Rule #1 - The Doctor Lies.....
As the title suggests, this weeks blog is all about myths (all the Whovian's out there will get the reference i'm sure). Running your own business is NO piece of cake. Had there been cake I would have found it a lot easier. Particularly if it was chocolate cake :)
Let's rewind a moment back to Dec 2016, when, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to quit my day job, take the plunge, and go it alone.
Yes, madness indeed. Leaving a well paid job after 8 years with stability, to jumping into the fiery pit of uncertainty that is being self employed. It's enough to make you lose your mind let alone your hair.
For the most part, people were hugely supportive. Plenty of "well done you" , "congratulations" and "you got huge balls" interspersed with "you must be crazy". If you know me, I am a LITTLE crazy, but no more than you reading this haha!!
Then came the myths...so lets drill them down a little....
#1 YOU CAN STAY IN BED WHEN YOU WANT
OMG!! The amount of times I heard this one! Yes, I can get up when I want, work when I want (or not). COMPLETE BS! Fact is, I work longer hours now than I ever did. Most days i'm up by 8.30, and still working long into the small hours. Not exactly a 9-5 is it Dolly????
#2 YOU CAN TAKE HOLIDAYS WHEN YOU WANT
Hmm, this one is true to the point that I CAN choose when I take time off - with the massive down side of the fact that it's not as simple as just having a holiday. Gone are the carefree days of not worrying about work while I'm away. It's more a case of "oh shit, what if I miss a load of potential orders" , or people forget me as im not plastering social media every 5 mins. What if thy shop elsewhere in my absence?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
#3 IF YOU INVITE THEM, THEY WILL COME....
So, you have your business. You have your products. WELL DONE YOU! You set up FB, Insta etc. You take pretty pictures of your wares. You invite all your friends to follow you. Now let's sit back with a coffee and await the avalanche of orders....ahhh bliss......
Although the avalanche is more like a drought.
Here's a newsflash - they WONT come if you simply invite them. You have to work your ass off to make it happen, and even that's not guaranteed. I spend hours a week on social media trying to come up with witty, engaging posts that are seen by over an average of 10k+ potential customers A WEEK, in the vain hope that SOMEONE out there will like my goods enough to make a purchase. 1 week I had a famous celeb post a picture of him wearing a t-shirt he got from me on Instagram. Within 2 hrs it had over 13,000 likes. How many did I sell from that.....3. Yes you heard me...just 3
#4 YOU CAN SPEAK YOUR MIND
Nothing worse than when your boss over-rides your decision in work, right? Having to bite your tongue, do as "the man" (or woman) tells you. But wait! You are YOUR own boss now! Time to be free and tell it like it is....
WRONG!
It's like this. YOU are now your boss. You are the face of your business & products. No more palming off a customer to your superior. It's ALL on you. How you handle a difficult customer/situation has a massive impact on your reputation - a reputation which can torpedo your business if you get it wrong.
When I sit back and look at this blog, it looks like someone trying to put you off working for yourself - it's not. It's a birds eye view of what to expect. The things you don't get told. For me personally, it was the best thing I ever did. Even though as we speak I am in the QUIETEST period of sales since I started in May 2016, and finding it a real struggle to get customers to purchase anything, do I regret it???
NEVER!
Which is why next week the blog will be all about the fun stuff, the benefits, the wins and the smiles :)
In the mean time, feel free to comment, do the old FB like thing..or even better have a look at my shop. Please, we have cake this week!
And don't forget....the man in the blue box lies :)
Adios!
