How Busy is "Too Busy?"

In short, my husband told me he was sick of hearing it. He was sick of hearing how tired I am all the time. Sick of my constant complaint that I do everything and I'm so tired, and he just didn't want to hear it. 

I could have picked a fight about it. Instead, I decided I was sick of it, too. 

I'm sick of being too tired to work. Sick of doing every damned thing. Sick of being sick of it, as well. 

So I decided, this year, for our wedding anniversary, I would give my  husband a gift that he a) didn't expect and b) would truly appreciate and c) would be practical, helpful, and would make our lives better. 

I stopped complaining about work. 

Guess what happened?

Both of our lives are improved. I didn't even tell him I did it. I didn't tell him that was his gift, until our anniversary. At which point, he did notice that it had been a few weeks since he'd heard it from me. 

I really don't care if he appreciates it, because the side effect for me has been overwhelming. MY attitude and MY words have made MY life better. I no longer feel as worn out, exhausted, and dog-tired. Yes, I get fatigued--I am a human being. But the simple act of removing the complaint of it from my life has caused things to turn around.

I'm more productive more evenings. 
I panic less.
My communication is clearer. 

It took some concerted effort on my part, but I think this change is permanent. It's very worth it.

What changes in attitude have you made, that improved your work life? 

On Creating Change

Sometimes we must make our own light at the end of the tunnel.

Small Craft Business: Using Facebook Wisely

I experienced something that took me just a bit by surprise today. One of my Facebook friends posted something that made me think, and I realized I disagreed. So I commented, explaining why I disagreed.


Later on, I saw someone else had commented. I went back to the thread, and the original poster had deleted my post, and had also removed me as a Facebook friend. 


Really? 


This person was a FB friend because of business. I've never met her in person. And she decided to remove me as a friend because I disagreed with her. My comment was not cantankerous, or tacky. It did not contain profanity, nor did it malign anyone. 


"Hmm," I said to myself. And then I thought, "That's not the best move, is it?"


It really isn't. If you are using Facebook for your business, as I do, then you shouldn't remove people as friends. You want as many people as possible to see what you  have to say, right? But sometimes you disagree with these folks, and if you haven't met them, maybe you don't want to follow them at all. 


In that case, keep them as friends, but just unsubscribe. To do this, click on the name, and at the top right it will say "Friends." Next to that, there's a button that says "Subscribed." Click and hold that, and a drop-down menu will appear. At the bottom of the drop-down, click "Unsubscribe."


This way, you are still friends, and they will still see your status updates if they are subscribed to you, but you won't see theirs. Simple, and not to put too fine a point on it, good business. 


Keep your followers. But you don't necessarily have to follow them. 


What do you think? (If you disagree, and aren't a crankypants about it, I promise I won't remove your comment. ;)  )

Business Blogger: I am very busy and important

When I'm actually functioning, I blog here about business and crafting, yes? And now I've got another gig! 


I am happy to announce that I am the Biz Tuesday blogger for Horseshoe Craft and Flea Market's Blog! Hooray! Twice per month I will share insight over there, about business and crafting. 


Yipee! 


So, what should I write? What do you want to hear on Biz (every other) Tuesdays? Here, here's a more specific question:


What vexes you most about starting a craft business? What is holding you back?


If you have a craft business, what stuff always throws you for a loop?

Time on Task Thursday: Craft Fair Looming, Still, Plus my To-Do List

Since this appears to be Slacker Central, I will attempt to redeem myself by combining To-Do Monday and Time-on-Task Thursday.  My tasks today involve getting ready for the Sugar Plum Bazaar. This is the big show I will do this year, and I'd like to have good sales. 

This involves having SOMETHING TO SELL, I realized last week. Ha ha. 

So, my to-do list (that I lost yesterday, because I foolishly had it on paper) for today and tomorrow are as follows:

• garland w/lights
• small extension cord
• wrap salts and sugar scrubs with twine
• make solid lotion and label
• make face lotion and bottle and label
• get change from store
• cut fabric strips
• stamp more labels
• pack ladder
• pack soap dishes
• buy bag of mini candy canes

The ones that are crossed off are being done by my husband, who works for my soap company. Bless his heart, please, when you are doing your daily blessings. Or some such thing. 

I have to complete all of that before 5pm tomorrow. TOMORROW.

Another Wordful Wednesday: Craft Fair Looming!

I have a HUGE show coming up this weekend, and I'm trying to get ready. Couple that with roller derby championships last weekend (I sold some necklaces!), and I'm scrambling. I have had to make a to-do list for both my husband and myself. 


This time of year is absolute MADNESS for a crafter. Tell me of your madness in the comments, wouldja?

Saturday How-To: Liquid Soap Video

This is a video I made and posted on YouTube, which is actually kind of popular. Enjoy!

Freedom Friday -- Missed it!

I was too busy being free, and didn't post on Freedom Friday. Imagine that! I am working furiously on my necklace project, because roller derby championships are next weekend! I have to be ready. 


On that weekend, I will work hard toward freedom. 


