Meet April Forshee | Creator of Marietta Monograms & Embroidery

We had the good fortune of connecting with April Forshee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi April, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Honestly, I didn’t think about it very much at all!

I had just walked away from my career as a tax accountant to stay home with our son who was in kindergarten at the time. My husband was traveling internationally for work, and I was absolutely bored.

I was substitute teaching, which was great because the schedule was flexible. In my spare time, I had begun sewing again. I learned to sew as a child and also took clothing construction classes in high school.

My very first project *for sale* was a batch of about 10 aprons, and I tried to sell them at our big neighborhood yard sale. (This was my mother’s idea!) The yard sale itself was a bust, nobody looked at my aprons, but I laughed about it and now had a funny story to tell.

My extended family knew that I had made these aprons and asked how the yard sale went. When I told them the story, they laughed too but also wanted to buy an apron.

I sold those 10 aprons very quickly, and my business evolved into handmade items and embroidery from there.

Now, we sell high quality monogrammed gifts on our website. We offer free monogramming on our products, too!

(We do still have one handmade item, which are our personalized Christmas stockings! 100% made in our studio here in Marietta)

What should our readers know about your business?
I think back to when I started, and I would take ANY and ALL custom orders. Yikes! Yes, I have the skill to do these things, but over the years I have learned that “you can’t be everything to everybody.” The workflow is difficult to run efficiently, which really means there is no money being made. And, let’s be real, if there is no money being made, it’s a hobby.

As a business owner, I’ve learned to take advantage of the “low hanging fruit” that is available to me. AmericasMart is here in Atlanta, and it’s the the world’s single-largest collection of wholesale home, gift and apparel showrooms. I take complete advantage of this! I attend every show and search 7.1 million square feet of showrooms for the best products that can be monogrammed. It’s so exciting to find THE THING you’re looking for, and even more exciting to find things you weren’t looking for that turn out to be popular with your customers.

I’ve learned many many lessons over the years, but the biggest one is to be numbers driven (still an accountant at heart over here!). If the financials don’t make sense, don’t do it! This is REALLY hard when you find a product you love but the numbers just don’t mesh well.

The most difficult part of owning a business is marketing, especially when you’re a numbers person. We numbers people want A+B=C, which is rarely the case in marketing. I’ve taken several courses on marketing and understand it now, but it took a long time to get there! (But all my marketing decisions are still data driven!)

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’m an Atlanta native, so I would probably need more than a week!

The major attractions I would include would be World of Coke & Centennial Olympic Park. Oakland Cemetery is also a really neat place if you’re into cemeteries.

Atlanta’s music scene is amazing, so I would include a trip to Eddie’s Attic in Decatur or catch a show at the Tabernacle.

We also have so many places to enjoy the outdoors, and I would insist on my favorite hike: Sweetwater State Park in Lithia Springs. Or kayaking/tubing down the Chattahoochee if it’s warm enough!

The Colonnade has the best southern food! My other favorite restaurants would include the Vortex, probably about 10 different BBQ spots, Canoe, and La Fonda Latina.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband has always encouraged me in everything I’m doing. I remember thinking that spending $60 on fabric (I look back at this and laugh!) was so much money, and he did not say a word about it.

I thought I would have to quit my business when I started homeschooling our son, but he encouraged me to keep at it and try to balance the two. I did just that, and I’m glad I didn’t quit!

My ENTIRE family has also been supportive over the years: They do buy things from me, but they also show interest in what I’m working on, which is a huge boost for me. Back when I would do craft shows, at least 1 of them would show up to check it out!

Website: https://shopmariettamonograms.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariettamonograms/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprilforshee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariettamonograms

Image Credits
Shandee Lynn Alyssa Hollis