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

Hi Annie, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
My husband and I have been married for 19 years, our son is 17 and our daughter is 13……. within the past 8 years of having Thirteen Eleven Olive, work and life balance has changed so many times and has looked all sorts of different over the years lol. Honestly, I could never do this without the support of my husband. He’s the backbone, in so many areas. A lot of people don’t know this, but I’ve always had a part time or full time job in addition to my business. I never wanted to fully rely on the income of 1311, that’s a lot of pressure and would take the fun out of the creativity process. This business has swung high & low, and I’m okay with that.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I get so excited when I finish a big project! For the design and idea to start in my brain and to end in a physical product that is useful, that’s so satisfying. The biggest challenge that I’ve had to face and overcome is simply believing in my capabilities and squashing self doubt. Being a maker is very vulnerable. You can’t please everyone and once i came to that reality, I was able to challenge myself more with a bit more confidence.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Obviously my husband Dave has been and always will be my biggest support, along with my family, friends and community. The spark & start developed when I was working along side with dear friends at The Mason Bar Company. I hand made all of the Mason Jar cuffs, and when we started developing leather cuffs, that is when it all started. The Mason Bar Company was the platform…. Bobbi, Lis, and Meg were the cheerleaders within that. It was a very sweet time and I will never forget it.

     

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThirteenElevenOlive?ref=seller-platform-mcnav

Instagram: @thirteenelevenolive

Facebook: Facebook.com/thirteenelevenolive

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.