Friends,
It's been a while. I have to confess, I've been quite uninspired in terms of what to write about lately. Work has been very busy plus I was feeling stressed out about getting all my shop orders completed in a timely matter. Add blog posts onto that and I really did feel overwhelmed. Then I got sick. Boy did that ever set me back. Six days of pain and no eating threw me for a loop. But on the road to recovery, I got a lot of business straightened away. I sat down and decided I needed a new way of prioritizing orders and I set up a work schedule to get everything done well before Christmas.
I had a week in September when orders just piled in. I was so grateful. All these people wanted to own a creation I made or wanted to gift them to others. As a crafter, can you get a better feeling? But when you work full time and want time to unwind some times, having as many orders as I've received was also stressful. Would I get them done before Christmas? Would I get complaints when orders took longer to churn out than I predicted?
While some of my hats are quite quick to produce (one - two days max), other items that require more work could take 3-5 days of my time. I soon realized that I would have to refrain from taking new orders in order to complete those I already had. Frustrating, but definitely necessary. I also wanted to be able to make knits for my family for the Christmas holidays.
But I guess this is the learning curve that accompanies a new business. Next holiday season, I will hopefully have a better grasp on time management and what I can handle.
For those of you that have etsy shops and sell your own creations, how do you manage a day job and side business?
Monday, November 12, 2012
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I feel EXACTLY the same Kayla!! I hadn't realised my Etsy shop would be quite so busy, quite so early in the run up to Christmas. I'm trying to juggle it all with a full-time job and making family gifts so I can completely sympathise. Also gearing up for my first craft market!
ReplyDeleteI recently had a period of bad health too and I'm hopefully getting better, but it's been tough.
One thing I have found useful is to prioritize things as best I can and write a list of what I want/need to achieve that week. Then I break it down into days and write what I want to achieve in my evenings after work. I also make a point to plan down-time and dates with my bf with a day away from the computer especially. Setting myself deadlines has definitely helped.
I don't always achieve everything, but having that structure there helps me. It doesn't always have to be military precise but if I didn't have this, I'd just watch trash TV and do my favourite craft projects.
Good luck and I hope you have a fantastic holiday season, for you and your shop!
Claire x
So good to hear you're getting so many orders! You deserve them - your Etsy shop is great! I can imagine how stressful this all is, though. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteSorry you have been ill! I am glad you are getting the orders that your lovely Etsy shop deserves and I hope the stress gets better! Just keep going - you are doing great!
ReplyDeletehttp://shopaholiconashoestring.wordpress.com/
I am glad that you are feeling better. You are absolutely correct. There is NO better feeling than knowing that, not only does someone want your work but, someone actually wants to PURCHASE your work.
ReplyDeletethat's just some of the downsides of having a business. But if you really love what you're doing and you have the passion for it, you'll surely be successful! :) Anyway, i hope you can drop by my blog and join my current giveaways if you like!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Rae
http://raellarina.blogspot.com