Interview with a Maker: Jill Dose of Cheeky Monkey Love

Jill Dose of Cheeky Monkey Love is a maker at our July 3 show.

You can find her adorable sock monkeys here.

Meet Your Maker (MYM):Describe what you make and how you got your start.
Jill (J): I have been making sock monkeys as gifts for several years. As my real estate career was winding down, I decided to start selling them. My web page designer husband suggested we build a sock monkey network on the web. Each monkey comes with a unique code you use to register your monkey at www.cheekymonkeylove.com. You can name your monkey, create his/her identity and there is a map that shows where your monkey plus all the other cheeky monkeys live worldwide. You can also upload stories and pictures of your monkey on the blog, cheekymonkeylove.blogspot.com. A new thing we are just starting is to make personalized tee shirts for the monkeys as well. Super cute!

MYM: Any advice to someone about making the leap from hobby crafting to selling?
J: Join a networking group. Most of my sales come from my leads group, the Willamette Valley Chapter of BNI. There I've connected with 20+ professionals who know about my business, buy monkeys and refer my business to all their family, friends and associates.

MYM: Have you had any big breaks? How did they happen?
J: I have my monkeys in Made In Oregon stores. They are also carried locally at Bambini and Sweet Potato Pie. I made old-fashioned sales calls to these stores, left a sample and followed up.

Meet Jill at our July 3 show at Broadway Wine Bar from 5-8pm. You can also find Jill at her blog.