Month: November 2013
The Steady, Yet Bumping Road Forward
Starting this new business venture has been pretty overwhelming so far. Don’t get me wrong, I expected it to be a challenge, but there are so many aspects to work on and so many things that need to be done, its hard to organize all of those tasks in order of importance.
Right now I’m currently struggling with the financial aspect. Last time I wrote I had an issue with finding my niche. As of now I think I’m heading in the right direction with that and I believe I know what I’m going to specialize in. I even have a mission statement to start with and use in my business proposal. However, after figuring out my niche and moving forward with that, the issue of “I’m a broke, unemployed [kinda] former graduate student and teacher” – it isn’t just a matter of having money to buy supplies and the things I need to get started, its a matter of having money to LIVE! Ha!
While this technically falls in the “personal life” category, it does however affect my “business life.” One of the reasons I thought this was a great time to pursue my business is that the opportunity presented itself. I am no longer in school, having graduated several months ago, and I am currently working as a substitute teachers since I was unable to secure a full time teaching job. This is wonderful since subbing allows me to make my own schedule and I get to go in, do a job and walk out. There are no late night lesson plan writing and researching for the next chapter unit. However, the flexibility of this job also means that jobs are not steadily guaranteed. Yes I get to chose if I want to work tomorrow or the next day by accepting or rejecting jobs BUT there has to be job offers to accept and reject. I’m finding that this isn’t enough.
Currently I’m looking int freelance writing, as a supplement to my income, since the tutoring jobs are not panning out fast enough. Being new to online freelance writing, getting started is a full-time job for me write now. I’m trying out 4 different sites that offer this kind of work and it’s very confusing and time consuming. You have to know what your doing and build a pretty awesome profile, resume, skills summary etc. in order to get accepted for jobs. Even then I’m struggling to figure out how to “bid” on jobs.
With a little more time and a lot more research I’m sure I’ll eventually get the hang of it. In the meantime, Dollface Darlin’ has one more show in a couple of weeks in the city of Cerritos. After that there will be a craft boutique right before Christmas. During this time new Etsy product pictures will be taken and new descriptions will be written. My goal is to have the shop up and running full force by the end of the year to allow me time to work on new inventory.
Finding My Niche
Lately I have been doing a lot of research on how to get my little business up and running. While I know there is going to be a lot to read, a lot to plan and a lot to learn before I ever get where I want to be, I know I have to start somewhere. I have decided to start with people who have successfully gotten their business to a place where it can sustain them financially and still offer the happy comforts of doing something they love. I’ve begun reading Etsy’s “Quit Your Day Job” Series (as mentioned in my earlier post). There are a lot of great inspirational stories there with some really awesome advice.
My problem lately has been knowing a general idea of what I want and not knowing how to get there. Reading about other peoples’ journey has really helped me get an inner dialog going in my head as to where I should start and how I should proceed.So this is where I am starting to brainstorm:
What do I know how to do?
I know how to sew – by no means am I an expert but I think one day with a lot of hard work I could be. I taught myself everything I know so far and I can keep learning. I’ve dabbled in resin, jewelry, embroidery, even millinery and welding a couple of times in college – but none of it has been my own work. Everything I have done has been other people’s ideas and other people items. For instance, the jewelry I make is not something I hone from scratch, its chains and clips from the local Walmart and charms I made out of bottle caps or that were purchased from Michael’s. Most of the things I’ve done has been things I’ve seen other people make. I have designed and created my own vinyl purse but it was hard, difficult and time consuming. Not something I can do at this time since it would take me a good few months to build my purse inventory to maybe no more than 10 purses. That is something i will have to venture in later when I’m more established and maybe have some help or a better understanding on how to manage my time. That might be something I want to add to my shop AFTER I’ve found my niche.
Who am I?
I’m a college and higher education graduate. I’m a teacher and a historian by profession and a failed artist by interest. I’m a girl whom has always felt she was born in the wrong era. I’m a mommy to doggies and I have an infinite amount of shoes! I like fashion but do not consider myself fashionable.
What are my fears?
I’m afraid to sew clothes for other people. My biggest fear is having the garment unravel, fall off or tear apart while the person is wearing it. It’s a little bit like that naked in front of a crowd nightmare. I’m especially afraid of sewing pants, even for myself, mostly because I’m afraid of fit and tailoring. I do not consider myself knowledgeable enough. I’m afraid I’m not creative or talented enough to come up with my own ideas or even worse, not be able to realize my own ideas without copying someone else. I think I’m crafty and creative but I lack imagination – it’s what I mainly attribute to my “failed artist” label, that and lack of talent.
What would I like to see my shop include?
I’ve gotten a lot of ideas from my research so far and I have held onto my own ideas as well, but I think there is an issue of, “more isn’t always good, sometimes its just more” and “figure out what works, keep what does and fix what doesn’t” – So some ideas I have are making it something I believe in, like maybe donating part of the proceeds to animal charities and shelters. I also want it to be an extension of who I am and what I love. This could been anything and everything from a vintage feel, to incorporating something about me in it: teaching aspect, historical twist…..something.
I think these are something things I need to constantly be thinking about in order to start a path towards finding my niche. Otherwise I have a shop full of “stuff” that is not unique, imaginative or in demand.
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“I wrote a pretty strict business plan and stuck to it. I had a time-frame in which I wanted to be able to accomplish my goals. I budgeted the little profit that I had in the beginning as wisely as I knew how. I worked hard on finding the best, most cost-efficient suppliers that I could. I had a small amount in my budget for things like branding, packaging, and advertising and promotion. I learned so much in those first few months. I feel like all I did was read.” – RiverValleyJewelry in Quit Your Day Job
Trying My Hand At It All
Hello new readers (in other words, Hi Mom and a couple of people who may have gotten lost and stumbled upon this blog by accident). As you may have noticed, this is my new blog – and with most things that are new, I’m trying finding my niche. So while this is a blog primarily for my Dollface Darlin small business, I will most likely be posting about my crafting adventures, sewing mishaps and a few tutorials here and there. Most of all I’d like this blog to focus (at first) on my journey to creating a successful small business.
So, let’s start at the beginning: In the spring of 2008 I bought myself a sewing machine. Having graduated from college a couple of years earlier – and not having much else to spend my time on – I bought myself an inexpensive Singer sewing machine and decided to teach myself how to sew. Relying on tutorials and videos I found online, and a lot of trial and error, I began my online Etsy store. Since then, my little business and I have been in an “off and on” sort of relationship. I stopped when I went to graduate school in 2011, started sewing again when I took a year off in 2012, stopped again to finish Graduate school sometime in 2013 and finally – now that Graduate school is done and over, I am back again and hoping to make this a “long-term relationship.”
My overall theme is vintage and retro styled items. I do everything from sewing purses and bags, to creating jewelry and accessories. I also try my hand at embroidery (both hand and machine), screen printing, sewing clothes and even pet accessories from time to time.
As you can see, my business plan is sort of all over the place. Following me on my quest to finding my place in this DIY world and turning my crafty mind into a business mind. My current inspiration: Etsy’s “Quit Your Day Job” series. Take a look at these amazing people who turned their hobbies in to full time jobs. And until next time….stay crafty!
Dollface Darlin' 