Opening My REAL Shop... Making The Final Jump!

Hello Everyone! Well, I have to tell you.... I've really been working hard to avoid writing this blog post. I mean, every time I think about writing this particular entry, I just change my thought subject to, well... anything besides blogging.

Why, you might ask, am I dancing around this particular entry? Because as a result of my recent failures to consistently keep you updated about our crazy life, there is so SO much news that I have to share with you, and well, it's a little overwhelming to piece together to be quite honest. Right now, I feel like my brain has been in running in circles for weeks now, because I have so many ideas and goals to organize and put down in paper.

Something about my recent trip with my mom to California for the Race to Erase MS Event changed my outlook on a LOT of areas in my life... I guess I gained a little bit more confidence to be honest! For the first time in my life, I was in a city with my mom, and I was the one who knew what to do, where to go, what was safe, etc... I guided my mom for the first time. And I was surprisingly prepared and successful, something I'd really secretly worried about for a while now. Two women alone in LA... a LOT could happen! By the way, we had a BLAST and more info coming about my trip soon!

As you know, I have been designing and selling jewelry and jewelry boxes for about a year now. I've had a few successful bouts of sales, but for the most part I've put most of my time and energy into studying how to make new styles, searching for inexpensive supplies and tools, studying the market for handmade jewelry, learning how to work a successful craft show, finding and painting all of my jewelry show displays, setting up my Etsy shop, experiencing a LOT of trial and error in every finance-draining situation possible, and the list goes on. Oh, and I've learned a LOT about wasting time, too. I'm working on that flaw as I write...

SOLD!

I've been going two steps forward, five steps back, and I feel like for the first time, I'm ready to start moving forward at a much faster rate. In the past year or so, I've had a weird cycle that keeps repeating over and over again. I'll be so determined and confident, I'll take tons of pictures, update my Etsy shop, post Facebook status updates, and market here and there. Then, when I get an order, especially if it's a custom order, I would completely start freaking out inside, second guessing myself, thinking "What if their necklace breaks?" or "What if they hate their new jewelry box in person?" ... I'll drive myself CRAZY thinking like that!

SOLD!

As a result of my hesitation, I feel like I've been putting one toe in the lake, testing the water, deciding that it's the perfect temperature, but never getting the courage to ever completely jump in. And then I end up sitting there, watching everyone else swim, imaging what it would be like if I had enough guts to make the jump into the water! In this scenario, jumping into the water = Completely starting a small business, with ALL of the bells and whistles. Being confident in myself. Holding myself accountable, Meeting my own goals.

But you know what? If I'm going to meet my own goals, then I have to actually set goals, right? I mean, up until now, I've had a mixture of jumbled goals and dreams in my head. I'll spout out a few things here and there that I would like to do in the "future," but I never really addressed WHEN in the "future" I was referring to. And at the rate I've been going and the work ethic I've had, I'm pretty sure I never will never reach ANY of my goals if I don't take my business attitude up a step. Or a whole staircase.

SOLD!

A lot of my hesitation comes from my own insecurity with my medical condition. Last year, I was a completely different person than I was the year before. And now I'm completely different than I was last year. And I actually like who I am now most of all! I had pseudo-confidence before I went through my medical horror story last year, because there was no foundation under my ego. When my spirit was tested, it pretty much fell flat. What I've learned is, the confidence I'm building in myself now may be a slow process, but I feel like I'm earning it for myself. I'm working to make myself who I am, and that makes me appreciate myself more and think about my actions, my choices, and my consequences a LOT more than before.

In January/February, I shared with you that I wanted to be more organized and get more control over my life. And while I still update and add to that personal list quite often, I'm proud to say that I have marked quite a few goals off that list. That adds a little strength to my spirit right there, and I trust myself and my abilities more now than I have in a while. Also, Scott has become much more involved in my business process, and I feel like I have his support and his advice more than I ever have. With his blessing comes a lot of much needed security, because I like knowing he has my back! It makes me feel a lot less overwhelmed.

Still for sale!
www.etsy.com/shop/makeupandmudboutique

So what is my "Make Up and Mud Boutique" plan? Well, that's what I'm working on. Trying to work on, actually.

In the past, I didn't have a real goal, so I've had no real direction as a result. I haven't been organized and rigid with myself, and my financial records look like a 5 year old arranged them. My receipts have pieces of skittles stuck to them from being crumpled in the bottom of my purse. I have 4, yes FOUR, receipt books with absolutely no order to either of them. They are all partially completed, each new book being the resulting purchase of the previous book unable to be located. And if I got really busy, I didn't write a receipt at all. My jewelry inventory is actually quite organized in plastic bins. As far as being organized on paper with my costs to reference for prices... I haven't done that either. I'm fortunate that I have put so much time into building my bead inventory, one sale at a time, and I can seriously tell you where each and every bead came from and how much I paid for the packs. And I have thousands of beads! That's great, but I HAVE to get all of this information out of my head and into my computer files!

