If you follow the world of crafts, you are likely to have heard about Folt Bolt by Kriszta Kemény. Her site is most probably one of the best resources of daily inspiration for handcrafts, painting and photography. It is important to know that Kriszta is not the kind of „influencer” that can often be seen on the internet. Everything posted on her site strictly reflects her own genuine taste and style. Even when she decides to promote something, you can be certain that she loves that. You will never find a hidden Prada bag advertisement on Folt Bolt just to earn money.
That is why I call her a curator (even if she has as many followers as Italy’s most famous influencer).
If you decide to become self-employed, you have to be persistent. In the beginning you have to handle the uncertainty of self-employment because nobody knows if your business will succeed. What was the moment when you felt that you have to continue because people love what you do?
I agree, being persistent is a skill that can help you to reach your goal. I think that the moment arrived when I was already able to say that no compromise should be made. Folt Bolt got many followers quickly, therefore artist and artisans soon asked me to advertise their work. I had to face difficulties when I said no because their artwork did not match Folt Bolt’s profile. Many of them were offended, and I had to learn how to handle this. Later the figures showed me quickly that I was right; I have to share the content I like. When I learned how to say no, I knew that I am on the right track.
How long did it take for your business to become profitable?
When I reached 200 K followers, which was a huge milestone, I decided to turn my passion for blogging into a career. Since I make and sell handicrafts too, I know what it means to be a self-employed artisan; this experience has led me to set reasonable prices. Luckily the value of my posts is higher than that of a Facebook advertisement. The reason is very simple; people know what they can expect when they come across my blog, while the poorly targeted Facebook ads can be annoying. On Folt Bolt I share coherently the content I like, which allows me to build trust with my readers.
One of the most important attributes of a successful entrepreneur is open-mindedness. However, being open-minded can be really tough sometimes. You have been living in Australia for many years. What major challenges and difficulties did you face in your job?
When I moved abroad I had to handle a number of negative and positive inputs. I grew up in Budapest surrounded by its extraordinary art scene what I really miss now. When I spend some time in Budapest I just can’t get enough of my hometown’s art cinemas, theatres etc…
Tell us about the positive side.
It’s incredibly easy to deal with bureaucracy. I had a limited partnership enterprise for 20 years in Hungary, which means 20 anxious periods of tax declaration. In Australia you need two things to file your taxes; internet connection and 3 minutes. And it’s over!
You attended art fairs years ago and know the online marketplaces as well. Which one do you prefer?
I reckon that communication is much easier when you sell at an art or craft fair. Shopping online can be difficult; my experience is that people don’t like ask questions online while you can easily have a chat at an art fair. Even if selling online has a number of advantages over selling by traditional methods, I prefer the well-organized, affordable art markets since I am very communicative.
You do a number of things; you are the writer of Folt Bolt, you are the maker of The secret garden by Kriszta Kemény, and a year ago you created an online marketplace (Folt Bolt Shop). Nowadays behind every successful blogger there’s a great crew. Who helps you?
Nobody, in fact. The biggest challenge was to create the online marketplace. I had to build a multivendor website with WordPress which is not a piece of cake! As you said, I work a lot, therefore my future plan is to set all my activities in order. I would like to keep up the good work on Facebook, Pinterest and on my blog but I need to optimize the Folt Bolt Shop and also have to pay more attention to my Instagram profile.
Good luck with it, Kriszta!
*The images of this article were featured on Folt Bolt’s Facebook page.
