Or, One Year of Learning, Growing, Changing, Improving, Trying, Testing, Playing, Reflecting, Doubting, Celebrating....
As I reach the one year anniversary of making things for a living and running a business based solely on what I can produce with my own two hands, mind and heart - I thought it would be really nice to reflect on what I have learned so far and to share it with you! This isn't a tutorial or guide on how to start or run a business. This isn't a list of tips on how to blog or how to manage a shop on Etsy. This is a story of experiences based on trial-and-error in which I am becoming an open book for you to peek more in depth into this little world of dream-following.
I do not create a schedule for my day.
I will never, ever stick to it. I have tried, not only at the very beginning, but sporadically throughout the year. I occasionally think that creating a schedule will guide me into being really productive in getting a set list of things done. Wrong! It usually just pulls me out of my productive moments in order to check my schedule and see what I should be doing and how far along/behind I am in my day. It usually made me feel like I was failing all day. That is so bad!!
I have found that what works for me are priority and goal lists.
These extend beyond a "one day deadline". I know what I need to get done in the near future (sometimes with and sometimes without specific date deadlines) without creating too much structure in my day. Think of it like a To-Do List Buffet in which I can pick and choose what I'm going to do next depending on my mood or the time of day or the priority of the task. This has slowly taken me into a new mindset of productivity that is away from the norm and away from what I was used to. When working in the corporate design world where productivity was based on working 9am to 8pm and the days/weeks/months were very time sensitive, structured and fast paced - I had to break free from that world and create my own and learn to accept that mine can be equally as productive.
Allow for experimentation!
It's not necessary to always plan and brainstorm and wait until a product is absolutely perfect and proven in order to show it to the world. Try it out and move on if it doesn't work. The advantage that a little one-person business has over a huge corporation is that the little guy is working with low overhead and is quick to produce and reveal a new idea! I can think of something, make it in a couple days and put it into the shop. Even Forever 21 can't move that fast. I can also modify the product and re-release it a couple days later without having to call China and cancel the million dollar order we just placed on a product that has already changed. That stuff happens!
I experimented with putting photography prints in the shop. In fact, photos were the first things I put into the shop! I had many people close to me tell me that I should "totally sell photography" because they loved my photos. It was great that they encouraged and supported me (vocally)! I tried it out and sold 4 photos (in a 4 month time period) before eventually taking them out of the shop. I also experimented with turning my excess felt into little hearts (for my packaging) and thought that it might be fun as confetti. I put it into the shop to test it out which just happened to be right before Valentine's Day. I admit that was not intentional but it was a great accident. I sold 26 bags of confetti in 3 months! Experiments fail and experiments win!
Branding is hard.
I am not a graphic designer nor a marketer. I understand the concept and importance of branding but I also struggle with nailing it down when it comes to my OWN brand. It's hard to decide and hard to commit. It is ideal to outsource your weaknesses but not always possible with a budget of $0 for anything but the bare necessities (supplies, packaging, fees). I've had to wear all the hats, even the ones that do not fit so well. I groan and struggle through the things that are more difficult because I know that it would be done better by someone else, but I keep pushing to do it myself for right now, knowing it will be an exciting day when I can pay to have it taken off my plate.
It feels really good to sell something that I made!
Each and every time! There's a fulfilling moment and a feeling of gratitude that happens when someone wants to pay me for something that I've created with my own two hands. That is the part of the job that most creative people are always searching for in their work and always find it falls short when they're in the corporate world - even if it is a design job. When you buy something from me, I thank you and I love you for supporting me, my family and my dream.
Packaging orders is way more fun than I had anticipated.
I spend time and love on each one (because of that whole gratitude feeling I mentioned above!). It is like giving a gift that you are really excited to give! It is also another chanel in which to express creativity, reflect branding and show gratitude!
Simplicity is the key to photographing products.
Although decorative and elaborate photo shoots can be fun and even very illustrative in showing off your product in an appropriate setting, they can be distracting. When dealing with Etsy, plain white background shots get you into more treasuries which get you onto the Front Page which gets you more "hearts" and more sales! Srsly. Truth. To show off your product in a setting, use the photo on your blog and in the alternate Etsy photos. For the main photo - keep it simple and keep it clean!
If something sells right away - dude - do it again.
I was obsessed with the idea of trying out aqua and red flowers and so I finally put them into the shop without worrying about what kind of room they would match or who-would-use-them-how. I just thought they'd have a wow factor. They sold the same day! So I took that as a hint to try stepping out of the box with the Wallflowers a bit more and released more fun poppy color options. They all sold! Which reminds me, I need to make some more, don't I?