To sum it up, I have goals and the opportunity to thrive at my own jewelry business by taking advantage of many different outlets, such as craft shows. So far, the main thing holding me back has been lack of motivation and confidence in myself to succeed. So, fear of failure to be honest. (Something I've refreshingly found to be the most common reason for people never starting their own business... which makes me even more determined to be successful and make that leap!)

• So, what is my next step? Make a BUSINESS PLAN that involves and organizes EVERY goal, plan, dream, idea, direction, etc, so I can use it as a guide for me to use to stay on track. 
• I need to set daily, weekly, yearly, etc goals and determine exactly what I have to do and what needs to happen to reach those goals and plan my next steps. 
• I have to figure out where I see myself in the future and what I want to be doing. 
• How much money do I want to make? 
• What do I want to contribute to my family? 
• What do I deem to be successful for my own life? 
• What are my weaknesses, and how do I overcome them?
• How can I work in Multiple Sclerosis and live around the hard times?
• How am I going to market my items?
• What am I going to sell?
• Where do I need to focus the most of my attention?
• How do I see my business growing?
• What would I like to offer to my customers?
• Do I need a website or continue to use Etsy?
• What are my shop policies? Hours to work each day/week?
• Will I always work from home, or would I like to strive to have my own shop out of my home in several years?
• Do I want to change my shop name while I have the chance?
• Do I really want to be accountable to REAL, SERIOUS orders and be held accountable by the IRS to pay TAXES? (That scares me to death!)
• How can I make myself like going to the post office? (Threw that one in for laughs... haha)

The truth is, I desperately want all of those things. I'm so anxious to have all of these questions answered and down on paper, and have some direction in my life. One thing about me is that when I put my mind to something, I do whatever it takes to make it work. I know this will be very hard work, and it will get a tiny bit easier when I get used to a schedule. It's hard though, when you're "working for yourself" because you are required to have discipline with yourself (add that to my list of weaknesses). You have to be responsible enough to TURN PINTEREST OFF! (Yep, add that too!)

And trust me, I have a LOT of weaknesses to overpower, but I know I can do it. I'm stuck right now, pushing each day and wasting time, because I'm scared... of failing. But I can't let that stop me or use that as an excuse to do lousy business anymore.

Working craft shows with Scott really boosted my confidence level, because for the first time since I started creating, I actually felt legit. People were actually taking me seriously, and there were complete strangers complimenting my work and asking for my business card. I'm not going to lie... I worked my butt off before every single show, ALL hours of the night. And though I was so tired, it paid off at each show and I LOVED every minute of it! But it got me thinking about how much time I'm wasting and how, if I could be successful at each show by being focused and working hard, just imagine how I could do if I put 100 % energy into the other areas of my shop. What is I actually made this a REAL business with all of the bells and whistles? (GASP!)

There were two wake-up calls for me: 

1.  I was on the phone with my mom, and I was talking about one of my friends deciding to focus on her career before having kids. My mom caught me off guard when she said, "Well, that's something for you to think about, because you're not doing too bad yourself!" It might sound small but there was something about the way she said it that let me know she thought I had the ability to be successful at what I'm working for... and I needed that boost.
2. The next wake-up call came in one of those brutally honest conversations with Scott when I was telling him what my goals and dreams were, but I told him I was so scared of failing, and he said, "Well, you've already proven that you can make money." ... and simple as that sounds, it was my confirmation that he was indeed noticing that I had SOME ability to pull this thing together. 

Those little instances are small, yes. But when you're battling with your own thoughts and standing on two shaky legs... those words mean the world! And I'm going to need something from you too... When I have everything up and running (You'll definitely know when I'm SET-UP for REAL), I'll need YOU to please SHARE this This Blog, SHARE my Facebook Shop, SHARE my Etsy Shop, TELL your friends about my shop, anything you can do to get my name out there! I'm considering selling mainly from a website, but you'll know more about that later!

I don't want to be working on my "crafts" forever...

If you were to ask some of my closest friends and family about my work progress, they would probably say the same thing... She's really SLOW at making things! (Ahem... Mrs. Leslie, Mrs. Tracy and Mrs. Shree and my cousin, Hannah... you've been so patient with me MANY times!) I hate to say this but, I've made a bad habit of putting my Etsy customers in front of my "local" family and friends, and I want to change that. If I had an actual schedule planned and organized for each day and week, I wouldn't have this problem, so there's something to fix right there. 

