Recently, Spellbinders Paper Arts announced that their president, Stacey Caron, had received the 2012 Enterprising Women of the Year award from Enterprising Women magazine. This award recognizes highly successful, entrepreneurial women leading fast-growth companies who mentor or actively support other women and girls involved in business and are proven leaders in their communities.

We’re huge fans of Spellbinders! We reviewed and gave away a Spellbinders Grand Calibur and Presto Punch last spring, and we have tons of Spellbinders projects on FaveCrafts, such as the Best Coupon Organizer, the Spring Bloom Headband, and the Decorative Clutch Purse! And now, we have an exclusive interview with Stacey Caron, president of Spellbinders and winner of the 2012 Enterprising Women of the Year award. Here’s what she had to say:

1. When did you start crafting and what crafts do you enjoy doing the most for fun? I started making cards and stamping in the early ’90s.  After the birth of my first son I started scrapbooking. It is a great way to capture those wonderful family memories. Crafts I enjoy most: stamping & mixed media was always my first love.
2. What inspired the birth of Spellbinders in the beginning? I was teaching as well as crafting for fun and identified the need in the market for dies that cut, emboss & stencil as well as the need for a universal die cutting machine.  How did you come up with such a great idea?  Between my husband and me (he’s an engineer and tool & die maker and I’m a crafter), it was a perfect combination! We put our heads together and so it started!
3. As your company continues to grow, how do you determine what products to create? How influential are your customers or other crafters? As we grow it’s ever more important to keep our ear to the ground and listen to our customers. We use our social media channels to be in constant communication with our crafters as well as formal surveys to ask questions and listen to their input & ideas. They buy our product, they use our product, they know our product – the consumer’s voice is very important to us.
4. Where do you find inspiration?  I find inspiration everywhere & anywhere, in every aspect of my life. I also love working with other great designers & artists – it’s such a great inspiration to see how others create.
5. What sorts of ways do you get involved with community service and mentoring? There must be plenty of women in that line of people trying to get some of that Stacey Caron wisdom! (and how do I get in that line?) Giving back and sharing what I’ve learned has always been important to me. I’ve enjoyed opportunities to work with local schools and organizations as well as traveling further afield to Haiti to bring the joy of crafting to people whose lives are filled with struggle and little opportunity for leisure activities. We were also able to donate crafting products to the people of Joplin when disaster struck last year.
6. Who was your role model or mentor?  Design icons Julie McGuffee & Jean Kievlan were key in my personal growth & learning at the start. Other inspirational women include my friends Melody Ross and Julianna Hudgins.
7. What are the biggest challenges of running your company?  Coming to the realization that I can’t do it all by myself and learning to trust others to help my company grow. Getting the right people on the bus!  Biggest rewards? Seeing crafters all over the world love & use Spellbinders products and embrace us as an industry leader!
8. What advice do you have for women who want to launch their own product line in the craft industry? Identify your passion, know that you will need perseverance & build your dreams with purpose!
9. What new product that was launched at CHA Winter are you most excited about? We just loved the new M-Bossabilities! I love them all but the M-Bossabilities were a real winner! Two designs, twice the value. you can’t get better than that. Oh! And I have a particular passion for Accents & Motifs! Just a personal favorite!
10. What’s next for Spellbinders? Any super secret information you can share with our readers?  INNOVATION, INNOVATION, INNOVATION! Along with an exciting partnership…watch this space! It’s going to be great!