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Benefits of Owning Your Own Business

What we value in our lives, what we value in our business. And if you want to share ah, with us online, what you think your main values are? That would be great. And I definitely want to hear from you guys to like, what makes you feel like you're a good candidate to be an entrepreneur versus working a lot of other kinds of jobs? Or what makes you want to hop onto this track? What? What, you know, really stands out in your life that you want to create or make that a handmade business is going to help you with that, heather. Okay, I was excited, tio, try to start my own business because I want to set a really good example for my kids to let them know whatever their heart desires. They can follow it. And with persistence and the desire, they can succeed. So value wise, I love to create. I just since I can remember, I just always loved to create. And then I wanted to share it. And I want to show my kids they could do anything they want. So that's what motivates me? Family? Yeah. Good famil...

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What was the first thing you remember making when you were little, um, wait christmas wreaths at these little tiny three sided plastic things that I gave away so became a tradition in every year I would make a new christmas ornament for everybody in the family that was pipe cleaners in a little bow and nice yeah I saw the creative life staff made some pipe great pipe cleaner craft thiss morning during their production reading getting ready for the show and maybe we could take a look at those at some point way have a great animal carry on yeah there's a fantastic bunny exactly but you know most of us start with ted planers it was just I mean they're like the unsung hero of the craft world you know absolutely high players where it all begins and this this part of what we're talking about right now is page fourteen of the work but it's a little it's a little wonky in the beginning because I tip I changed my mind because that's how creative I am I was like I'm going to make this and then change it when it's too late but so we talk about this particular exercise on page fourteen and it would be great if you guys wanted to follow along with that kathy what do you value in your work heather I think it is a great example for your for my kids to now than see me creating something but I do love to create and it kind of problem self and so when my mother asked you here what can we d'oh you know begin graphic designer turned to paper and design and the idea was you got the product and now I can do like a station and do different lines and artwork and whatnot and when my husband says I need to get a real job like dad yeah we're definitely gonna talk about that yeah I've heard that one myself so yeah you have a real job so good what's the first thing you can remember making how gosh I just always liked to draw when I was a kid yeah sketch doodle rosalee I'm just calling on people now so you guys don't speak up you're just getting called out I always wanted to own my own business because I just don't like other people telling me what to do get out here bosses even myself sometimes I'm like no carrie basically what's happening what's the first thing you remember making uh well my mom taught me how to knit when I was really young and I remember she taught me how to knit and pearl and I was like go away I'm going to make a sweater and so I did I made a eight year old version of a wow sweater it had one sleeve that was a completely different color because I ran out of yarn but whatever anybody else want to share what what you really value and worked out makes you want tio own a handmade business yes, in the past, I've had, uh if you could believe I've had jobs in the media, I was a writer and I worked in the media for the media relations department of the health department, but I really was my heart wasn't into it, but I did like the writing part of it and because I'm very introverted and on the shy side, so I like the the aspect of crafting that you can work on something and then show your finished product and try to get people to like it as well. And I'm also a stay at home mom, so I thought it would be a good way to earn money, although I'm not earning that much money yet, but hopefully in the future, yeah, hopefully we don't want to earn more money, and I think it's interesting that you had a job because that allowed you to write because you like to write, which is what most of my jobs have been, where I really wanted to be a writer, but wasn't sure what to write so I would just get jobs that caused me to write a lot, and I would hope, you know, I remember hoping like that that would satisfy my urge, tio right? And, you know, so it's interesting how we get started like that it's it's a whole process and that's continue a long time to get where you really want to be, but when you look back, you can see along how you were really working toward one thing. Does anyone online have any any values? Well, coal shed I'm starting hand me business is something I've thought about doing as a hobby and during the years of working, but I was laid off and I'm now looking to do something that I want rather than what I have to do. I started crafting many years ago for fun and give him a gift every year at christmas. I guess I'm still looking at possibilities for my future, but that is a value to do what you want. Yeah, it's