I left for vacation and never got around to making more posts. A lot has went down in the past month. I picked up a second job to save towards college, my boy friend found out some really bad news, and so on. That hasn't left much room for blog posts.
But, I am back and plan to put out some more posts :)
Let me update you on what I'm working on now!
I actually sold two of my miniature chihuahuas!
I was so excited when I saw that someone was interested in buying them! And I learned a how the shipping process works on Etsy through that purchase (actually was rather simple!). Right after I shipped out that order, a SECOND person made a custom request for two mini dog sculptures! It's been a good week :) I'm looking forward to finishing that request today
I also am working on a completing a couple projects I have laying around. I am going to finish the second batch of snail magnets today and work on some hair ribbons for the shop
It took a very long time for me to find a spray paint that would dry fast and paint the snail shells evenly for the most part. I still want to make a couple DIY posts related to magnets for this blog.
I while back, a friend asked me to make her sock monkeys for her family. I used to sew sock monkeys all the time (it's how I started sewing). I have not sewn as much lately, but I have left over socks from that project. I would like to make a couple extra sock monkeys for the Etsy shop, but my only fear is that I may get some custom requests for sock monkeys.
Sock monkeys can take a couple hours to put together (if I do it all in one sitting). By the time I calculate the time, supplies, and tools put into making a sock monkey, I would have to charge at least $30 some dollars to make a profit (mainly because of the time put into it). I'm hoping that by sewing the remaining socks and putting them in the shop that I will make enough to cover what I paid for all the socks, including from the ones I made for my friend (sell for $20 per monkey x selling 4 sock monkeys = $80.00 revenue > $60.00 sock bill), if that makes some sense.
Even if I do lose money from all the time put into making 10 sock monkeys, I will be getting back the money I paid for the socks (and a bit extra). And I gain a bit more experience with sewing. I definitely need a steadier hand when it comes to sewing.
I really do like having my own little shop. Especially how I am my own boss, but that can have some downfalls at time too. As I have two jobs now, I'm not in it for the "money". It's more of something I enjoy doing in my free time to express myself and learn about the basics of business management. I am taking SO much in through opening a shop. How taxes work, how to calculate prices in order to make profit, basic customer service skills, how shipping works, and so on. There's only so much you can learn from a class room or a book. And I love doing this!
My favorite part of running an Etsy shop is decorating the packages and interacting with customers, especially if I make their day :) There are things I need to work as well, such as book keeping and setting prices that are profitable and still reasonable for customers. I really am thankful that I went through with opening my shop and I thankful that I am learning so much through it. I feel as though I could be worse off and that I should take time to realize how much God has blessed me in ways that skip my mind on a daily basis.
Even apart from the shop, I have some strong relationships with my friends. I may not have a thousand friends, but I would rather have those few, close friends that I love. I know a couple of my friends are going through some rough times right now. I have been spending more time with them lately and helping to take their minds off some of their troubles. When listening to them, it makes me sad that they feel they have no one else to turn to because their other friends, family and coworkers and just don't care to take a moment to listen or consider what they go through. I guess it is an eye opener and I hope that instead of letting my temper control my actions at work that I would stop to think what it is like in another person's shoes, even if they are strangers to me.
That summarizes what has been happening lately. It kind of turned into more of a mind dump, but I guess I needed to let that out.
I do plan on having a DIY post by the end of this week.
Thanks for your patience and I hope everyone is enjoying the sunny weather lately :)
I have to say, those little chihuahuas look cute! Since you're not that focused with the shop right now, you could gain experience in the interim, which you could use once you decide to devote your time to it. It's also good you're into things such as taxes and shipping. This is usually ignored by some business owners and could cause problems later on. Focusing on these things minimizes problems on those fronts once you go full time.
ReplyDeleteJohn Bergman @ Business Coach San Diego
Thank you! You are right about picking up some more experience until I can go full time too. I could use all the experience I can get! I definitely have some other business procedures that I need get in the habit of as well.
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