Customer Story

Mona Patel: Mona Does Concrete

Background

Mona Does Concrete is a handmade houseware business based in Atlanta, Georgia. Mona Patel grew the business out of a hobby, making artistic pieces using leftover materials from her husband's countertop and furniture business. She didn't consider turning this hobby into a business until her first product, concrete cup coasters, sold well at a festival. Afterward, she started getting inquiries about selling them in stores. She soon expanded her product lines to planter pots, jewelry, and office decor.

"It's so rewarding to interact with customers—to have someone purchase something and come back later and say how much they love it, and to spread the word to other people."

Mona Patel

Founder, Mona Does Concrete

Problem

As Mona sought to transition from a hobby to a business, she felt overwhelmed by the idea of creating a traditional business plan. She assumed that she would have to labor over hand-writing dozens of pages of her own thoughts, including information about market research and financial projections that she wasn't sure if she could answer. The thought of creating a business plan was overwhelming enough that she had a hard time moving forward. But without a business plan, she felt as if her approach to running a business was reactive instead of proactive. She was constantly responding to the issues that were right in front of her, and couldn't plan far enough out to anticipate future challenges or opportunities.

Solution

LivePlan provided Mona with an accessible and affordable tool to create a business plan without the intimidation of a lengthy document. The software guided her through the plan writing process, helping her articulate her ideas quickly. Mona found it easier to put something down on the page and move forward without feeling stuck using LivePlan than she had on her own.

Outcome

Using LivePlan has given Mona greater clarity and insight, both into the current state of her business and her future goals. She can now more easily define the target audience for a product, determine which products are selling well, and make plans for scaling her business sustainably over time. Mona credits LivePlan with helping her think more strategically and with motivating her to strive for continued growth, including expanding her Etsy shop and potentially expanding into retail stores.