Krista LeRay, founder and CEO of Penny Linn Designs, has transformed a personal needlepoint hobby into a business generating over £10 million in sales. The company, which specialises in painting and selling modern needlepoint canvases, grew from a blog LeRay started while working for Major League Baseball after her 2013 graduation.
The pivotal moment came in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. With extra time, LeRay painted her own canvas—a green Ralph's Coffee cup—and shared it with her blog followers. Their requests for custom canvases sparked the official launch of Penny Linn Designs. By 2022, the venture's revenue matched that of her decade-long blogging career.
From Corporate Job to Full-Time Entrepreneur
LeRay's entrepreneurial journey began alongside her corporate role. "Eventually, I started making more money from my blog than at my corporate job," she stated, leading her to blog full-time. This experience, she says, equipped her with a thick skin essential for business ownership, developed through handling online criticism.
She employs a specific strategy for critique: a 24-hour rule. "I try not to read things about myself online, but if I do, I always ask whether the comment is valid," LeRay explained. Invalid comments are dismissed; valid ones are given a day's consideration before she decides to act or move on.
Strategic Business Decisions and Future Vision
LeRay makes deliberate choices to maintain quality and focus. A key decision is not offering finishing services for completed needlepoint projects. "I don't want to provide a product that isn't up to my standards," she affirmed, acknowledging this stance sometimes frustrates customers but is right for the brand.
She also prioritises hiring experts in areas like accounting and law, seeking people "smarter than me" to guide the company. The product range currently focuses on smaller, beginner-friendly canvases, aligning with her philosophy that "Penny Linn is for a stitcher by a stitcher."
Looking ahead, LeRay acknowledges concerns about the hobby's enduring popularity but remains confident. "Once you're a needlepointer, you're one for life," she said, planning to introduce larger projects as her customer base advances. The company's evolution will continue to be driven by her personal passion as a stitcher.