“My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

Kate Sprout is the owner and technician of Alaska Sewing Machine Repair in Anchorage, Alaska.

Sprout opened her business in 2022 shortly after quitting her job. While starting a new business can be expensive, Sprout was able to save on some of her startup costs by buying used equipment from a local repair shop that had gone out of business.

And lately, business has been great. On average, Sprout can work on up to 10 machines in a week. “I’ve had to slow down my sales and my marketing because I need to make sure that there’s not a huge wait time for each machine,” said Sprout.

Sprout’s lifestyle has changed a lot since opening her business. While she says she’s making less than half of what she used to make in her corporate job, her decision to switch careers has been “worth every bit of sacrifice.”

Click the audio player above to hear the rest of Sprout’s story.