Keep Your Head In The Clouds With Ericka Axelsson
Turning Cloud Making Into a Successful Venture
Meet Cherokee’s own Chief Cloud Maker Ericka Axelsson. Ericka has always had her head in the clouds, a trait that not only helped her get through the COVID-19 pandemic but led her to create The Cloud Makers, an innovative venture designed to bring joy to your watering routine.
“During COVID, I was home with my husband, two teenagers, lots of plants and a 3-D printer,” said Axelsson. “Making things was a way to keep my sanity.”
Ericka had plenty of time to play with her creativity, drawing inspiration from her daughter’s cloudlike bedroom décor. “[Clouds] were a decoration in my daughter’s bedroom first, but it was a design I liked and wanted to do more with,” said Axelsson. “One day I was watering my plants and inspiration hit.”
With the extra time on her hands, Ericka set out to “make it rain” on her plants. “I designed these watering clouds and started making them on my 3-D printer at home,” said Axelsson. “Each cloud took eight hours to print, plus we had to hand clean and test each one.”
Each cloud can be inserted into a potted plant or garden to slowly water plants with joyful dripping water like gentle rain. Clouds can be customized with charms and accessories to further personalize each cloud experience.
“We want to Bring Joy to Your Watering Routine,” said Axelsson. “I have been making these for about three years now, and I still smile every time I water my plants with a rain cloud.”
Once Ericka perfected her cloud making technique, she posted the product to Etsy. “People bought it, shared videos of it doing its thing and it grew through word of mouth,” said Axelsson.
The joyful clouds soon made their way around social media, going viral after a post by crafting influencer Crafty Mornings in 2022. “They reached out and were like ‘We’ve reached one million views, I hope that’s okay,’” said Axelsson. “All of the sudden people were asking me if I had a waitlist – I had so many orders. It really came out of the blue.” The Cloud Makers were reaching new heights.
“We got up to ten 3-D printers and had made over 3,500 clouds on our own when we made the move to injection molding,” said Axelsson. “We’re a certified Made in Georgia product and plan to stay that way, so we found a small business up in Gainesville, Georgia that helped us make the move into manufacturing. They injection mold all our clouds today.”
Today, there are over 100 small plant shops around the country selling The Cloud Makers clouds, but they’re not done growing yet. “We’re moving into wholesale to continue to expand,” said Axelsson. “I would love to get to the point where I get to focus on making and designing new products instead of personally selling them. Designing and creating new charms is one of the parts I enjoy most about running my business.”
The Cloud Makers just received their first design patent in April and are waiting on a utility patent as well.
You can visit The Cloud Makers at Made Mercantile, a collaborative cowork space for retail makers in the heart of Downtown Woodstock, operated by the Woodstock Downtown Development Authority. “I would not have had the retail experience without Made Mercantile,” said Axelsson. “It is a whole new world, moving from an online product into the real world. Having a place where I can learn from other small businesses, see my product in a retail setting and talk to customers personally has helped me learn a lot about how to be successful.”
Ericka was also part of the inaugural LaunchPad Bootcamp Series through the Cherokee Office of Economic Development’s Fresh Start Cherokee initiative. “I was able to take part in the LaunchPad program earlier this year, right as I was moving into wholesale. It was excellent timing for me to learn new skills and new ways to think about my business,” said Axelsson.
The Cloud Makers are proud to call Cherokee home. “I like to say I started my business backwards – I had a successful product and then I started a business. There was a lot of luck in timing and momentum, but also in location,” said Axelsson. “Cherokee County is an awesome place to live and do business. Living someplace that supports small business is a huge benefit to someone starting out.”
Bring joy to your everyday life, visit The Cloud Makers at 8636 Main St, Woodstock Georgia or learn more at thecloudmakers.com.