 While it’s true that every picture tells a story, Patricia Pinkney felt passionate about discovering beautiful people, places and objects from around the world and finding a way to share the experience with others. It just took longer than she thought it would.
Just through the sound of her voice you know that Pinkney loves what she does. Perhaps it’s because she’s combined two of her favourite things—travelling and shopping—to create Pangea Collection, an online collection of fashion accessories from around the world that are as unique as the artisans who create them.
What’s in a name?
Fuelled by her passion for beautifully designed jewellery from around the world, Pinkney decided to take a break from her work in marketing and communications and create a business that she could truly call her own.
But what to call it proved to be one of her biggest challenges. Pinkney wanted a word or phrase that could reflect her idea and have something that could work online as well. “I felt stuck—that without a name I couldn’t do anything else because that was going to be the driving-off point for how my brand identity would look,” she says.
It was a lot of pressure to be under but surely she had already come up with some great names on her own, right? Not really. While the entrepreneur confesses that she doesn’t feel that she’s creative, she does admit to being very resourceful.
Putting the word out to former colleagues, Pinkney ended up working with a freelance writer who took her lengthy briefing document and description of her company, and provided several lists of names. One of the first was Pangea—a name Pinkney initially rejected.
“Now, in retrospect, I think, “What, was I crazy?” I was quite distraught over the name because for me that was a very, very important piece of the puzzle and I wanted it to be perfect,” she says. However, Pinkney’s need for a perfect name was holding up all the other aspects of her business. So she and her husband sat down one night with all the names the writer proposed and reviewed them carefully to make a final decision for once and for all. “My husband said, “Pangea. Why don’t you like that name? It’s fabulous.” And I went, “Yeah, you know what, it is.”
Part of her initial reluctance stemmed from her feeling that people might not know what the word meant. Pangea was the name given to the super continent that used to exist before it separated to form the world’s seven continents. It’s also spelled two ways and is the name of a popular restaurant on Bay Street in Toronto. “I get calls from people wanting to make reservations,” Pinkney says with a laugh.
 Working around limited resources
Despite finally having a name that reflected her company, Pinkney soon discovered that moving from the corporate world to a party of one meant even fewer resources were at her disposal. “Not only do you have to be master of all trades, but you also have to be very selective in how you spend your money,” she says.
Still, she doesn’t regret the process or the lessons she’s learned along the way. While she felt that she had spent a lot of time researching the development of ecommerce sites, most of the do-it-yourself options didn’t meet her expectations.
“Everything I was reading about starting a website said “Oh, there’s shopping carts available that you can easily do on your own,” so I had this impression that click, click—and I would have my website up and everything would be great.” It wasn’t.
Her goal of creating a quality online experience meant that she needed to think carefully about how the website worked on all levels. The photography needed to reflect the culture of the area of the world it came from, so “mounting the pieces on plastic” just wouldn’t do. “That meant I had to use a photographer; that meant I couldn’t use the standard shopping cart that was available,” she says.
The efforts have paid off and Pinkney has a website that works on all levels—and she has more understanding of how the Internet works than she thought possible.
Tine vs. money
Going from a work environment where everything was at her disposal to having to source everything herself also added to her timelines. “I had expected to have my site live in January and it ended up happening in mid-April,” Pinkney says.
Another challenge she faces is not being able to afford to delegate the things she’d like to. It’s a common problem for a lot of women entrepreneurs and can be a barrier to business growth because owners are treading water in too many ponds. Pinkney understands that, for now, it will just take a little longer for her to get things done.
“That’s just the reality. I know that I’m doing everything for the first time from setting up my accounting system to dealing with Canada Customs for the items I’m importing. Everything is a first-time learning experience.” Luckily she’s been a quick study and can list the tariff rates from the countries she imports from—Kenya’s is 5-1/2%.
One element that she doesn’t find taxing at all is sharing the beautiful pieces she’s discovered and their origins with her customers. Her website is designed as a virtual vacation: the collection can be explored by the regions from where the fashion accessories are crafted. All in all, it’s a delightful, ongoing story.
About Pangea Collection
Pangea Collection is online store that showcases distinctive, handcrafted fashion accessories from around the world. This intriguing website reflects owner Patricia Pinkney’s love of the people and cultures she has visited. A visitor’s online experience is enhanced by the rich details about a living culture: stories that can be shared with friends as part of the joy of wearing these exquisitely handcrafted accessories. Visit the site today at www.pangea-collection.com
Wherever possible Pangea Collection is committed to working with Fair Trade organizations and small independent artisans around the globe. This business philosophy guides the company’s buying practices and supplier selection.
Win an Amber Bracelet from Pangea Collection
Multi-coloured amber pieces mounted on Sterling Silver. $100 value.
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