Taking A Little Whiff Of The Sweet Smell Of Success

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I've been getting noticed lately.  Gratitude has been expressed to some of those who pointed and said, "hey, in case you haven't seen it yet, look at what she's doing."  Wonder has been prominant in the mind of the girl who never really thought much of herself despite accomplishments.  Ruthie's question, "are you afraid of success?" has taken center stage for me these days.  It seems I'm on the brink of something a lot bigger than what I'm used to.  Deciding what steps to take has merely anchored me to one spot on the ground while my head is busy spinning in circles. 

Emerson's quote is one of my favorites.  It reminds me that success is not measured in dollars.  You can't convince the wise person that you are successful by driving a fancy car or wearing designer clothes. 

On the other hand, there's something to be said about earning enough money to live all on your own.  I've spent my whole life wondering what it would be like to make money for myself instead of earning a salary from someone else.  I also found it is much safer to dream about those things than to actually try to go out and grab it.  Less satisfying of course, but much safer.

I've been offered some opportunities that could very well put me a few steps closer to earning that living without relying on a day job.  Secretly I'm kind of scared and nervous.  Okay, maybe not so secretly.  I might just take advantage of some of those opportunities, no matter how scary.

So off I go on the scary road of the unknown to find some monetary success.  Maybe I'll win the respect of intelligent people (like Emerson said) on the way.

So on and on you go, the seconds tick the time out
There's so much left to know, and I'm on the road to find out
Cat Stevens

Moving Forward

A life has passed, the rituals performed.  For some there will be times of emptiness and uncertainty.  For others, a stack of thank-you notes waiting to be composed and mailed. 

After a week of easing Mrs. Husby into the great beyond and hosting the funeral events I don't know what I'm about anymore.  The weekend proved to be a time of recharging in front of the TV and computer screen, accomplishing a lot of chit-chat on Facebook and Twitter and seeing several movies but not much else. 

It's time to get back into real life again.  Will I remember how to do my day job?  Could it be I'll have some time to vacuum the accumulating sock lint off the carpet?

Real life also brings on the new challenge of making decisions about Mr. Husby.  I'm not ready for that.  Husby isn't ready for that.  Yet we move forward, dealing with it as though we are indeed ready.

And what's with Daylight Savings Time starting in March?!  I really could have used that extra hour this weekend.

Getting The Groove Back

At long last, I'm back.  Maybe it hasn't been so long, but long enough for me.  We, Husby and I, have been quite occupied with the business of Mrs. Husby's demise, wake, and funeral, not to mention occupying ourselves with how we are going to proceed with Mr. Husby. 

The last couple of weeks have seemed like months.  Spending time in Husby's parents' house has been wearisome and downright boring at times.  Waiting...waiting...waiting.  Mrs. Husby had a peaceful demise for which we are all grateful.  The meeting and greeting during wake (visitation) and funeral has put a strain on our emotions and backs, although I must say it was good to see some distant friends.  It's also quite apparent that Husby and I have a marvelous network of family and friend support.  I can't give thanks enough for all my family has done during these times, and I must give a shout out to Ruthie for being so faithful and keeping my family in stitches and the Gundersons in coffee.

In those days and weeks I've been away from the computer and with my return I found out I've made several new friends and even made Etsy's Reading List.  What an honor!  Thank you Jane, of Glorious Hats for suggesting my humble article to the people at Etsy.

So now it's time to move on.  Next on the docket: candles, magnets, and drink charms.  Spring is officially here as we had our first thunderstorm of the year this morning.  That means it's time to build up inventory for upcoming the craft shows and festivals this summer.  I'm still trying to screw up the nerve to approach some brick and mortar shops for some consignment and wholesale business.  Kinda shy that way, but finding more venues for my wares is a goal for 2010.

This weekend I'm going to begin work on some new drink charm sets.  Here's a sneak peek:

On Starting A Business

This weekend my friend Ruthie wanted to get some advice on starting a business. 

Yikes. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants.  But when I got to talking to Ruthie I realized I've gone through all the steps and am recognized as a bona fide organization known as a Limited Liability Company.  Me?  A company?  Yes, it's true.  And so Ruthie wanted the skinny on how it all began, and what is entailed in the process of starting a business.

I won't bore you with all the details of our afternoon-long conversation, but I must admit she had some very good questions for me.  If you're thinking about turning a hobby into a business, here are some things you might want to think about.

1.  When do you decide to make the jump to making your hobby a business?  This is a good question.  I think the answer is probably different for everyone.  My answer: I felt obligated to pay sales tax to the state in which I do business so I applied with the Secretary of State and put in a request to be an LLC.  An added bonus: tax exempt status with some stores on supplies and the ability to do business with wholesale suppliers.

2.  What's better, online selling, consignment stores, wholesale customers, or art/craft fairs?  Once again, this answer is probably different for everyone.  Each venue has pros and cons and the pros depend heavily on what you are trying to sell.  I resisted online selling for years because my primary product was candles.  I figured people would much rather touch, see, and smell candles in person.  I was quite right about that.  I do sell candles online, but they are not my main focus.  I broadened my line to extend beyond candles, and those items sell much better online.