one of the strongest ones you know, it's really easy to know what you don't want to d'oh like that's always been pretty clear to me, but it's much harder to figure out what you do want todo and so really just wanting to work for yourself if you can even just make it there that's a pretty big step because for a long time it just didn't seem to me like I really could own my own business or if I did think about owning a business, I thought, like, why would own a a coffee shop or something that made sense to me like you put something in a cup you take a dollar or five dollars these days on, then you know, you wash the cup and then you do it one hundred times a day for lucky that it was really hard for me to figure out well, how was work? We have some more coming flooding in, actually from north northeast things or any things. I loved my previous job, so much so that when I decided to resign to stay at home, I cried. I have always loved creating. I've worked since I was sixteen s o, it was hard for a hard decision to make having my own handmade business. I can still work in something that I enjoy, earn income and still care for my baby, because it's all about him. So it is making those priorities in life as your life changes and family and all of that, I'm sure that's a big struggle for a lot of people out there. I think it definitely is a big struggle when you can look at your big picture than figure out where your pieces are, you can actually build something that you I want to have and that meets all of your needs. But, you know, it's hard sometimes to just look at what that situation might be and to really decide the best thing for me is to do this really big scary thing or this thing that requires investment of time or money or just taking the risk you know and that's really that's really where we all start so it's it's really important but it's really can be very challenging for sure one more okay and the reason I want to read this is because it's cool in something like this kind of line with multiple values in your life not just one but rebecca national geography said I really value family I really value art and I really value helping people I value celebrating life so I create photographic art of people celebrating the start of their new families weddings on fine art photographs to celebrate the world together lovely job you know she's one of our regulars fantastic good so you know when we think about our values and when we are when you think about what you value and what what's really important to you as a person what's going to make you enjoy what you do every day it's it can bring up a lot of different feelings and I think it's important to get those not out of the way but to just start thinking about them and then figuring out how to work them into what you do so that their number one not surprising I don't know if many of you are semi stunted emotionally which is sort of how we describe myself sometimes like I'm just doing my work, but, you know, figuring out with that emotional reason is it's, why you're doing something, why, why you wantto make this happen, then all the sudden makes you think, like so much has to change, so I went to my life has to change, I have to change so much if I'm going to own a business have to be, like, really, responsible. I need to get a degree in mathematics. I need tio also have a whole studio where I can do my work. I need a lot of money to start. I need a lot of friends to start. I need to be the best they need to really perfect what I'm doing just to get going. And I want tio make sure that everybody knows that those are all lies, you don't have to be good at math, you don't have tio have a big following, you don't have tio be perfect at what you do, you don't, you don't have to do any of that to really start a business and to decide what you want, but what you do need to do is decide what kind of life you want to have and what kind of changes you need to make so that you could make space to do something new, which is something that I really you believe in and just as an aside note, this will work for any kind of change that you want to make in your life, not just starting a business, but what kind of life do you really wanna have? Do you want to have the kind of life that has a lot of freedom that's something that I personally need? I'm not very good with restrictions, rules, deadlines, timelines, fences, wass legal documents that required me to do things I really need a lot of freedom in order to feel like I can move about not only in the world but in my own head and so one, so you sort of figure that out it made a big difference and that kind of work, but I decided to do our decided to take on once I got really honest about that, or even just kind of dialed into the fact that it was freedom before I figured out it was freedom, I would think I'm just not good at anything. Oh, I just don't stick with anything. Oh, my grandmother used used a word a lot called flibbertigibbet when I was younger like, oh, you're such a flurry, jim it you're always changing your close your hair, your favorite band, whatever it's just always different, and I never I was saw that as flaws and wood I feel kind of bad about that and I'm hoping I'm hoping people can relate, so if you can go ahead and share that too, please so that I don't feel like alone, but once I really realized that all of the times I was changing or switching or stopping and starting but I was really doing was looking for