By Stefanie Van Wyk
In December 2013, when Ryan and Dana McFarland moved into their new home in the Northridge Estates development in Sully, a dream was born.
“I’ve really always said I’m not a creative person,” Dana said. “When we moved into our house, I started following several do-it-yourself (DIY) and home decor pages on Instagram. I was trying to decorate our new home, but things cost a fortune! I wanted to be able to create things for myself and for others on a budget that people could afford. We prayed about it, thought it was crazy, but we also felt like it was something we were supposed to do so we went for it!”
Ryan McFarland runs material through his table saw for a customer’s project.
Dana posted her inaugural DIY project on Facebook last July, and the response was both overwhelming and exciting.
“My first project was a set of wooden Iowa tiles with the state of Iowa forming the ‘O,’ and I couldn’t believe people actually wanted to buy them from me!” exclaimed Dana. “I sold two sets within a half an hour of posting them on Facebook, and things just took off from there. It was like confirmation that we were doing the right thing.”
The couple’s home-based business is aptly named “FaithInspired5,” as it was “purely a leap of faith” that spurred them to dive into this business. The “5” comes from the number in their family. Dana described the couple’s new business and some of their best-selling items.
“Ryan and I tag team the business, so he cuts and does most of the sanding, and I stain and finish everything off,” Dana explained. “We create custom hand-painted signs made out of wood; a lot of the signs are made out of old pallets.”
A FaithInspirted5 state of Iowa cut out.
They have an Etsy website that lists their standard signs, but they do a ton of custom signs as well. “We have done several established family signs for wedding and anniversary gifts and new baby stat signs,” Dana said. “Rustic weddings are trending now, and we have created signs for two weddings coming up this spring and summer. Our most popular seller is our ‘Drink Local’ bottle opener, and we sell a lot of our rustic wooden arrows. We recently started doing small furniture pieces, and so far we have done a couple of console tables and an entryway bench.”
As with any new venture, the McFarlands are learning several lessons along the way.
“When we first started the business, there was a huge learning curve, for sure,” Dana said. “The thing about creating is nothing is ever concrete, so things don’t always turn out the way you envision them. Sometimes the grain of the wood takes on a different look than you’re expecting, or the wood is wet so the stain doesn’t dry as quickly as you think it might. I had to learn you just need to figure in extra time for most projects to account for the things that don’t go as planned.”
In addition to their creative business, the couple also has day jobs. Dana works as an account manager at The Identity Group, and Ryan works as an IT administrator at Lely, both in Pella. The McFarlands also have a busy, young family, which includes their son Kinnick, eighth grade, and daughters Reagan, sixth grade, and Carsyn, fourth grade (all at Lynnville-Sully). It is not surprising, then, that time management has posed another challenge.
A set of finished arrows ready to be shipped out.
“We both work outside the home during the week, and we are coming into a really busy season with junior high track and three kids playing in five different baseball/softball leagues,” Dana said. “Time management hasn’t always been my strong suit because I try to take on too much and don’t have enough time to meet deadlines. I hate to tell customers they have to wait, so not overextending myself and promising things I can’t physically accomplish, can be challenging at times.”
With FaithInspired5 having an active presence online on Etsy and Instagram, the McFarlands have shipped their custom products to an impressive 28 states in the U.S. They offer local pick up, however, so a majority of their customers are within a 30-mile radius. Being a local business is important to the couple.
“It’s crazy how many people I have met or just built new relationships with through this business,” Dana said. “When you’re from a small community, you think you know people pretty well, but I have loved getting to know new people. We also love being able to give back. We have been able to donate a handful of pieces for local fundraisers/benefits, and it feels great to be able to give in that way.”
Dana elaborated on the rewards of giving back.
“We created a custom sign with song lyrics for a fundraiser/benefit for a family in Montezuma, and the sign actually brought $600 in the silent auction,” shared Dana. “I’m still in awe that people are willing to pay for my stuff, so the fact that someone paid $600 was unreal to me. It was incredibly humbling to be able to give in such a meaningful way to that family.”
Keeping the creative process contained to their garage/shop has posed its difficulties, and Dana described the struggle.
“I never imagined we would be having growing pains nine months into the business, but I actually never imagined we would sell anything!” Dana said, laughing. “We get a lot of dust tracked into our home because we are cutting and sanding in the garage, which drives me crazy sometimes. We’ve talked about adding a stall to our garage with a door in between to keep the dust out of the main part of the garage, but that would be quite a ways down the road.”
Speaking of the future, the couple is thinking big.
“Custom orders take up a lot of our time, but we want to dive into some larger furniture pieces,” shared Dana. “We are working on a design for a pallet bed, so that’s a big project I’m looking forward to.”
With Mother’s and Father’s Day right around the corner, Dana added that their “established” family signs would make great custom gifts. If interested in ordering one of these signs, the couple appreciates a two-week notice. FaithInspired5 gift certificates are also a great idea for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list.
To learn more about the McFarlands’ business, view their available products, or simply gather home decor inspiration, the couple encourages readers to follow FaithInspired5 on Instagram or visit their Etsy page.
Business Spotlight: FaithInspired5
Owners: Ryan and Dana McFarland
Find them on Instagram and Etsy: FaithInspired5 (enter as one word)
Email: faithinspired5@gmail.com
