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"       Sandra Durkin | Snapcrafty After earning a PhD in genetics five years ago, Sandra Durkin landed a plum position at a research lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan. But the 80-hour workweeks didn&amp;#039;t exactly jibe with Durkin&amp;#039;s jewelry-making pastime, so she began off-loading her vast collection of beads and trinkets on Etsy. FIRST STEPS: Within a few months, Durkin quit her stressful day job and started Snapcrafty. Undaunted by the challenges of entrepreneurship, she tracked down the kind of charms you won&amp;#039;t find in most craft stores, like cool takes on cameos. SPREADING HER WINGS: In 2010, orders doubled to some 6,000 annually, which Durkin credits to good customer service and e-newsletters. ON THE MOVE: Durkin hired her first employee and rented real office space in 2011. In January 2012, she launched her own site, snapcrafty.com. &amp;quot;My goal is to work smarter, not harder,&amp;quot; she says.         Kimber and Nick Christensen | Little Sapling Toys Cabinetmaker Nick Christensen wasn&amp;#039;t looking to switch careers in 2007 when he crafted a wooden rattle for his newborn son. But the rattle proved so popular that Nick and his wife, Kimber, decided to test the waters with other toys: teethers, stacking games, and more. FIRST STEPS: After the couple&amp;#039;s attempts to place the wares in boutiques near their Northern California home didn&amp;#039;t pan out, they opened an Etsy shop, under the name Little Sapling Toys, in the spring of 2008. SPREADING THEIR WINGS: Within six months, sales had grown so robust that &amp;quot;we realized this could be a full-time business,&amp;quot; explains Nick, who quickly left cabinetry behind. The brand is currently sold at 120 stores, as well as at littlesaplingtoys.com. ON THE MOVE: For every purchase, Nick and Kimber donate a seedling to Trees for the Future. Through an area job-placement organization, they&amp;#039;ve hired two employees with autism. &amp;quot;We&amp;#039;re so glad we can provide stable positions to people who do amazing work,&amp;quot; says Nick. For 10% off your purchase at Little Sapling Toys, use code COUNTRYLIVING.         Leah Duncan | artist After Leah Duncan and her husband moved to Austin, the T-shirt designer seized the opportunity to give her career a fresh start, too\u2014by following her true passion, drawing. FIRST STEPS: Soon after Duncan set up an Etsy shop for her flora- and fauna-themed art, DailyCandy wrote about her prints, resulting in a flood of orders. Since then, sales have doubled annually. SPREADING HER WINGS: Duncan used spoonflower.com to put her vignettes on fabric, then sewed a few throw pillows for a crafts fair in 2009. They were so popular that she introduced tea towels and stationery. ON THE MOVE: In 2011, the 29-year-old took her patterns to a trade show\u2014and scored big clients, including Land of Nod, which now stocks children&amp;#039;s bedding and furniture bearing Duncan&amp;#039;s motifs. &amp;quot;I can&amp;#039;t believe I earn a paycheck doing what I love!&amp;quot; she says.         Abby Meadow | Infusion Fibers In 2008, Oregon inn manager Abby Meadow realized she needed a creative outlet. So she dusted off her Singer sewing machine and began stitching up carryalls that reference vintage book satchels. Within a few months, she had dubbed her nascent brand Infusion Fibers and launched a shop on Etsy. FIRST STEPS: From the start, the entrepreneur used earth-friendly fabrics, like undyed hemp and repurposed wool. She also made her totes are roomy enough to pack in all of today&amp;#039;s essentials.  SPREADING HER WINGS: By 2009, Meadow was earning more from her gig than her nine-to-five. So she quit the inn and focused on packs and purses full-time. ON THE MOVE: Meadow recently hired an assistant to keep up with demand. &amp;quot;Customers often e-mail to tell me how much they love the products,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;and there&amp;#039;s nothing more rewarding than that.&amp;quot;         Ginny Cardenas | Scotch Naturals When Ginny Cardenas took a closer look at what went into the &amp;quot;play&amp;quot; nail polish her two young daughters were using\u2014formaldehyde, acetates, and other harsh chemicals\u2014she was taken aback. So in 2009, Cardenas set out to hatch a safer option, calling the line Hopscotch Kids. FIRST STEPS: Cardenas teamed with a chemist to develop water-based polishes and sourced a soy-based remover. The Phoenix entrepreneur also reached out to friends and family, who provided financial support and talent in exchange for company shares. Then, Cardenas cold-called children&amp;#039;s stores about stocking the collection. SPREADING HER WINGS: Two years ago, Cardenas debuted Scotch Naturals, an adult spin-off with elegantly minimal packaging. Some 500 shops, including Anthropologie, now carry at least one of her brands. ON THE MOVE: Cardenas has hired a staff of six and plans to launch skin care. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m an innovator,&amp;quot; she says, &amp;quot;but only when my kids are at school or asleep.