Consignment versus wholesale?  I've done both.  I would choose wholesale accounts over consignment stores because they are sure sales.  However, your products will have to be sold at a reduced price, usually half of what you would charge retail.  Consignment allows you to charge as much as you want and the store owner gets a commission.  But your sales aren't guaranteed and a lot of your inventory could be tied up in a store that might or might not sell your product well. 

In my estimation, for my business and product, the art/craft fairs are a good bet.  I can put a little bit of everything out, make sales without having to pay a commission, and get to hear feedback on my products firsthand from the people shopping.  Also, participating in fairs and shows provides great networking opportunities with other vendors. 

3.  How hellish is the business side of a crafting business?  I can't lie, if you are running a business it is in your best interest to keep impecable records.  I manage the record-keeping myself and taxes are handled by Husby, but one could surely hire accountants and tax people to take care of that.  I'll confess I've spent hours setting up Excel spreadsheets for sales and expenses and have calculated to the last fraction of a penney the cost that goes into each and every product I make.  That may seem hellish to some.  For me it took away from production time, but setting up worksheets and doing calcuations in the beginning are worth it for easy bookkeeping throughout the year.

4.  Are you prepared for success?  Typically people will fear failure when starting a business, but there is such a thing known as fear of success.  What happens if your business takes off beyond your wildest dreams?  Do you know what you'll do?  Will you expand and hire employees (if you haven't already)?  It's not arrogant to speculate huge success, because it, as well as failure, must be considered and plans must be made regarding how you will handle either scenario.

Whether you decide to maintain a hobby or start a business, the main thing I can recommend is to do something you love.  I mean, if you're going to do something that wears on you or don't enjoy, you might as well be making money for someone else instead of yourself.  One other piece of advice - don't have expectations.  Expectations tend to be violated and that only leads to a boatload of disappointment.  Take it all as it comes; the bad things will become opportunities and the good things will become motivators. 

House Fix

As is very typical of me when I’m feeling like I am today I took a little drive down Summit Avenue. I had the excuse of needing to see my bottle cap supplier, but the drive was what I really needed.  Seeing the houses on Summit makes me happy and melancholy at the same time.

Here is a house F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in.

This is the Chauncey Griggs house. I love the name Chauncey. I also love the house. It's pretty famous for being haunted by several spirits. I've been inside this house more than once, and would buy it in a minute if it were less than $5000. The rest of my money (as well as thousands more given to me by generous doners like you) would have to go toward maintenance.

This next house has always been one of my favorites.  It was built by Joshua Sanders, president of the Northwestern Lime Company.  I just love the little skinny windows.

If you live in the Twin Cities area don't forget to drive/stroll/bike/jog down Summit Avenue once in a while.  If you don't live in the Twin Cities area and would like to see more pictures of this historic five-mile stretch of mansions, check this out.

(Oh, and just for the record, I did get the bottle caps)

Spring Is Almost Here - Where's The Flower Shop?

Well I've done it. The Pulp Fiction Magnet collection has been listed in its entirety at my shop.  I just love these little snippets of smut.  Be sure to stop by some time and check them out. 

Now what's next?  I have some really wonderful palm wax votives fresh out of the melting pot I might offer up.  I've also been working on the bottle cap drink charms and will reprise them in the shop shortly.  OK, you caught me.  It could be I'll be having a couple of new charm sets to offer.  All I have to do is take pictures of the finished products.

Today I was quite sad to see my favorite flower shop in the skyways of St. Paul has been closed.  I never bought a thing there, but it was always a source of inspiration, looking at the window displays and smelling wonderful natural scents as I walked by.  I was oddly affected by the empty shop, saddened at the megastore mentality that has seeped into our lives squeezing out the quaintness of small businesses.  Do you have a favorite small business that inspires you?

This isn't the flower shop of which I spoke.  This one is in France.  I guess I have a thing for quaint flower shops.

Tick Tock

Things just couldn't be more emotionally draining around here.  Mrs. Husby is center of attention, of course.  She's got an expiration date that has been putting pressure on Husby and me to get things wrapped up regarding her affairs and to finalize plans for the "celebration of life."  Of course there is the remaining issue of Mr. Husby.  I kind of hate to refer to him as an issue, but the circumstances surrounding him certainly qualify as an issue.  This is extremely weird.  I never thought it would be like this.

Production continues as well as can be expected.  I spent some time working on the bottle cap collections, magnets and drink charms.  There are also dozens of palm wax votives in the making.  Palm wax is where it's at, you know.  All natural, renewable, non-petroleum-based wax.  I've got some really fun scents going too.  The latest in the melting pot was Lemon Pound Cake.  Scrumptious.

Despite my pleasure in making things like drink charms and candles, it's been rather dreary around here these days.  The attention to my blog is so much less than I would like, and the subject matters, well, less than entertaining.  So bear with me.  Better days are yet to come.