Lightroom

Being an entrepreneur is a lonely place to be.  It’s so lonely that you don’t realize it’s even lonely.  That’s just the way it is. You’re just alone. And you’re not sad to be alone.  That’s just your business structure. And you did that on purpose. And maybe one day you’ll have a team, but for now, it’s just you.  And that’s great! You’re living the dream. But you’re very much alone.

I left that networking event feeling more hopeful and more connected than I’ve felt in a long time.  I didn’t snag a new client, but I made some connections, shared favorite business podcasts, and found out about more networking opportunities.  And most importantly, I realized that even though I spend my days alone (also, yes, often in my pajamas and very often in my house), I’m not the only one doing this.

The beauty of handmade products is that you can create literally anything. 

If I wasn't in the store every day, what would I do?  I have no children and I like to work, so not working wasn't an option.  And I had this desire to help people and to empower other small business owners to understand how to make the business side of things work.  And here we are.

But in Paris, the little stores reminded me of my own little store, and my heart missed Hattie.  I daydreamed about the display upgrades I would put in, about expanding the blog, about our window displays and sandwich boards.  And I knew that I wasn't done with Hattie.  Nor was she done with me.

My mission is to try out different Instagram techniques to see which one(s) grow my following, then see if the increased following leads to increased sales.  This is an ongoing task, as no Insta account is an overnight success (maybe), but I'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress.  I'll try out all the tricks so you don't have to!

We see people who are “overnight successes” or people who “made it big” with their careers.  It seems like they just magically burst onto the scene without any prior effort.  They got “lucky,”  or they got “discovered.”  

We believe in the prince charming effect.  One day, you’re sitting around, minding your own business, and BAM! suddenly you are kissed by a prince and your rags are now evening gowns and you’ll never scrub another floor in your life.

Or, in a business sense, one day you’re sitting around, possessing this amazing talent or skill but not really spending much time on it, and BAM! someone calls you up and wants to pay you gobs of money to utilize your amazing talent or skill, and suddenly you’re rich and famous.  

We do this with people who have great, amazing, envy-inducing artistic careers.  But we don’t do this with athletes.  We don’t look at LeBron or Serena and say “wow, what an overnight success!” because while we know they have amazing talent, we also know that they are training, and working, and putting their daily sweat into becoming the legends they are.  

Last week we discussed our 2017.  Did you spend some time with your Balance Sheet Comparison?  Were you pleased with the results?  

Last week we also answered these questions.  If you’re just joining us, feel free to answer them now.

1.  What went well last year?
2.  What can be improved this year?

Now that review’s over, it’s time to set some SMART goals.

I’m not shouting. That’s an acronym.