Tuesday, June 3, 2014

The Hard Stuff

Hello friends! I'm at Starbucks right now being one of those people, people-watching from behind my laptop screen. I pretty much never go to the coffee shop to work, but I was here the other day just to get a coffee and I thought that it might be a nice change of scenery for work. I really love our house so I am always pretty content working from home all day. I rarely feel the urge to "get out" beyond our back yard. But in some ways, I've been feeling a bit "slumpy" lately and thought a different environment could help.
For the past month, or even longer, I've been trying to figure out what's next for JAA. I felt a little lost and honestly probably pushed myself more into wedding stuff because I wasn't sure what to do with the business. I told myself that after the wedding, I would get back on track easily. It didn't completely happen that way. Last week I felt like...I was still waiting....waiting for the light bulb, waiting for the inspiration.

It wasn't until this week that I realized where I needed to be. I need to pursue the big picture. For so long I have been so focused on my Etsy shop, individual Etsy sales, how to grow on Etsy. This year for me is really about growing beyond that and it has been hard to shift my focus. Having realized this, it made me feel a little better about being "lost" for some time because the next step is not "routine." The next step is the hard stuff.

Running a business on your own is not easy. It's fun and exciting to share successes, big steps, growth...but most times that all comes after a lot of messy, confusing uncertainty. And that's the part that doesn't get shared enough. That insecurity. It's normal. It's natural. I'm not the only one feeling this way. And neither are you.

12 comments:

  1. Definitely needed to read this today. Thank you for sharing the "messy, confusing, uncertain stuff"...I've been going through this for the last 6 months and can't seem to crack the "what the hell am I going to do next with my business??" phase. It's reassuring to know that others go through this, too, and that it's normal and natural. :)

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  2. Raechelle10:30 AM

    As someone who is dipping her feet into starting a business on Etsy...thank you so much! This is just what I needed to hear today. You are an inspiration and I can't wait to see where the biz goes next!

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  3. LOL I would feel pretty said if no other bloggers got into a slump! I am glad that business owners feel this way too :)

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  4. the new things are always the hardest....because they're unfamiliar and maybe outside your comfort zone. My step for growth this year is to hire help. I have someone helping me a few hours a week and it has helped, but I need to get better at training and correcting if the work isn't what I want.

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  5. It's so awesome to hear someone else talk about this feeling---especially when I'm right in the middle of it myself. Sometimes you can plod along worry-free with tons of ideas in your head and the next morning you wake up and feel like a sham with no original ideas and no vision or direction. It's nice to be reminded that you're not the only one!

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  6. Wonderfully put! I enjoy these candid posts. Thank you.

    Hannah

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  7. As a new business owner, I find myself in this place a lot. Though I have been making art for a long time, I'm new to blogging, I'm new to social media, and I'm horrible when it comes to selling my work out from behind my computer screen at events! Each of these new steps I take scares me, and sometimes paralyzes me. But the truth is, every time we take that new and scary step forward into the unknown, we grow and learn and get better at what we're trying to do! Thanks for saying it out loud! More of us should!

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  8. Yeah, I totally needed this today. I've been in a FUNKY SLUMP for a few months now. And I kept spinning and crying. The blog. The shop. I just realized I need a break. So I'm taking one. That is all :)

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  9. I totally get where your coming from, recently I stopped blogging for almost three weeks which is so unlike me, I have things in mind but I just don't feel inspired right now. I'm glad I'm not alone in the slump. Good luck with your next move, you will be amazing I'm sure! Nikki x

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  10. Dear JulieAnn, it is without a doubt one of the most effective things you can do with your direction to face these walls dead on and patiently work it out. Good on you. I am an artist, with an etsy store, and have found you thought that. I love hearing your stories and growing with you as I learn your lessons with you. I want to reach out to you and let you know that I may be able to help you in this step, as I also develop websites and ecommerce sites. No more etsy $0.20 cent listing fees! Only paypal fees.. Let me know if you're interested, I'm always willing to share my advice too. Cheers! Ned.

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  11. It happens. Sometimes, you just end up feeling a little "lost." Or overwhelmed because you're not quite sure what to do. There's never really a clear vision when you're your own boss, and that's okay. The good news is that you get to pick the pace and make your own decisions -- whatever is right for you. I hope that the workshop and all your upcoming events will really provide an inspiratigasm. Whatever you choose to do with your business, I know you'll do it well. You always dive in with both head and heart, and give it your all.

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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