How I Turned My Home Into My Hustle

When starting up her business, Morris had to make a few small financial investments to get everything started. "For example, I acquired and styled products from companies with which I wanted to work," she said. "It was a win-win. I outfitted our Cottage, while crafting and sharing natural imagery and stories that garnered attention from the brands and makers behind the home goods I loved."

"I also hosted photoshoots without compensation (and in lieu of working on paid projects). Doing this at the onset of launching the Cottage 'brand' helped me gauge what worked well, versus what fell flat on camera," says Morris.

"The biggest risk thus far has been declining lucrative and trending partnerships that don’t align with our home/lifestyle philosophy," she shared. "By saying no, I run the risk of financial troubles for my business and family. But I feel like staying on-message makes us stronger, trustworthy, and more cohesive. Hopefully this is the right decision in the long run. We shall see…"