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Micah and Emily Powers are the perfect team. While Micah’s curiosity has led him into countless creative ventures throughout the years, Emily keeps his dreams on track and in check. Although COVID brought a tough blow to their family when Micah got f...
Micah and Emily Powers are the perfect team. While Micah’s curiosity has led him into countless creative ventures throughout the years, Emily keeps his dreams on track and in check. Although COVID brought a tough blow to their family when Micah got furloughed for seven weeks, this time off gave him the opportunity to explore a new passion: leather working. With Emily’s help, he turned this hobby into a business and launched The Swift Fox Leather Company, born out of a desire to create quality, customized products that last a lifetime.
When asked what fears and hesitations they have encountered throughout this entrepreneurial journey so far, Emily tells listeners she has always worried that her husband would never settle on a path. However, she explains that the visible change in Micah’s demeanor when he is working with leather is an indication that he has found a lifelong passion. On the other hand, Micah explains that he has had to embrace the steep learning curve that accompanies any new project, but with plenty of research, practice and patience, he continues to hone his craft each and every day.
Tune into this week’s episode of Move Forward Anyway for a conversation with Micah and Emily Powers about identifying and cultivating your dreams. Learn about Micah’s wide array of hobbies (which includes everything from woodworking to board games to mushroom foraging!), the origin story behind Micah and Emily’s business name, and why starting small can help you dream even bigger down the road.
Quotes
• “Doubting your ability to accomplish something is a dangerous territory to be in because beginning leather working or any sort of hobby or interest or business where you’re creating something, there’s going to be a steep initial learning curve….Those first couple items for a lot of people do not turn out looking like something you would want to carry every day or show off.” (17:16-17:53)
• “I was laid off work for seven weeks in the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020….Quickly over that time, with a lot of free time and space to do things, I was able to put a lot of time in working in this garage and developing that skillset and improving my craft, which was a great opportunity because had I not been forced off of work for seven weeks...I would’ve probably never taken the time to develop this into what it has become.” (18:58-19:43)
• “That’s been a great benefit to maintain [our] full-time jobs….In desperation, I don’t make the best choices long-term. I see right out in front of me, but not much past that. So being able to be in a more comfortable space regarding our financial situation has allowed us to take more risk I would say as far as investing in this than I would have been comfortable with had I just jumped into it.” (20:55-21:43)
• “[My company solves the problem of] goods that break down quickly and custom one-on-one interaction where we can personalize something to your needs….All of the things that I make and sell out of leather I offer a lifetime guarantee on the craftsmanship and the leather….I want that guarantee to never be needed. I want to create those products so that I don’t get anything back.” (27:27-28:25)
• “My fears all along this time we’ve been married have been the fear of him not settling into something. And so, it’s taken a lot of experimenting for him to settle into something, and I’ve had to move through that fear of is he just going to keep wandering in the pursuit of what he wants to do?....But I see his fear come out in not wanting to showcase or push his products and the things he can make….Are they going to be good enough for people?” (30:29-31:48)
Links
Get in touch with Micah and Emily Powers:
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/swiftfoxleather/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/swiftfoxleather/
• Etsy: https://etsy.me/3ywgnJa
Get in touch with host Jeff Meyer:
• Schedule a Discovery Call with Jeff: https://go.oncehub.com/DreamAcceleratorDiscoveryCall
Podcast production and show notes provided by FIRESIDE Marketing