I need to answer e-mails more quickly, and just pretty much re-structure almost every way that I've been operating, because not only does it make me look unreliable and possibly lose business, but it also creates so much unneeded chaos and stress for me... something I DON'T need to bring upon myself. I have control over my health and my life and my family time. Now I want control over my business. For me, to have an organized work space and have a consistent work flow and complete all projects on time, that will be HUGE for me! It will be the first time!

I need to focus on photographing and adding consistent new inventory a LOT more...Currently, I have about 150 pairs of earrings and 50 necklaces that I don't even have online yet! And a LOT more bracelets and rings too... I have SO many areas to organize!

My Christmas sales were good last year, higher than any other time, but I did not have enough merchandise made, and it was too late to make more when I realized what business the holidays would bring. This year, I refuse to let that happen again! I want to have ALL of my personal Christmas gifts that I will make for our family and friends finished before August, so I won't have to be worried about frantically making them two days before Christmas. We've already been looking around at Christmas gifts, because I can't wait until the last minute this year.

I've already started ordering a few supplies at a time and stocking them away to build my Christmas bead inventory and jewelry box inventory, so I won't have all of those new costs at one time. I'll share more info later, but some of the ideas we're (We meaning, Scott and me, because I've found that his ideas are essential to my creative process) tossing around include DIY beading kids for multiple ages, a few items especially for little boys, tossing around a LOT of ideas for stocking stuffers, participating in about 4-5 craft shows around Alabama, creating DIY journal kits, children's jewelry boxes and the list goes on.

Like I said earlier, I'll go into more depth later in more posts, because we're still brainstorming right now. I'm going to have everything ORGANIZED and will have decided on EXACTLY what we're going to sell and plan by August 01, so I can start making Christmas gift inventory early and avoid the crazy holiday hassle. If this Christmas is like last Christmas, trips to the post office will keep me crazy busy... and I PRAY that God blesses me with the GREAT health, the unending desire to create, and a HUGE amount of loyal customers to make this Christmas season an ultimate success for my business as well as for my customers!

As most of you know, my mom is an accountant. So, we're working together some in June to set up all of my tax information. Business License, Tax preparation, Expenses, State/City/County License/Tax, Self-Employment Tax... the works. I'm buying a bead inventory software program and taking inventory of ALL of my beads. Thousands of beads... Each kind has to be either weighed or counted, qty documented, photographed, given an inventory #, etc. Then, my finished pieces have to be inventoried, counted, named, organized, etc. THEN, my wooden organizers and craft boxes... and the list goes on. All the bells and whistles.

I'm going to be crazy busy. Or I'll just be crazy... I haven't decided yet. All I know is I want EVERYTHING to be organized, and I want to know exactly what I have, what to charge, what services I will offer, where I've been, where I'm heading, and how to get there. I don't want to just make earrings forever... I want to make beautiful jewelry, have beading parties, do craft shows... and the list goes on! I need to focus! And if I'm being held accountable by an accountant who just so happens to also be my mother, which gives her the ability to say what's on her mind... you can bet that I'm not going to slack with her seeing all of the ugly details! 

I have a LOT of work to do, and I'm going to be a little out of touch for most of June. I've let a lot of my "tasks" pile up over the past few months, and I'm ready to add my shop to my list of POSITIVE changes! Please remember to include my new adventure in your prayers!

My first goal of business... July 02, 2012... Taking my first step as a REAL business in the state of Alabama. I can do this... :)

Computer Funerals are Depressing!

Happy Columbus Day! It's rather early still, and I'm on Day two of my "At Least One Blog Entry a Day" Campaign. I mentally started it yesterday, and I'd like to write at least one blog entry each day for a month. I seriously doubt my abilities to focus and stay on track in attempting this goal, but I'm still going to try. If I do indeed succeed at this, I will have kind of developed a new habit, so writing in my blog will be the "normal natural" think that comes first each day. Anyway...

About a week ago, my precious computer died. You have to understand this: My computer and I, well we really have a tough bond. I spend a LOT of time on my computer every single day, and I learn all of my features and buttons to make my system work for me. So if suddenly I can't get my computer to turn on and when it does come on, the computer randomly shuts off, I start to panic. I have a zillion pictures and documents saved on my computer of ideas for projects, family photos, and random images and stories.

When I dropped my computer off at a "Computer Repair" shop in Montgomery, Alabama, I was convinced that the issues I was having were due to a loose power cord and the computer somehow wasn't getting the necessary "juice" to run. The people running the place, an older couple who looked like they retired and got bored staying at home, seemed to think that it just may be the electrical connection as well. Tighten a little bit of this and twist a little bit of that, and I should be able to expect a phone call the next day to come pick up my phone.

