Here’s a direct quote from yesterdays email. “I need some help from you. You seem to have the answers, your business is exactly like I want. I’ve been making and selling my scarves for almost a year now and frankly, I’m just not making as much money as I thought I would. I did 2 shows and they were OK but not great. I built a website 2 months ago but haven’t sold anything! What am I doing wrong? Why am I not doing as well as you seem to be doing?”
Do you know how many times I hear this?
Teach me how to do what you do. Show me your tricks.
You know how I got to be where I am? For the past 12 years I have worked at it every single day.
For 12 years.
There is no overnight success. There are no tricks. There is no magic solution. It takes time and constant effort.
Thinking that you’re going to just create a business overnight is like thinking you’re going to be rich by winning the lottery. Sure, somebody will win but for every person who wins there are billions who don’t. For every “overnight business success” there are millions who reach their goals the old fashioned way, hard work. And millions who simply give up.
Those who give up get overwhelmed by the amount of work it takes. And believe me, it is work. As a full-time glass bead artist and jewelry designer less than 20% of my time is spent actually making work. If you think that having a crafty business is all about sitting around making pretty things I am here to rain on your parade. You need to market, promote, plan and sell your work. It is time consuming. Yet without doing this then there is no point in making anything because you won’t be selling anything.
Sometimes it does get overwhelming. Even for me. There is no one there to tell you what to do because you are the boss. And as the boss you are responsible for web design, online shop management, inventory control, and sales just to name a few.
Not to mention that you are doing this while you still have a life to run, family and friends to pay attention to and most likely a paying job. So how are you supposed to succeed?
Every single day you take one small step and work towards your goal.
Every. Single. Day.
One small step.
If you wait until you have a whole day to work on your business then continue dreaming. Life will thwart you. Don’t wait because success won’t. Take a tiny step. You’ll be amazed how a tiny step every day will add up.
Dreaming is great, we all need to dream. Yet sometimes you have to stop and take concrete action to make that dream happen. Same with whining about how little time you have. Instead of talking about how little time you have, spend 10 minutes doing something.
If you don’t know what to do, here’s a list of quick steps to take.
Take a photo of a piece and post it on your facebook business page.
Don’t have a Facebook business page? Spend 10 minutes reading about how to set one up.
Take a photo of your workbench and post it on Instagram.
Post a photo of a work in progress and blog about the inspiration behind it.
Thinking about setting up an online shop? Make a list of the various online shop options and the pros and cons of each.
Already have an online shop? Check it for typos.
Rewrite one description in your online shop.
Take a really good look at your photos in your online shop, can they be better. Reshoot one item.
Create 5 pins on Pinterest. Make sure they are somehow related to your business. Pin things that you find inspiring for your work.
How are you doing on your book keeping? Maybe spend 10 minutes catching up on inputting your expenses.
Make a list of 21 more small steps you can take. Now pin this list on your bulletin board and every day do one of them.
One small step every day won’t bring magic success. However one small step will build momentum and you’ll be amazed how this will carry you forward. And really, you can always find 10 minutes in a day.
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