zombies weren't currently so popular? Probably not.
   
   
5. Do you feel a sense of competition from other designers ?
   
   Not really. Michael has a pretty unique artistic style – and it's the style of the designs that make them so great. However, I do expect that I will see some of my design ideas popping up on other sites. Unfortunately, that's not really something you can avoid though...
   
   
6. What 3 most important things "you feel" are needed to run your own business ?
   
   1) Great Customer Service - I have years of customer service experience which has proved to be incredibly valuable - not only when dealing with actual customers, but also when dealing with suppliers and business contacts. The ability to interact with people in a professional, friendly, helpful and diplomatic way is extremely important and can really make a difference in how your business if viewed and how successful you are.
   
   2) Discipline - if you aren't good at getting work done without a boss looking over your shoulder, then having your own business probably isn't for you. You really need to have the discipline to sit down and do work - even when you don't feel like it.
   
   3) Passion - loving what you do makes all the difference in the world. If I am spending the majority of my waking hours focused on something, I better love it! And obviously, having passion for your business drives it to grow and be successful.
   
   
7. How does society reflect on Sick on Sin designs ?
   
   I can't say that society really reflects on our designs. Unless in the way that many of our designs are geared towards the interests / likes of certain sub-cultures (e.g. vegetarians, goths, crafty folks). While society isn't necessarily driving the ideas...it does provide the audience for those ideas.
   
   
8. What's next for Sick On Sin ?
   
   Focusing on Marketing and PR are priorities right now. I'm lucky that I received a large amount of attention the moment I launched due to it being connected to Orneryboy, however now I am working on really getting the name out there. I'm also looking at adding some new products to the store such as underwear and bags.