freedom, I was really just looking for permission to move about in the world that I wanted to create and the way that was best for me and sometimes that is really hard to figure out what what kind of life do you want? And so one of the changes I needed to speak was actually and every time somebody said this year roll my eyes a little bit and I probably still do was he needed to be a little bit gentler on myself instead of saying you don't finish anything you start, I just started saying I love to start things and that's true, I'm really great starter or instead of, I'm not very good at at math. I don't know if I can read this contract because I'm not really sure did says I'm not a lawyer sadly, I did not go to law school, so I don't even know if I can do this job because I can't even read in contract correctly starting from the beginning that once I just started thinking that's what other people in the world are four so I can still move forward and have the freedom I just get help when I need it and letting myself kind of ease into that was really was really an amazing thing but in order to do that I had to figure out what kind of life I wanted and what did I want to give up so I wanted to give up number one being means myself because if I was going to be my own boss I was goingto is he really the best boss ever because I've had a lot of bosses who weren't so great which is why I was interested in working for myself and when it came down to it at the end of the day why would I want to do this and then be really mean boston myself or not have any fun or constantly be saying negative things to myself about the way I was going to do my work so there was a lot of things in my life that I needed to change before I really felt like I can own my own business and a part of that was just moving in to who I was going to be so you know, do you guys know that song I've been to paradise but I've never been to me he ever been where to paradise but I've never been tio so I'm definitely not paradise but I have absolutely figured out how to make that work for me, and I think that's something that we all need to dio do you guys have any changes that you think you need to make in your lives and orders you make your business good? Or is there anything from online so much so much throughout this whole conversation in general? Yeah, we've got I've got it's kind of funny because people are talking about how they so relate and how they have started so many businesses, and they change so many things and how they get criticized and caroline says, I just took a personality test that said there are four types of geniuses dynamos are the starters, the other types can just help us finish it. I'm definitely a dynamo, but we relate to this susan d oh my gosh, you know, changes change is one of the pillars of my life, like I love change, I thrive under change, so he's really doing one thing for a long time consistently that I don't drive under that. So this is a perfect for me, your own handmade business is perfect for me, and I think just having that what I love about what you're talking about us having that permission to be okay with it, because I think and I mean, I see you struggle it's that that feeling that you're talking about and I've got other people in here was with k I love to start things to you are not alone, but but it is it, and having that acceptance, that that is a strength, not a weakness you and attaching the thing about culturally, I know in the united states may be switching jobs and things that look down on, you're supposed to be consistent and stay with the same thing, and I don't know about in other countries how be interesting to see in or actually what they're societal pressure, I would assume it would be the same, yeah, and then, you know, they can take five patients while they think about it, like so they could they could get some time to relax while they try to work that out in some countries, but it's it's hard, especially if you're a starter or your family says, like, get a real job and you're just thinking what? No, this feels so riel, you know, so a change that, you know, maybe you would need to make of that instances to say at be quiet, please, yeah, whether I just like, I like to think of each new thing as an adventure, and we're all adventurers trying out something new because a lot of times fear holds people back that they will adventure into the next things, so I don't like to think of it as indecisive news or not knowing what I'm doing, I'm just add venturing into the next thing and just work, you know that in my head on my best cheerleader that's wonderful news. I'm really glad that you could there's nobody else in my head, so I figured I'd better be good at it. You're lucky about that, too. Sometimes actually there's a lot of people, so I made some space in the workbook, which which anybody can get a page fifteen, which is a place for you to write down the kinds of changes that you would make in your life, and whether that is changes that you want to make internally and the way you think about things, life is an adventure. It's okay to start some, you know, someday you'll find something you like enough that you want to continue and continue and continue or whatever you think those changes might be, that could really help you get to where you want to go. One of the things that I want us to do with the end of these three days is too sort of have a vision or a map of where we want to take at least one aspect of