Meet a Jane: Kristina Hahn Eleniak

Posted on August 12, 2009 - Filed Under Jane Thoughts, Meet a Jane, Merry Jane, Success Tips for Jane

kris_hahnKristina Hahn Eleniak is the owner of two home-based businesses. The first, Peacock & Lime, sells lampwork bead bracelets. Lampwork is a term used to describe glass beads made by melting glass with a torch and wrapping it around a metal rod. Her second business is Kristina Hahn Eleniak Photography, offering professional services for weddings, portraits & promo-shots for the last 15 years. She is also the co-owner of Graffiti custom picture framing.

Kristina originally chose to follow in the footsteps of her aunt who was a photographer. She attended the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Alberta, majoring in photography. She recently started Peacock & Lime to create one of a kind, “little wearable works of art” after receiving overwhelming response to bracelets made for her own personal use.

She started her own businesses for any reasons including the flexibility that it offers, being able to schedule her time around children and family life, to earn an income for something that she loved doing and to have a creative outlet for the things that she enjoys making. “I think the greatest reward has been meeting a lot of wonderful people as clients,” says Kristina, “but more importantly, having many of them have since become friends! But, also receiving the positive feedback that I have thus far, and knowing that I am on the right track with my ideas and creations, has certainly been rewarding, too.”

At the moment, Kristina considers herself a true Merry Jane after taking the Which Jane Are You? assessment. “Being a Merry Jane fits for both my photography and bracelet businesses as I am able to dictate my own hours and can offer flexibility to my clients based on their needs,” says Kristina.” I am fortunate to be a stay at home mom, working only while my children are in school, and having the time to spend with my family. It has been a perfect balance for our life right now. The only challenge I can foresee would be to be able to keep up with demand – one can only hope!” She advises other Merry Janes to, “Be open to adaptability and change, and also … perseverance.”

Kristina believes that she has been three other different Jane types; an Accidental Jane, a Tenacity Jane and a Go Jane Go. An Accidental Jane because most of the businesses she has been involved in “just sort of happened.” For example, Graffiti was “born” with two other partners when the business for which all three of them worked for previously closed due to bankruptcy. They used the skills and some equipment paid in lieu of wages to start the new company. Peacock & Lime grew out demand as, “I had not intended to create a business out of it,” Kristina says, “until I realized that others loved the colors and designs of the beads as much as I did.” Kristina developed from a Tenacity Jane to a Go Jane Go with Graffiti as, “We were having concerns over our cash flow at the time, and yet still decided to open a second business – an ice cream parlor and stand. We called the stand Ber-Zerk because we thought we were a little ‘crazy’ to open up a second business next door to the first one! Between the two businesses, we were spreading ourselves a little thin, but we wanted to please all of our loyal, regular customers by being open and available. It eventually took it’s toll, and we sold the ice cream business.”

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