If it doesn't work, take it out of the shop.
It's distracting to have something in your shop that doesn't gel well with the other items. Remember when I said I had photography in my shop? The photos sitting in the shop next to the 3D Wallflowers and the embroideries and other handmades just didn't look right and weren't selling anyway so I just took them all out, accepted that it didn't work, and moved away from that idea forever. I also had Chain Mail in the shop which I love for the Saloon but it doesn't sell, at all, ever. Not every passion has to be in the shop. It's okay to try things but it's also okay to be smart enough to know when to edit things down.
Custom orders are the backbone of my business.
Not only are the custom orders the main source of income for my business but they are also the best source of inspiration and product expansion! I totally NEVER expected this when I started! I assumed I'd do a random custom order here and there, just changing the color of something for someone so it could match their living room, or something. Custom orders have been so much more than that!
- Beth asked me for Wallflowers that were bigger than what I normally make and it was the first time that I had ever tried, or even considered, making them any bigger than they were. I now almost always make them in this size!
- Jennifer asked for flowers that were even bigger than the bigger ones that Beth asked for. Even though I wasn't sure they'd work in a size that huge, I told her I would give it a try first and I ended up really loving them too!
- Misty asked for vines, so I tried making vines. I don't want to offer them in the shop because of the complexity and awkward making process that they involve, but I love that she pushed me to try something new!
- Robyn asked for little Wallflowers in her wedding bouquets and it was a total "OMG DUH" moment for me because I wondered why I hadn't tried it yet!
Being open to the ideas of others can be really beneficial as long as you filter them into your business in a way that you feel is still "you".
Reach out and find new sources for customers.
I had a really slow September and started to feel desperate. I went onto Alchemy to see if there were any requests for things that I felt were within my skill range. I found people asking for a few things I thought I could do and bid on them. This resulted in a really good October/November!
- I redesigned a blog.
- I did a bunch of digital sketches for another small business owner that was expanding and needed some help.
- I also embroidered wedding vows for Wendy & Justin.
Not only were those great experiences, but having Wendy's vows in my portfolio has lead to Eric & Audrey's wedding vows and also another one in the works! New product that I believe is here to stay for a while - something that I never would have tried to list in the shop otherwise. That is cause for celebration. Reach out!
Make lots of goals and write them down.
Write your goals out, say them out loud and tell others! This makes them real. This makes them happen. I have been writing out goals, business and personal, for years. I don't necessarily even look at them very often. I let a lot of time pass and then go back and see what I've accomplished. I am always amazed to see that I have done more than I thought!!
You don't have to know how you are going to get there, you just have to know where you want to go.
Tell people that you're a photographer and they might ask you to take their photos and they might even pay you! Tell people that you do custom embroidery and they might ask you to make them something and they might even pay you! Tell people that you have your own little business and they might even promote you!
My mother always tells me, "What you do not ask for, you do not get."
This is so true.
It is really fun to have a photographer buy your products.
Why? They take the most amazing photos of the product in an amazing setting! I felt so lucky to have Charlotte Stringer use pretty pink Wallflowers in an adorable infant photo shoot and to have Brandon Kidd use some Felt Heart Confetti in an engagement shoot! And speaking of "What you do not ask for, you do not get."...hey Clayton Austin...Want to photograph my flower bouquets? You're my hero!
Record your accomplishments so you can see how much you've grown.
Whether you blog about them, write them in a calendar, or write them in a journal - find a way that is easy for you to record and revisit your favorite accomplishments! They can be the little things and the big things. It is so easy to forget how far you've come when you're only walking one step at a time...but when you turn around to see how far you've gone, it's amazing. This is why I have decided to recap each month's accomplishments this year! It has been so nice to remind myself of the little steps along the way. Take time to reflect on what you're doing. Be grateful. Remind yourself what you love about what you are doing and why you do it.
Keep pushing! Keep improving! Don't settle!
I'd rather redesign my blog 5 times but have it get better each time than have it stay the same just for consistency purposes. I'd rather scrap an idea that I've worked on for weeks and do something new and better than to stick with the idea and have it fall short. I don't want to settle on quality so I'm always looking for better materials and processes and techniques. I will keep changing the way I photograph products so that they keep getting better. I will keep making different products until something sticks and flies out of the shop. Keep pushing, improving and growing.
Thanks for following my journey!!
I seriously love you!!
