Sunday is the day I like to show off what I’ve make during the week. Today I could show off the mess on my table or studio desk. Or, if only it were possible, I’d like to show off the synapses and connections made at this year’s Schoolhouse Craft conference. Tara Swiger, Marlo Miyashiro and Caitlin Bacher offered up so much good information that my brain still feels full.
The conference was worth it, for sure. I have many action points, and I need to act on them while I still feel inspired.
My first action point is to proudly talk about what I make. I’m still plagued by worries that what I make isn’t good enough. But you know what, people like it, they buy it. Why do I still feel like what I do is so inferior?
I could, easily, keep my business where it is, and that would would be that. And it wouldn’t be bad. But, I would like to grow it. And, what I learned is that I need to get my head around my ideal customer, business budgets, social media and more.
I need to organize my bead stash. I need to add more items to my store. I need to take better photographs. (How can I add the personality of my business to those photos.) I need to be better about catching typos. These tasks are overwhelming, but they’re also exciting.
As exciting as it all seems, just thinking about it all makes me want to put on my pjs and do anything but what needs to be done. But, I’m here at the computer, and that’s a start
I only have one more Saturday at the market, and I’ll start giving up four hours or more of my Saturdays to get business stuff done.
Morgan, as always, has offered a sympathetic and curious ear. For a man who is for sure part artist, he’s fascinated by the business side of what I do. Crazy, right!?
Another interesting thing about the conference was the connections I made for work. Some of those were the “Hi, I’m Stephanie,” kind of connection. Some were more of a “Hmm, how would that fit into our small-business coverage?” I’ve come to learn that I love the small-/micro-/solo-business world. Entrepreneurs face the same issues no matter what the product or service. I love hearing the stories. I love connecting the dots, for myself and others. Is this a passion? A path? For sure it’s another thing to contemplate/do.
Speaking of which, I’d better get to doing.
But first, here’s a little of what I did over the last week.