The weekend after that, I am vending my soap at a craft show. It's a new one, and I predict it will be popular. I'm working for that, too. These next two weeks are busy!

Time-on-Task Thursday: Create Something

Time to create something! Today I am on the final step of the necklace process for about 24 of them. Once that is finished, I can bag them up and mail one of them out! I had an online order already! Can you believe it? 


Your Time-on-Task directive today:  make something!

Wordless Wednesday: Preparing for Roller Derby Championships

Small Craft Business: Freedom Friday

Freedom Friday will be a new blog feature here at Craft e-Blog. I want very much to be free of my day job, because it vexes me. However, the health insurance (no matter how expensive it is) and retirement I've already worked so hard for, keep me there. Also, I'm not quite ready financially to take the leap into self-employment. 


What to do? 


In the meantime, on Fridays I will focus on the aspects of self-employment that make me feel liberated. To wit:


When I am selling my soap at a farmer's market, I am acutely aware of the human aspect of that form of sales, and the history of it. A farmer's market is the oldest form of commerce, if you think about it: we set up our tents and tables, display our wares, and the people come by and buy it, or they don't. Our efforts at getting them to buy our stuff varies, and technology does have an impact, but in the end, it's just me and my stuff. Wanna buy it?


I am free to interact with the public how I want. I am free to discount my products if I want to. I am free to wander away and buy a jalapeno-cheddar elk sausage from Biker Jim. I am free to give a lip balm away to a loyal customer, as an incentive. 


Nobody is telling me what to do or how to do it. Nobody is telling me what the outcome should be of my day. Nobody is telling me what a failure I am at what I do, and nobody is complaining about me in the papers. All of that bad stuff happens to me in or because of my day job. 


When I'm selling soap, I'm free. 


What about your business makes you feel free?

Small Craft Business: Thursday Time-on-Task

Let's have a regular feature be "Time-on-Task." This will be a day where I remind you of that annoying small-business thing that you need to do, but hate doing. It needs to be done. TODAY.


This week's task: Ordering 


Go through your supply inventory, and see what is running low. Make a list of next month's activities for your craft business (i.e. shows you are doing), note what products need to be made, and then go place your orders. 


Order ahead, but keep some money in the bank for retail taxes. 


Ok, go do it now, and report back to me when it's done.

Wordless Wednesday: Roller Derby Necklaces

Sundays are Fundays -- I know you are reading this on a Monday.

Today I get to watch my kid play roller derby in the last bout of the season. She's off until April, so I'll have to start taking her to Skate City once per week, or drag her along to the Sunday morning drop-in practices that I do, sometimes.

I will miss her Sunday practices. Her practice time was time for me to just sit and talk and do nothing much else. I don't often get time like that.

Other than roller derby, Sundays are full of "get ready for the week" stuff, which I do not enjoy. Alas, I still have a regular ol' full-time job, on top of my business stuff. I know I can't be the only one.

Who out there is doing business stuff after work hours, in an attempt to build it big enough to quit? Anyone? Bueller?

To Wit

I love the phrase, "To Wit." When using this phrase, you are essentially saying, "Hey, that thing I just said? Here's a good example." So, today, I'm using it with regards to my last post: talk to people about your craft ideas. TO WIT:

This photo was posted to my Facebook page on Thursday at about 8:30pm.  All the commentary I got was positive, and several people said "WANT!" and "Must have!!" and "How much are they?" The comments came quickly. I've got a lot of "likes" on that photo, and about 20 comments, I think.


See? Lots of buzz happening about my project, already. Oh, and that's the power of  Facebook. Your true friends want your business to succeed, and will help you. (To wit: see that button below this post? The one with the Facebook icon? You could click that, if you wanted.)

Small Business: Talking About Your Ideas

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  talk about your business ideas. 

There are far more benefits to talking about it than keeping it to yourself. The benefits FAR outweigh any possible risk. Here is what I'm thinking:

• Talk about a new business idea to a friend. Your interested friend will ask you questions about your idea. These questions will help you to figure out the details. Some questions will be Devil's Advocate-type things that will annoy you. Don't let them! File those questions away for later--you need to answer them, for yourself.
• Questions to expect: How much are you charging for that? Yikes, isn't that expensive? Where will you sell it? How are you going to make that? What is the packaging? Where can I buy it? Do you really think you can sell enough of those to make a living? What are the ingredients? What about people with allergies? Vegans? 
• Talk about your business idea on Facebook/Your Blog.  Your friends will respond with "likes" or they will tell you what they are thinking. You will be scared that someone will steal your idea. GET OVER THIS. 
• Your idea is yours. Make it happen. 
• There are always thieves in the world. Thieves, however, are lazy. That's why they are thieves; they don't want to do the work themselves. They will wait until you make the idea happen, and will THEN steal it. Maybe. If it isn't too much work. 
• Use this fear to get your ass moving on the idea, so the one ambitious thief in the entire world doesn't make it happen before you do.
• You will find a similar idea on the Internet, while doing searches for supplies/vendors/etc. You will think, "OMG! I stole someone else's idea!"  No, you didn't. Your idea is different from the similar thing. Find the differences. Also, there is more than one jewelry maker in the world, right? More than one soap maker?
• Talk to other business owners about your idea. 
• They aren't going to steal it! Sheesh! Would you get over this, already? 
• This friend will have questions that your non-business-owner friends didn't think of. 
• Questions like: Who are your vendors? Have you thought of this vendor? You might consider this product/approach/style/design. Did you hear about this new craft fair? That product would be perfect for it. Do you know about color trends? Oh, and here's another idea...

