Learning From An Expert

While working on an article about ETSY I wandered here and there on the website, eventually finding myself reading this wonderful article in the VenusZine on Crafting a Business by Jenny Hart.

Jenny is an Etsy seller and the genius behind Sublime Stitching. She has a nice blog and more at the website, so if you like embroidery, go check her out!

But even if embroidery isn't your thing, you should read her article. She honestly describes trying to a grow a DIY business in a way that both encourages me and still gives me that chill-in-the-pit-of-my-stomach feeling:

It still is scary. But the scary part is different now. Attempts at making bigger strides, having more demand than resources to meet those demands, managing money wisely, and trying to find financial backing and business people in the industry who get the DIY movement (psst … they don’t) to possibly partner with. I’ve often felt very much like running a successful business is discovering the emperor has no clothes. Only, you’re king at your own company, which means you’re the one feeling naked.

About encouraging others to take a similar risk:

I find myself struggling to come up with some snappy reply that is encouraging and informative without saying "Go for it! Work really hard and it will be everything you dreamed!" Unfortunately, that’s just not the whole story. But I will say this: If you don't do it, you'll never know. And once you start, you'll see the next step and take it. Then it will become easier, then harder again, then easier, then doubly harder, and you'll find you're on your way. Where are you headed? Well ...

It won't look like what you expected.

It won't go the way you planned.

If you can be OK with that, do it.

There's more in this article, the first of 5 on Crafting A Business. Personally, I can't wait until December 5th for part two.

I also blog at: Deb's Daily Distractions and BlogHer on Mondays and Saturdays.


VenusZine,Sublime Stitching ,Jenny Hart,Crafting a Business