And I did get a phone call the next day alright. To inform me that the motherboard had gone out in my year and a half old computer friend, and a new motherboard was going to be $220 and I still had to pay the diagnostic fee for them finding the problem. The owner lady kept telling me that it was cheaper for me to buy a new computer, and that they also sell computers. She said that if I will buy one of their computers, they will transfer all of my information from my old computer to the new one FREE OF CHARGE.

I don't know why, but this was where she started to rub me the wrong way. If I am paying you the diagnostic fee to fix my old computer AND should I choose to purchase a new computer from you, I would really hope that you would hook up the cords and transfer info from one computer to another for free. That's kind of like owning a store that only accepts checks and that store  is having a tough time in this economy. Then a very generous person comes in and spends $250. After they pay, you realize that you forgot to ring up a $5.00 shirt. Do you make the person write out another check for $5? NO, you show your appreciation, ESPECIALLY if they are personally helping you out, and you GIVE them the shirt to show that you are grateful! I went in the store two times, and each time there were no other customers. DON'T pick over each thing if you would be making a lot of month on one purchase.


 So what did I do? I made a responsible adult decision to wait a few days to decide. And, I was kind of in mourning over the death of my old buddy Computer, so I asked her to please let me speak with my husband and see if we could rub out hands together and make the $$$ appear to fix my old computer. Ok, I didn't say that about the money part, but either way, over the next few days, my mother told me I needed a second opinion. And I'm thankful that I listened.

The new place my mother suggested resulted from a recommendation from a highly trusted client of her business. He swore that a place where he gets his computers repaired is amazing, so we decided to try a second opinion after all...

(BTW, my mom owns an income tax business, Dease Accounting in Montgomery, AL, so if you are searching for a new Accountant to handle your personal or business tax information and returns, give her a call at (334) 270-9970. Of course, I recommend her because she IS my mother, but I also worked with her there for a few years. I was very impressed with how she genuinely cares about each person and every return, and her prices are PHENONEMAL compared to H and R Block, usually MORE than 50% cheaper. I know all of my old high school and college friends are learning the hard truth about filing taxes and it's confusing anyway. I promise, if I can work for her and understand what and why things are taken out, she will definitely be able to explain it to you... haha. FYI, I'm really proud of her bc that is one stressful job during tax season!)

Back to my computer:

The name of the AWESOME computer repair business that I also now highly recommend is Computer Commuter. The owner is Kevin Elkins, and his office is located in Montgomery, Alabama on Monticello Drive. (Click HERE for directions to their office.) Turns out, my motherboard was out of service, yes. But the cause was indeed the power cord and the over-amount of power that FRIED my computer and some other technical info that I can't quite remember. There was NO pressure to buy another computer, there was no stressed out Best Buy Geek Squad Assembly Line In and Out Quickly kind of atmosphere. It's was totally worth it.

Needless to say, I was better off to buy a brand new computer. And of course, Computer Commuter helped with that as well. They don't sell computers, but they were more than willing to help us find one at a wonderful price, AND (love this!) they explained what each little GB and tit tat means that now comes on each computer... THANKS!! If you need a new computer and a place gives you a quote that you think is too high, head on over to best buy or Wal-Mart, wherever computers are sold, and get a quote from them as well. That will let you know if you are getting ripped off or not. And we definitely were NOT getting ripped off by Computer Commuter!

Fortunately, in my situation, when it came to getting a new computer, their assistance was greatly appreciated, and our BRAND NEW computer is now supposed to arrive by Friday of this week!! Yay! That is also part of our Christmas from my Mom and Step Dad, Rusty, and I am SO thankful that they are going to allow me to have it early now! I really need to get to all of my craft information before this year's Holidays arrive, too.

Speaking of Parentals, Two days ago, I went grocery shopping with my Dad, and we had SO much fun! It has been years since we had been grocery shopping together, and it had also been years since he had been in a grocery store that small! I took him to SUPER FOODS in Tallassee, a place that is a little bigger than Dollar General but much smaller than Food World. In addition to common brand names of Today's World, they also carry random brands that were popular like 30 years ago. It was so much fun to hear Daddy say, "Chelsea, I haven't seen this or that in years!" I had a great day with him, and it was nice to go back in time!

I was going to fill you in on what I've been working on over the past week, but I'm getting a little antsy sitting at the computer right now. I've typed a lot, and my medicine has kicked in to wake me up. Scott is still asleep, so I'm going to go goof off... haha. Talk to you later!