The end result? You will collect ideas, answer questions, figure out details, and will make everything happen faster. And when you make it happen, you make money. 

Talk about your ideas. Go  make things happen today.

Small Business: Take a Break!

Turns out I was ill! A low-level virus infected our house. My husband and daughter had it, too. We are all worn out and dragging.


Thanks for hanging in there with me!


This weekend, I am going to declare Saturday to be Family Time at Home Day.  Popcorn will be popped and movies will be watched. Jammies will be worn. We need it!  


Which reminds me:  Hey, you! Small business owner! Take a day off, once! 

Small Business: How Tired are You?

I'm curious about all of the small business owners who read my blog here. How tired do you get? I am still in a "day job," so my business pursuits have to happen after work. Fortune has shined on me with a husband who works for one of my businesses, as well as works for the household, so cooking and much of the housework is taken care of. I know I'm lucky, there. 


But the overwhelming exhaustion!  Some days I fear it will consume me. 


Do you get this exhausted? If so, do you just push through until that project is finished? What do you do to combat it? 


I mean, besides coffee. I've got that covered.

Small Craft Business: Top 10 Actions You Must Never, Ever Do

As the counterpart to this post, I present my list of Never-Evers for small craft business owners. You should never: 

• Take business criticism personally. If it comes from a customer, listen carefully and respond professionally.
• Think that because you are small and independent, you must lower your prices and compete with big, corporate enterprises. You are in business to make money, right? Then set your prices accordingly. People want to support you. Charge what is fair for a profit and don't flinch. DON'T FLINCH.
• Over promise. Under promise, and over deliver. This goes for customer stuff and also for friends and family or other businesses asking for your time. Learn how to say "no." You can't do every damn thing. 
• Respond publicly to a customer complaint. I have seen this more often than I would have imagined, especially on open forums like Etsy. Do not, ever, comment about a specific customer in a public forum. 
• Ignore customer emails. Never! If you can't get to your email in a timely manner, craft a form letter response, and send them out in the meantime. Example: "Thanks so much for your note. I will respond to your email personally when I have the time to give it the attention it deserves. I expect that to be within X days. Thanks again, Me."
• Try to please everybody.  It is better for business to work within a niche, anyway. But if you get caught up in the idea that you might offend someone with a certain craft (ex: offending vegans if you use goat milk in your soap or leather in your handbags), you will be unable to focus on the items that are your bread and butter. Focus, focus, focus.
• Fail to show up when you have agreed to do so. You just don't do this. It is very bad for your professional image, and the people who run craft shows talk to each other. 
• Sit down while busy vending. It's understood here that if you cannot stand because of a physical condition, and you must sit, then that's what you do. If you are able to, you should stand up as much of the time as you can. Greet your customers. Talk to them. Ask them about their families and kids. Sitting in your chair and reading a book or checking your email/Facebook/Twitter--none of these is good for sales. If it's slow, do a quick Facebook check. But put the damn phone down when someone walks up to your booth. Pay attention to the people.
• Ignore the power of changing your display. If you vend every week, as I do, it's important to sometimes change the display. Change the configuration of your tables, the placement of your products, etc. It gives your loyal customers something "new" to view, and increases sales. 
• Try to be someone else. Be yourself, always. Your display is yours. Getting ideas from others is fine, but don't copy someone else. 

What would you add to my list?

Small Craft Business: What You Must Always Do -- an Incomplete List

Always Always Always:

•  Have your business license ducks in a row. It's as easy as having one drawer in your desk dedicated to 'business legal stuff.' 
• Use electronic calendars to alert you. Make the events bossy; tell yourself what to do, to avoid unnecessary worry and thinking.
• Plan one season ahead. Two is better.
• Set aside 25% of all money you make, for retail taxes, self-employment taxes, miscellaneous fees, and random things that come up. They always come up. 
• Take some care with your craft show display. If you are not the Queen of Decor, enlist a friend who is to critique your display, and then LISTEN TO HER. 
• Accept credit cards. You are shooting your finances in the foot if you don't. It is so easy to accept credit cards nowadays, you are foolish not to do it. Read this post for a review of the Square--it's an amazing, easy device. 
• Focus your products and approach. You will increase your long-term sales this way, because it is part of your branding. It's better to be known as "the soap lady" than as "that crafter who sells jewelry bags, soap, and garden sculpture."
• Take inventory on supplies quarterly. Keep a running list of needs and order from it at least quarterly, as well. 
• Ask customers open-ended questions. Befriend them and know them. At the very least, try to remember their names.

Who could create a complete list? Seriously--it's a task that would take forever and fill several books. I have some research for one book already done. What do you think should be added to my Always Always list?