Miller’s creative talent
IN a world where juggling parenthood and entrepreneurship can seem like an impossible feat, one remarkable mother defies the odds by seamlessly balancing the demands of stay-at-home parenting with the challenges of running a successful business on the side.
Meet 30-year-old Mereani Miller who hails from Vunitologoa, Rakiraki, and she currently runs “Made by Ani”, a business that mainly focuses on making handmade earrings — ranging from wire wrapped, beaded beads and recently crochet while being a stay-athome mum.
Ms Miller runs her business from the comfort of her home in Korovou and it had started on June, 2021.
“I liked wire wrapping and I started off using copper wire from the electrical wires when I made my first wire wrapped earrings collection. I did some research, if copper wires were safe — and so far I haven’t received a single complaint about it from my customers.”
Ms Miller recalled the afternoon at her home while being on her annual two week leave from Vodafone when it was announced that the whole of Fiji would be on lockdown.
A part of her wanted to quit her job and stay at home with her son while the other part of her wasn’t ready to give up her career especially when there were a lot of people who had been laid off from their jobs and she was giving up her job just like that.
“However, my why — which was my son, who was five years old then, was why I had to resign during that time.”
Ms Miller stated it was a love for earrings that pushed her to start her business so she learned how to make earrings from video tutorials online.
“Usually I would decide on what to make, check if I have the supplies to make the product in mind. To start with the product, I would do some research on how it’s done online through videos from YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram. Then I’ll start making earrings and test out how can I do it better. For wire wrapping and crochet, it normally takes an hour to make a pair depending on the style and size.”
Ms Miller emphasised since she has two children now with the youngest being nine months old, she works on making earrings either late night from 9 or 10pm until 1am or early morning and her husband helps on his days off by looking after their children so she gets extra time to work on her earrings.
It hasn’t been an easy journey for her as when she first started her business, from COVID travel restrictions to difficulty of gaining trust and popularity.
“On top of it all, running a small business while also being a full time mum is by no means easy. I have to look after my son who was five year’s old then, while my husband goes to work. Some days feels overwhelming and completely impossible. But I am thankful to God that I am able to add to our income while my son sleeps.”
Ms Miller said she was grateful for the support of her family and friends who kept motivating her to keep going.
Made by Ani page can be found on Facebook and Instagram.
It can also be found at the Women Entrepreneurs Market in Nadi on the first Saturday of every month.