The team here at GenPink is all about empowering women to share the brighter side of life. We thought it would be fun to start a new series where we spotlight inspiring ladies from all walks of life!
So let’s give a warm welcome to today’s GenPink interviewee, Katy Sensenig Schilthuis
Katy founded Fresh Out of Ink, a stationery company, in 2016 and followed her dreams and started Mosaic Makers Co in 2018. She hand-sketches greeting cards, builds community, and helps small businesses find success at work. In her free time, she loves time with her husband, two cats – Queso and Calamari, friends, and family.
In your own words, what is Mosaic Makers Collective?
Mosaic is a retail collective in the Bishop Arts District, that currently touts over 65 Texas-based female makers. We sell everything from tees and sweatshirts, to home goods, to jewelry, to cards, and more. Mosaic Makers Collective opened its doors on May 1, 2018 – and was born out of a need for community. Being a creative entrepreneur is both fun and challenging – and I, Katy, was looking for a way to gather like-minded makers to form friendships, to combat the isolation that often comes from working from home. So, the shop was born!
What can we find at the shop?
We like to think of our shop as a one-stop go-to for gifting! We have cards and gifts galore for the modern woman. Find boho-chic decor and jewelry, amazing canvases and art prints, fun girl-power tees and tanks, gifts for kiddos, and more. We also offer online workshops and creative classes, which we’ve ramped us since COVID-19 hit, in an attempt to cultivate the community we have with our customers. And as always, we’re open for shopping 24/7 online at mosaicmakers.co.
How has your life experience made you the person you are today?
I’ve always been an extrovert and someone who really values tightly-knit relationships – and also, super creative. I think the combination of the two, paired with starting my own stationery company in 2016, taught me to look for what many female entrepreneurs look for: community. We’re not meant to do this alone – which was something I attempted to do for a couple of years. I learned quickly that we are meant for support, friendships, encouragement, and advice along the way – realizing the importance of those things really led me to open the shop and start this community.
Tell us about your new charity box.
We have a new subscription box coming this Fall – and we couldn’t be more excited to #giveback to breast cancer research and awareness with this one. The Pink Box is full of goodies celebrating self-love, care, and the color pink: $99 for $170+ in product, all handmade, all local, all female-owned businesses. AND the best part?! $30 of each box goes back to charity! With this box, we’ll be supporting two Texas favorites: Mammogram Poster Girls Inc., local to Oak Cliff – like Mosaic Makers Collective, and The Breasties in Austin, TX. Treat yourself – or send this box to someone undergoing treatment as a pick-me-up. The choice is yours!
What book or podcast is on your list?
Reading: Radical Candor (on leading in small biz)
Podcast: Proof to Product, by Katie Hunt (full of amazing small biz resources!)
What advice would you give to women who are also entrepreneurs?
Keep pushing through. Being an entrepreneur is hard work, requires a lot of hustle. But the knowledge and experience you gain in incomparable to anything else – and the relationships you develop along the way are SO worthwhile.