&amp;quot;         Walter and Margaux Kent | Peg and Awl When Walter Kent returned from Iraq, the National Guardsman was unsure what would come next. But after he transformed cast-off lumber into furniture and housewares, Walter&amp;#039;s wife, Margaux, had an idea. Two months later, the couple set up an Etsy shop, Peg and Awl. FIRST STEPS: Ever since, the Kents have remained on the hunt for vintage materials\u2014old barn flooring, antique doctors&amp;#039; bags\u2014they could spin into spice racks, step stools, leather-bound journals, and more. SPREADING THEIR WINGS: The week the business kicked off, the couple fielded individual retail orders, as well as a large wholesale request. Now, stores like Anthropologie and the Library of Congress gift shop carry the line. ON THE MOVE: The duo tried out a few concepts in their own yard before adding gardening goods, such as herb boxes to their line. &amp;quot;We introduce items we want,&amp;quot; says Margaux, &amp;quot;and it&amp;#039;s awesome customers enjoy them as much as we do.&amp;quot;         Emily Maynard | Elva Fields Eleven years ago, Emily Maynard enrolled in a decorative arts program at New York City&amp;#039;s Bard Graduate Center where she took a metalsmithing class. Before Maynard&amp;#039;s 2003 wedding, the necklaces she crafted for her bridal party impressed even her mother-in-law. FIRST STEPS: Soon after the honeymoon, Maynard launched her brand, Elva Fields, named after her great-grandmother. The designer held down her day job at a northwestern Kentucky art gallery and persuaded family and friends to host trunk shows at night. SPREADING HER WINGS: In 2006, Maynard quit her gallery gig and sought help from SCORE, a national nonprofit that mentors entrepreneurs. &amp;quot;My adviser urged me to focus on my website,&amp;quot; she explains. &amp;quot;Now elvafields.com bring in 80 percent in sales!&amp;quot; ON THE MOVE: Maynard donates a portion of every online purchase to a local program that provides healthy meals to schoolchildren. &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m so lucky I can earn a living and support my community,&amp;quot; she says.         Coulter and Kristy Lewis | Quinn Popcorn During Kristy Coulter&amp;#039;s 2010 maternity leave, the popcorn lover began experimenting with top quality corn and oils, plus compostable, chemical-free bags. She named her newborn company, and son, Quinn. FIRST STEPS: In 2011, Kristy pitched Quinn Popcorn to a Whole Foods near her Arlington, Massachusetts, home, and the store agreed to carry the line. Within a year, the chain was stocking the popcorn at 28 other locations and provided a $25,000 loan to help Quinn grow. SPREADING HER WINGS: This past December, Kristy expanded Quinn&amp;#039;s facility by 1,500 square feet, and in May, her husband, Coulter, left his product-design job to join her full-time. ON THE MOVE: At first, the Lewises relied on friends for seasoning suggestions; now the duo also brings trial batches to farmers&amp;#039; markets. &amp;quot;Getting real feedback has been invaluable,&amp;quot; says Coulter.         Jamie Jones | Mrs. Jones&amp;#039; Soapbox While most undergrads can barely be bothered to make their beds, Jamie Jones spent her spare time in college mixing natural household cleaners. Though her initial recipes didn&amp;#039;t work very well, in 2008, the Windermere, Florida, native decided to try again. FIRST STEPS: Jones started out researching mineral- and vegetable-based formulas on weekends. In 2009, she launched Mrs. Jones&amp;#039; Soapbox with six items, from furniture polish to laundry detergent, on Etsy. SPREADING HER WINGS: Orders came in slowly but steadily, letting Jones find her footing. Last year, she got serious\u2014and discovered sales had grown 300 percent over two years. ON THE MOVE: In June, Jones left her day job as a marketing manager to expand the brand and develop a hand- and dish-soap combo. &amp;quot;I love my customers,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;And I believe we can make a difference together.&amp;quot;         Alicia Adams | Alicia Adams Alpaca Seven years ago, Daniel Adams fell in love with alpacas during a visit to Australia\u2014then convinced his wife, Alicia, that they should breed the llama-like animals. FIRST STEPS: With the help of a mill near the family&amp;#039;s home in upstate New York, Alicia developed supersoft yarn. Then, the mother of three hired area knitters to turn the material into infant hats and booties, then expanding to caps, scarves, pillows, and throws. SPREADING HER WINGS: The company got a boost a few months later at the New York International Gift Fair, where Alicia received orders from 50 boutiques across the country. Last year, Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue started stocking the line. ON THE MOVE: Alicia has teamed up with other farmers in order to collect enough fleece for her in-demand wares. &amp;quot;The alpacas have become part of our family,&amp;quot; she says.         Lynn Manley and Laura Cler | Linnea&amp;#039;s Lights After Lynn Manley&amp;#039;s husband, Danny, was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, the couple had to cut down on expenses, including Lynn&amp;#039;s favorite candles. But instead of doing without, the Manleys began crafting their own soy wax and essential oils. FIRST STEPS: A year later, the budding entrepreneurs launched Linnea&amp;#039;s Lights at farmers&amp;#039; markets and fairs near their Hebron, Indiana, home. Lynn took some time off after Danny passed away in 2007. Then, she asked her daughter, Laura Cler, a former executive at Levi Strauss &amp;amp;amp; Co., to come on board. SPREADING THEIR WINGS: The two sought out small regional retailers, tested scents like fig and linden, and hand-poured candles\u2014from their houses. Since 2009, orders have grown 300 percent annually. ON THE MOVE: Today, some 250 boutiques nationwide carry the line. Lynn and Laura also debuted special-edition candles for designer Rachel Ashwell and garden store Terrain.   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/a4277/closer-look-women-entrepreneurs/>