Small Business Creating Artistic Solutions

I'm Lis, an artist from Canada. I created The Haberdasheress three years ago, combining my love of medieval costume with a willingness to use new technology to solve old problems.

I've seen some really promising success with this work. My Etsy shop now has over 100 listings, and has made over 1,000 sales, with an average customer review of 4.9 out of 5. I'm continuing to develop new products all the time.

This business's success changes a lot in my life. I have ADHD and fibromyalgia, which only give me a few productive hours a day if I'm lucky. Because of them, I had to leave my dream job in mental health in 2021. I receive a small government benefit amount that covers rent and utilities, but additional income gives me the ability to cover other treatments like therapy with a psychologist, massage therapy, physiotherapy, and mobility devices.

As a Canadian running a small business, 2025 has been an extremely rocky year for me. 90% of my customers live in the USA, and I've had to struggle with constant uncertainty and chaos about what kinds of barriers my customers will have in getting their orders. Canada Post, our national mail carrier, has struggled to negotiate with its workers' unions, leading to a lot of uncertainty about how I should package and send my orders throughout the world.

I'm asking for help to keep this business afloat as I struggle to keep going, to keep the lights on as I juggle administation, research and design, manufacturing and shipping orders, and marketing my work. Any help is deeply appreciated.