In 2010, Nicole Kringer and Erin Manders founded KnotaGeek LLC, a small web-based business that specializes in producing handmade accessories.

The co-founders pursued this venture with no business background and make every piece of merchandise themselves.

Lack of experience led to difficult beginnings for KnotaGeek, but through trial and error Kringer and Manders eventually found pricing models that worked and how best to market themselves.

Kringer said their sales increased because they raised their prices.

“People can’t try on our products online so when they see them they have to look professional, but when we started our pictures looked atrocious,” Kringer said.

“Our competition has been both a challenge and an inspiration because we can see what works,” Kringer said.

In addition to learning how to run their business from scratch, Manders said the pair also works full-time. One of their biggest challenges has been taking the time to make their products.

“We basically work 9-5 then come home and make stuff all night,” Manders said. “Most people

don’t really understand how difficult it is to crochet.”

The two learned to crochet at a young age and admitted it’s not for everyone. Coupled with the fact that Kringer and Manders are female entrepreneurs; can make their business idea a tough sell outside of their target market.

“It’s a double-whammy doing crafting and being a female-owned business,” Manders said. “Our work is seen more as a hobby, but we take it very seriously and hope to do it full-time in the future.”

“As females our natural instinct is to undervalue our work, but then everyone else will too,” Kringer said. “If you want to be successful, value your work first and foremost.”

Further separating KnotaGeek from traditional retailers, is the fact that it’s environmentally conscious and vegan friendly.

Kringer, a mother of two, said that as a parent she feels responsible for the world her children will inherit. As a result, the two only use recycled or biodegradable packaging materials.

Manders, who is vegan, does not believe in using animal products, which is why they use bamboo or acrylic blends in their creations rather than wool or cotton.

While it can be difficult to obtain these materials and they are not always cost effective, Kringer and Manders said it’s what makes KnotaGeek unique. They said the oddity of the company’s business model made it a perfect fit for Etsy.

Etsy is an E-commerce site which helps small businesses sell handmade products. The site has over 800,000 active shops and 19 million members and has seen its revenue increase exponentially each

year since its creation in 2005. Etsy claims that in 2011 its total merchandise sales were just over $525 million.

While it mostly produces hats, scarves and gloves, KnotaGeek also makes custom ideas. The co-founders said clients are limited only by their imagination and that they will make just about any product in any color and size.

“Although neither of us have a business background, Etsy made it so simple to launch our idea and eliminated the need to have a storefront, but that is on our list of dreams,” Kringer said.

To supplement the lack of a physical storefront, Kringer and Manders attend craft shows during

the winter. They said that not all of them are successful, but having that exposure is critical to establishing their brand.

KnotaGeek’s Facebook and Twitter pages are updated with craft show schedules for their customers.