Wednesday, September 5, 2012

My 1st Day Being Self-Employed

My first day being self-employed was weird! There was no....flow. I was resorting to my To-Do Lists the entire day (which I guess is a good thing) because there was this sense of not knowing what to do. Like, ok what needs to get done next? It is definitely going to take me some time to get used to this!
I woke up (before Jordan may I add) and immediately got dressed. I read this great post from The Tiny Twig with tips on working from home. A key factor was actually getting yourself ready for the day (out of your pajamas). I knew I had errands to do anyways so I made myself look presentable. (Although I should mention that today I am currently sitting here typing in pajamas.)
The majority of my day was spent doing things for my business that I had been putting off for too long. Ex: business bank account, seller's permit, insurance. None of which were exciting to take care of (especially sitting at the DMV for 2.5 hours) but the excitement came in on what it MEANT to be doing these things. JAA is getting serious!
On top of Etsy shop orders, I also got one wholesale order and one wholesale inquiry yesterday. And while I have always had a sense of happiness with every sale I receive, there was another emotion that set in when those big orders came through. Relief.
Overall, it was a good day one, and I ended it looking forward to day two. :] xo JA

28 comments:

  1. way to go lady! so awesome!!

    xo the egg out west.

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  2. I never go to the DMV without an appointment! Thanks to these I am always in and out in 5 minutes, love it!

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  3. I have a feeling PJs would be my downfall :) I am a sucker for hanging out in my pajamas when I have no reason to leave the house!

    -Megan
    meganesass.blogspot.com

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  4. It is so easy to get sucked into distraction when working from home! I am always trying to make my self more organized and productive. But it is so so nice to be able to set your own goals and own pace! best of luck to you!

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  5. Sounds like a great first day! It will get easier and you will fall into a routine. I make a to-do list and schedule every night before I go to sleep. It helps me to not lay there stressing over what needs to be done. It also helps me to not waste time during the day.

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    1. This is so smart, Gina! I might borrow this routine...

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  6. Congrats! Working from home definitely isn't for everyone but it sounds like you know what it takes to make it work.

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  7. This sounds totally wonderful - good on you. Such an inspiring tale. Keep sharing your experiences - they are like little rays of hope :)

    Sarah
    http://acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/

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  8. Good for you! Carving out work time (vs. stuff that has to get done for the family time) is the hardest part of working from home. It takes great dedication.

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  9. Rock on! Sounds like you know the first sets of steps to make this work!!

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  10. Sounds like a organized first day! I envy your leap into the "Quit your day job" world. I'd so like to quit my corporate job and work on my jewelry design full time. Good luck to you and happy first day of your new life path!
    Cheers!
    Lori in Atlanta

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  11. Awesome first day! I just had my first day of self employment a few days ago, but I was nowhere near as productive as you... http://www.matinlapin.com/2012/09/the-first-day-of-business.html

    Vixie x

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  12. I'm so excited for you! And you're right, the first few days are totally bizarre. It's almost like you have TOO much freedom, and you need somebody to point you in the right direction. I started keeping a loose schedule and that helped me a lot.

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  13. Super Cute Blog. New Follower over from the Anna Delores blog.
    Hugs, Jen @ frazzled5

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  14. sounds like an excellent day! (minus the dmv.)

    btw-- i wish you lived near me.

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  15. Congrats on your first day working from home! Although I've been self-employed for 10 years, up until about 4 years ago I worked from a studio and office space outside of my house. It was a huge change and even to this day, I find myself needing to revamp things on a regular basis in order to be productive. It's much harder for me to feel motivated working from home, and things like getting dressed and setting time limits definitely helps. I think you're on the right track and that you're going to incredibly successful in your new work environment! :)

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  16. oh my gosh SO exciting!!! Congrats, you will be amazing!!!

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  17. When I was studying graphic design, so many of my teachers warned us about working for ourselves and how it is sometimes harder than working for someone else. Getting up and dressed was one of their pieces of advice and this has always stuck with me. Even on my days off from my other job, when I have days at home to do illustration work I always get ready for a day. Good luck with your new path!

    Lauren
    http://tasteslikelove.blogspot.com

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  18. Good for you!!! I'm SO excited for you!!! Glad you had a great first day. :)

    http://shannonhearts.blogspot.com

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  19. Congrats! It sounds like it was a productive day which is an automatic win I would think. I can't even imagine how exciting getting a wholesale order would be. Then again I can't even imagine getting to the point where I could run my own business. I can say from just regular life that getting dressed is the first step to a successful day (when I was working part time I hated finding myself in pjs at noon having done nothing).

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  20. Anonymous7:49 PM

    Way to go girl! Puppy snuggles are an added bonus to working from home, yes? :)

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  21. Anonymous12:40 AM

    I can't wait for this day to come for myself. Good for you lovely!

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  22. Congrats, girl! It's a tough transition (coming from moi, who's been doing it for about 6 weeks now). Still learning what works and what doesn't. But a wholesale order and a wholesale inquiry?! Pretty solid start to the solo-gigging! Woo hoo!

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  23. Does changing into sweats count? Sounds like a pretty good first day.

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  24. Anonymous8:29 PM

    Congrats!

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  25. Late to this party, but good luck on this journey. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Keep making lists.

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  26. I've been out of the rat race for a year now and it still feels weird. Granted I got out to go back to school, so it's not like I'm at home all the time, but this summer I've just been home and it still hasn't felt normal. I am working up a storm building my Etsy shops, so it's not like I'm not doing anything, but it still feels weird to not have a schedule like I did when I worked a 9-5. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that it's OKAY not to over-schedule myself. My brain thinks better w/o a schedule anyway. Lol. It just feels like I SHOULD have a schedule, maybe b/c I've always had one. Know what I mean?

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Thanks for the comment! I read them all and reply when I can. Please be sure your blogger account is linked to your e-mail so I can do so! (Tutorial on how to do that here: http://tinyurl.com/c6gh9fk) xo JA