A Quiet Day here

As night has just come for us here in East TN, I am listening to the sounds of the bugs and enjoying the peaceful feeling one can have at the end of a day. Today was quite different than yesterday. There was no scrambling around. No errands. No preparing projects or seeds. There was no shoveling dirt or cutting my finger on rocks. No traffic except for the occasional car heading home. Just a chill in the air, bugs singing their songs, and a crafter contemplating her next project.

It was a peaceful day and evening. In this day and age, it is difficult to imagine someone having a day like this...or the very simple truth of realizing the day, enjoying it, and being thankful. Yet, here I am tonight enjoying it.

For a crocheter, not picking up her hook in a day seems like a hypocritical move. It's like a human needs air, so shall a crocheter need yarn and her hook. This comes a day after buying 6 new skeins of yarn - 5 of which are beautiful and "Spring-y."

One issue I seem to be having is making decisions regarding the selling of my products. For months I have been struggling with whether I should or should not sell. Anyone who has faced this decision will tell you - it sure is a difficult decision. I live in a very crafty-artsy area. There are many different types of artists within 20 miles of my location and a huge stretch of road that loops back to Gatlinburg with tons of these artist's workshops and shops!

How does one compete with that? Correction: How does someone like me, with no workshop or shop, compete with individuals who have been working years on their brands, their shops, and building their workshops up with the best equipment?

Well...I can't! That is what got me down. I sold my tent. I sold my big table. And all I have is my product, a yellow queen sized sheet, and a 5 foot table. I was down. I was frustrated with myself. And a lot of what was happening was out of my control!

So when I started to see a meme that talked about how long it took to create a brand and build a small business, I started questioning my decisions. Everything around me and everything that was happening seemed to be something else that was building me back up - a video on building brands, other crafters telling me how long and hard they worked, seeing the determination to continue, and repeatedly seeing that meme...in MANY places.

What can one do if all the signs are saying "YOU STOPPED TO EARLY. JUMP BACK ON THE PONY AND RIDE INTO THE WIND?"

Well...you listen of course! So tonight, I am attempting to create a plan to get myself back into the game. We are adding products that have nothing to do with crochet like beauty products and soaps. Maybe candles? Just on a small scale at first. I am not quite sure how it will end...or if I will end up failing again; however, I do know that like all the great little businesses out there who have carved a name for themselves, I will continue to fail until I succeed!

Wishing you success (even after repeated failures)

Sarah 

The Essence of What I do

There was something weighing on my mind last night and the last few months. Something large that seems to be pushing at my soul. It's about my life, my passions, and about my business. I have struggled like many other small business owners in this economy. I have struggled with other crocheters undercutting my prices or offering the same items. For months, the struggles I faced trying to build up a reputation as a good designer and as a good seller seemed to bring me down further instead of uplift me. The fear of not succeeding weighed me perhaps the most.

What if I spent all this money and no one buys?

What if I upgrade this and redo that with no interest?

What if my customers have no interest in my patterns or items?

As months went by, those stones in my basket became heavier and heavier to bare. I continued to doubt myself. I changed this thing and that thing to increase business. I offered deal after deal with not one bite.

Through all that, I continued to see a quote about how long it really took to build a business and a brand. How many hours, heartaches, struggles, changes, and frustrations it took to build a worth while business....

Last night, it dawned on me.

I do not crochet, craft, or write because of other people. I do not sell items. I do not sell my time, my materials, or even a bunch of yarn knots made with a metal hook. I make and sell memories. I make and sell a connection between two people that will last a lifetime. I make and sell heirloom ornaments and dolls...that will withstand more than a few weeks of play at Christmas time. I make and sell that smile exchanged between two people....and the hug...and the heartfelt gratitude.

Most handmade sellers do the same. When you factor in the fees, the listing amounts, the time, energy, material costs...even the gas to get the materials, some of us barely break even trying to keep up with trends and the "best" price.

Well, no more! I want to maintain the very essence of why I do what I do - the memories, the hugs, the laughter, the smiles, the connection, and the heirloom that touches more than one generation.

So thank you, for sharing that with me. It means more than you know!

With lots of love,

Sarah