Meet Jocelyn Kobayashi: Small Business Owner

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

Hi Jocelyn, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
The most important lesson my business has taught me is how to create meaningful friendships and relationships with other small businesses and customers. I had created this business to help me pay for college and because I truly loved doing DIY’s and arts and crafts. Over time I met some amazing small business owners and customers that turned into some amazing friends! Tiny Things has taught me that it is important to help and uplift other small businesses and that there are a bunch of other people that have the same passions. It is important to create meaningful relationships and friendships with others that have the same goals and inspirations.

What should our readers know about your business?
Tiny Things by Jocelyn was created in 2019, and I am the only one that runs my small business. I design, create, produce, and sell all my products with intent. I am most proud about how far I have come since 2019; I started my business in my tiny room because I had loved doing arts and crafts so much. Tiny Things was just a side business that I wanted to do on my free time and did not expect it to thrive as much as it has been. It definitely takes a lot of physical and mental work to grow your business. To be completely transparent there has been multiple times where I wanted to just stop my business as a whole, but I had to remind myself that this is something I love, and I cannot let anyone or anything ruin a hobby of mine. I am so excited to see where Tiny Things will go into the future, and I hope to continue to grow. Some major lessons that I have learned along the way is customer service, the behind the scenes of running a business such as taxes, pricing, and packaging, and truly enjoying every part of owning a business. I have learned how to deal with challenging customers, but I have also learned how to stand my ground and be true to my businesses policies and procedures. I think a lot of people do not realize that there are so many behind the scenes in’s and out’s about running a business and I have learned so much in a year and a half. What I want everyone to know is that I truly enjoy running a small business, and I continuously plan and create products that I truly love and stand by.

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 would definitely start off with a mini staycation. I would love to rent out an Airbnb near the beach or in the city. I love brunching, and one of my favorite brunch spots that I would take my best friend is either Toast by Benediction or Openaire. They have bottomless mimosas and I think that would be so fun! We would definitely visit museums, like the Funko Pop museum in LA or LACMA. The beach would be an awesome place to hand out or explore around Los Angeles. The most fun things to do is to explore different restaurants, pop ups, and parks in your own city. I think Socal is so big, that the options are endless.

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?
I would love to shout out my friends and family that have helped and inspired me to start Tiny Things. My aunt was the one that gave me my current cutting machine, and I have used it every step of the way of my small business. I create tons of products from my cutting machine and I am so grateful. I have to give a big thank you to my coworkers Monique and Cheyenne for inspiring me and helping me build my business. They have given me advice on various occasions from how to take a product photo all the way to sharing business opportunities and manufactures. I also want to thank and shout out Tyler! He has come to every pop up event, every craft store run, and has been there with me for every single product release whether it was a success or a fail. The constant, mentorship, and love is greatly appreciated.

Website: https://tinythingsbyjocely.wixsite.com/websitetinythings

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfBa34J70_bIZvMwpChdztw

Image Credits
Tiny Things by Jocelyn