Get Your House In Order

So now that i'm a business woman, there are certain issues that I need to address. What's that? you may ask--Money!!! After taking a long, hard look at my finances and where I stood fiscally, I have come to the conclusion that if I want to be taken seriously, I need to get my financial house in order. Now don't get me wrong, I decided that this needed to be done long before I had a business. However, the birth of HDH was the catalyst that I needed to take action. Having bad credit can be an embarrassing and difficult situation. For a long time, I felt as if I was buried under a mountain of bills. I had no clue on where to start, and sadly enough, I felt helpless. But, it's funny how a little thing called "empowerment" can change you. I became so overjoyed once I realized that I actually could act upon my dreams, that these feelings naturally began to spill over into other areas of my life. And, for the first time, I started asking myself "why not?" Why not start my own business? Why not live my dreams? Why not set goals, and actually attain them? Why not be financially free? Maybe some of my readers can relate to this, and maybe not, but for so long I had gotten used to being told "no." So often in fact, that I often told myself "NO," just because that's the way I figured it had to be. But let me tell ya, the audacity to hope for change is something else. I had the audacity to actually want to change my situation!

So, I sat down and made a list of what needed to be done. Then I broke the list down further, and came up with small goals that needed to be done to acheive the ultimate Big Goal. But, even with that, I realized that I was limited in what I could do for myself, and therefore, sought out advice from Leslie Smith, my business coach, as well as Theresa Navarre, my NACA Counselor. Both stressed that educating myself would be an important first step. Leslie ponited me in the direction of the New Orleans based Capital Access Project Credit Counseling program. I like this program, because they too, educated me on credit worthiness, and offered me real world advice on what I needed to get me from point A (poor credit) to point Z (great credit). I am allowing all of these people to help me become a better version of me. I am excited because I know that my life is undergoing drastic renovations, but I welcome it, and thank God for it. If you are in this boat, figure out what changes you can implement in your life today, and go from there. Get your house in order!!!

What I've Learned On Etsy (so far...)

Though my time on Etsy has been short (2 weeks to be exact), i'm proud to say that I have learned a few things. There is a wealth of information available to shop owners to help them to achieve their ultimate goals. Here is some of what i've learned thus far, this list is in no particular order:

1. Make sure your shop gives the best representation of you. Have bright, clear pictures that catches the buyers eye. Be sure to keep them free of clutter, only focusing on the product that is being sold. A great way to give your shop that polished look is to have custom designed banner. It makes it look more professional, and to me, it just seems to bring everything together. If you don't have the time or patience to try to create a banner yourself (like me), there are some very talented Etsians who can create one for you for a minimal fee. I used Erin Bradley Designs, very easy to work with and great products. Check her out here http://tinyurl.com/dbf3sf, or use Etsy's Bannerator here http://tinyurl.com/ntt88c.

2. Use your TAGS. Tags is what helps buyers find you and your products. Without them, finding your stuff would being like finding a needle in a haystack. Use any and all that relate to your products, even vague relations. Just use them, it will only help, 'nuff said.

3. Participate in the Community Forums. During my first few days on Etsy, I was like, okay, i'm not going anywhere near there (forums). I figured it would just further add to the confusion of Etsy, that was already paramount in my mind. Well let me tell you, when I finally did garner enough courage to venture over there, I was hooked. Not only do you gain exposure within the Etsy community, the wisdom and knowledge that lies within the forum boards is yours for the taking as well. I'm telling you folks, you can stare at your shops all day, but the forums is where the learning happens. It's a place to get advice from experienced Etsians, learn the tricks of the trade, and an overall nice place to hang out and make new friends. Warning though, once you venture over, you WILL BE hooked! Trust me, i've sat up until 3 am playing in the forums.

4. Etsy offers classes and workshops. The Virtual Labs are so cool. They offer everything from Newbie Chat (if your a newbie like me, you won't want to miss) to Chat with Matt (which by the way, was my first experience with this feature). It's an open forum in which you can interact with the speaker. Just totally cool in my opinion. You have to be logged on to Etsy to be able to participate.

5. Find and join a team. I don't have much experience in this area yet. Although I did join Handmade Louisiana (see them here http://tinyurl.com/lq7oxv), which seems to be a lovely group of artisan crafters from The Boot (Louisiana, LOL!). I joined right after they'd had a meeting. I had been following them long before I opened my shop, and was super excited when I found them on Etsy. I can't wait until the next meeting, which will be my first. Teams are another great way to learn through interaction. The goals of teams can vary greatly from your own personal set of goals, so it's good to find a team that best suits your needs.

Okay so my meager offerings are only a microscopic tip of the iceberg, but, I hope this helps somebody. I have so much more to learn (much, much more). I know I won't ever know everything about the machine that is Etsy, but, I hope to expand my knowledge base so that someday, I can be in his shoes http://tinyurl.com/6jpdnt, well not exactly his, maybe this cute little pair of wedges i've been eyeing, but you get the point. My aspiration is to become a Top Seller, and, with work, due diligence, and knowledge, I know it will happen. A Newbie Chat starts in about five minutes, so that's it for now.