8 Days a Week

One thing I have learned about owning my own business is that I put twice as much time into the business than I ever put into a 9 to 5. The other thing is, is that I don't mind one bit. The difference: I like what I do now.

one of my many work stations throughout the 
appartment

Before, I swear time stood still around 2pm. The day seemed so loooooong, almost torturous. Don't get me wrong, it was a steady paycheck doing a job I was good at and that I liked doing, but it was not my first choice in how I wanted to spend my day.  These days, in the blink of an eye, four hours passes by. Before I know it, the sun is setting.

Hard at work 

Believe me, it's not all sunshyne and roses though. The months after Christmas and before Spring are pretty hard, financially. There are no arts and crafts shows in this time and I have to rely web site sales to pay the bills. So far I have squeezed by unscathed. But being a full time crafter has many other risks.

In order to sell my wares, I apply to arts and crafts festivals.  Most are juried shows which means I never know from year to year if I will even get in. If I'm lucky and I do get in, there is a chance that the weather could be bad that weekend or that I will be given a booth spot that is not optimal, which means lower attendance and fewer customers.  

Rainy day at last year's Lilac Festival

Or worst case scenario. like last year's Lilac Festival, they closed down the whole fest due to inclement weather. According to most festival contracts, there are no refunds given to vendors if that should happen. (participation in most arts and crafts festival ranges from $75-$200 PER DAY!)

There are a great many risks to doing what I do, but I do it for the love of creating art. All of the decisions I have made are worth it when the customer in front of me is psyched with their new purchase. Every sale is appreciated beyond words and it is always humbling  when my work brings a smile to someones face. 

from now through 3/1/12, get 15% off of your entire purchase at www.sunshynesilverwear.com by entering coupon code '8DAYS' at check out.