“The power of simple stories & the courage to follow your dreams”
Claudia was travelling through the Karoo (in the Eastern Cape of South Africa) in 2017 to escape the city for a few days.
Where others see a harsh, arid landscape, & nothing but sheep for as far as the eye can see, Claudia looked up & saw the beautiful Karoo nightsky, flooded with stars. She saw an opportunity, but it was much more than that: she had an idea & a dream:
“Why not in an area full of wool, create products that could empower local women to make a living & draw more attention to the incredible beauty of the area?”
One year later, Claudia moved to a farm in the Karoo with her husband, her young son & the family dog.
–I believe that when people have the courage to trust in themselves & their own abilities, incredible things happen & we couldn’t find a better example than KarooFelt.–
As Claudia read stories to her young son, she began to write her own original stories, inspired by their new surroundings in the Karoo. Her stories came alive with the help of her father who was able to provide the illustrations, and together, their collaboration resulted in a small range of children’s storybooks.
–I don’t know about you, but I find Claudia’s story incredibly inspiring. And it reminds me that real success don’t stem from talent, IQ or startup capital. It comes from answering the call when inspiration strikes & having the perseverance & passion to see your dreams through to fruition – whatever it takes.–
What I’m trying to say is, if you are lucky enough to have a dream, don’t second-guess yourself.
Liz Gilbert said it best in “Big Magic”:
“You will never be able to create anything interesting in your life if you don’t believe you’re entitled to at least try. Believe that you’re allowed to have a voice & a vision of your own.”
Your Brand has a Story
Not every start-up story is as instantly visual & romantic as Claudia’s. You may be struggling to find your story, or you may have fooled yourself into believing that your brand doesn’t have a story. You might feel that yours has too many rough edges & is hard to love. But try to find the spark that drew you to start your business in the first place. And once you find it, I want you to dust it off, polish it up to a brilliant shine & let it guide all that you do.
…and If you need help with that, I’m here for you
Like all of us, Claudia has moments when self-doubt comes knocking on her door. Like her, I hope you’ll have the good sense to defend your idea stubbornly against all the odds.
I was lucky to be involved with bringing the KarooFelt website to life – sometimes we bring inspiration to our clients & sometimes they inspire us right back!
Claudia’s Testimonial:
“Tara has been an absolute pleasure to work with. She has an amazing eye for colour & space and gets it just right. She took my brief & made it even better than I thought possible.”
“She really felt into my product, and established the best way to market it to my clients. On top of that she juggled our differing time-zones with ease & kept me abreast on what was happening with small videos. I couldn’t think of any better person to work & and will definitely send all my future work her way.”
Claudia Rudolph
Owner at KarooFelt