Sheena McKeon is no shrinking violet. In order to establish her textile design business three years ago, she had to knock on doors and go to businesses with her portfolio in order to make contacts and follow up leads on prospective customers. It was a case of unwrapping the layers of velvets, silks and wools and showing the designs.

"You must be able to convince them that your work will bring in money. They don't have the confidence in someone fresh from college. It's important not to take it personally."

It's not easy creating a business from scratch. "It was horrific," she recalls. Though a designer, she had to learn how to operate in a business world. "You have to be able to accept rejection," she explains.

Today she is in big demand, supplying design products to architects, interior designers and a range of corporate companies. She's just back from the Point in Dublin, where she had a stand at the Beyond the Hall Door Exhibition. "Every job is different, that's what I really enjoy about it. Each commission has a different set of criteria. I have to be able to cater to different tastes. I keep my own theme and style but I still have to meet my brief, and to be able to deliver on time - that's a huge aspect of it. And balance the books."

"Eventually I started getting products into different outlets," she says. "The initial problems start to iron out - but then you have new ones.

"You have to be really happy with your business to enjoy it. I enjoy dealing with people. I love colour and colour design. You have to be sure that what you are going into is what you want to do."

She's currently based in Kilkenny city centre, developing her own designs, selling her work, working on special commissions and exhibiting.

Having graduated from the National College of Art and Design in 1997 with a degree in textile design, she was one of nine young graduates to take part in a Crafts Council of Ireland business development programme. This 18-month programme focused on developing business and marketing skills. Other graduates on the course were in fashion-related areas such as furniture-making, jewellery design, rug-making and fine art. "It was full-time," she says. "They gave us a studio space. We had an accountant on hand and different marketing specialists. We were learning the business but with a safety net, and a mentor on tap who could see other angles that we couldn't. And we can question their advice.

"We ran our businesses from Kilkenny. The first month, we each developed a prototype." Then it was time to "go out and sell", she recalls.

She has designed fashion and interior accessories, including scarves, bags, cushions and wraps. She took part in an exhibition in Long Island in New York, which showcased "The Cream of Irish" design. It was one of her first shows. She also took part in an exhibition in the RDS when she was on the business programme in Kilkenny.

McKeon's textiles were largely "velvet with etched patterns and embroidered" using silk and wool. Before she completed her course in Kilkenny, she spent two weeks in Habitat's design studio in London. "I wanted to see how they operated and to find out how a contemporary workshop was run and how they went about designing their products.

"Being self-employed is difficult, even after two years."

The key, she says, is to be sure about what you want to do.