"Appreciating the simple things, staying true to yourself and doing things from the heart" is what keeps Sanne continually inspired.
Can you introduce yourself in a few lines?
My name is Sanne Hop, I'm 41 and I live in the Netherlands.
I'm the mother of four children. I have two sons, Ole who is almost 13 and Hannes who is 10.
I also have two daughters, Pippa, 8 and Kaatje, 5.
We live in Amsterdam, where my husband and I both work, and where our children attend a very nice school.
How did you come up with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur?
To be honest, it wasn't really planned. A long time ago, we decided that I would stay at home with our four children, to give us some peace and quiet in our daily lives. It worked out very well, and both my children and I enjoyed it for years. I was there for them after school, to listen to their stories, play with them and just be together.
I had a love for aesthetics and photography for a while, and developed a love for sharing on Instagram while spending my days at home. I've "met" some great people there. Other mothers, creators and enthusiasts of all kinds.
A committed community began to develop. As the years went by, my contacts with many small designers developed into warm and friendly relationships (online and offline).
That's when the idea began to germinate within me to unite them into one website, where I would give them the attention they deserved and offer some of their products in a store. I created Atelier Hop.
I've been slowly working on it for two years, and launched my website last December. Just before Christmas, we had the most festive start I could have dreamed of.
How do you reconcile your life as a mother with the pace of life as an entrepreneur?
Since I now also have a "real" store in Amsterdam, next to my online store, it's still a challenge. I just opened a week ago, so everything's pretty new.
As a family, we're looking for a new rhythm, where my husband helps out more, and the older children are a bit more helpful and independent. We're still in the thick of it at the moment, so it's taking us all a while to adjust.
Sometimes I pick the kids up from school and take them to the store, and so far they seem to like it! On Saturdays, I work in the store, and my eldest has asked to help me these days.
I think what's important for us is to stay connected, talk to each other and find solutions to challenges. It's not always easy, but for me it helps not to have my work at home, and when I'm there I can really give them time and attention.
What are the little things that bring you joy and inspiration on a daily basis?
There's so much of it! Fortunately, my parents taught me at a young age to appreciate the simple things. Putting little notes in my luncbox, preparing food with a little more care or simply noticing things on our walks around town.
I'm so happy to share this now with my own children. Inspiration really can come from anything. The flowers we pass on the way to our school, and if we have a bit more time, we cross the park and walk around a bit. I hope their eyes will also learn to really see and appreciate the love and care in the little things. It's an inspiration for me every day, watching them grow in this area.
The children also bring lots of little gifts and creations, which sometimes make me cry, because of the love, lots of love, and the time they put into it. I love it when they write me little messages somewhere for me to find, or make me surprise drawings over the weekend.
We all share a great love of books of all kinds, and at the moment I'm reading a lot about embroidery and other small crafts with textiles. This inspires me every day to create my own little creations. And seeing someone's happiness when they receive something homemade is really the best feeling for me.
Handmade products are a great daily inspiration. I love it when people reuse materials too. Giving things a new life so they can be reused in everyday life, isn't that the most beautiful thing?
A word to those who want to get started?
I think staying true to yourself and what you're really passionate about is the best thing you can do. If what you do comes from the heart, it shows.
And working slowly and thoughtfully has worked well for me. My priority has always been my family, and it still is, but slowly I'm getting a bit more time for my own projects now. As a result, I'm also growing and it feels good.
And alongside that, accepting that not everything can or should be perfect.
I put a lot of time and thought into my website and I'm glad I made the decision to take all the product photos myself. It creates a harmony of color and atmosphere that I feel. But of course, there are also many things that could be or would work better.
But I'm learning along the way, and accepting that it's ok is really a big part of the process.