our handmade business for the next six months. It's so sort of everything we're doing over the three days I want tio be thinking about how is this going to impact the next six months of what I'm doing? Because we are going tio get get into it in a little while, but this is all about action. You can't make this life that you really want to have, you can't really put those values that you want in place if you're not willing to take action and that a lot of what we're going to do is figure out like ways to sneak the action in, because it can be daunting to say today, get my tax license or, you know, today I do this one big, big thing because there's lots of reasons to avoid putting that off, so we're going to try to figure out how teo I get action in, um, so there are a ton of benefits toning, hammy business, and I'm hoping I'm going to actually attempts tio use some nice handwriting on this piece of paper here, so we can all see. But I wanted to crowd source all of the benefits we can think of owning our own business, and this is important, because some days, some days you're just going to be like, what in the world was this about? This was I have no idea what I was thinking six months ago or six days ago or six minutes ago when I thought that this was a fantastic idea, so we're going to make a whole big list of what? What are the benefits of owning your own business and how these things can sort of boost you up for bolster you when you're having a low moments our day, week, month, quarter, two year period, anytime when you're just, like, really stressing out about what? What in the heck was I thinking will be able to refer back to some of these some of these words that remind us why owning handmade business is awesome? And so in the beginning of me creating all these slides, I was really into putting in sentences where you could just fill in the blank like me doing some of the work for you, but this is probably the last time we're going to see that, but it would be great if online you guys would share what you're what you think our benefits for owning a business, and we're going to start here and I am going to write them on this board, and I should also tell you, I'm not the best speller so that's a part of my creativity that I choose to embrace and a benefit of me owning my own business. A spell check but that's not available up here so we're just going toe groups were just going to go with it put her some benefits freedom that's my favorite benefit so well aren't says self expression self expression I think I'm going to start writing smaller because hopefully like more benefits than that satisfaction from actually making something completing something instead of filling satisfaction I'm going to say good feelings okay, so we have one out going now go go marlowe community which I really love about having my own business community is one of my favorite things and one of my favorite words I'm going we have surely and leading lady choosing your own path choosing the way you want to be of service in the world is kind of like freedom but yeah, joy choice choice I mean that it is definitely a benefit tony had made this is you could decide what you're going to do today to make a choice today and then over photographs today and just going to make today I'm going teo devise a social media plan choice is so big yes, just a sense of accomplishment when you see a finished product that you made yeah yeah you feel good said it'll calm I'm just gonna put, um finished product quite a few people are saying being your own boss and then sarah has control of trolls so have I learned about that from janet jackson be your own boss and control we have some coming in on twitter as well again reason hashtag carry live and from at mary beth hunt benefit to owning your handmade business as you get to set your own hours oh that is a great one very bad that is wonderful! I know I tend to be one of the one of the ways that I was able to build my business have successfully was one of the things that I had to do when I was figuring out my my best life was releasing how do I work the best? Because I really thought oh I'm gonna be a legit business lady I need toe get up at seven I need to be in some sort of outside by nine I need to be at a desk that's clean and well we've got people feeling the same way again in the twitter lands we have diana keeler who is at diana vehicular spending time learning by watching you in my sweat pants rather than at some redundant meeting we all know that those were doing where you want where what you want yes so that turned out to be a benefit in the new not benefit as my business grew for me actually which we can talk about in a little bit but said in your own hours is so great if you I like to go to bed around midnight or one, and almost every day I am out of bed at five I like to be up when the light is coming, appearing so not just sunrise, but that's a little weird time right before that. So I go to bed late and I get up early, and if I can get up and start my work day at five in the morning between five and like ten thirty, I can get more done and it eight or ten hour day. Then if I like sleeping and get a button, I start to think about work around. I'm just sort of toast by them like I've led. I let the motivational time for me go go past, and so I don't get much done on days where I sleep in, but so setting your own hours is really key. If you're a night owl or early morning person knowing when you're going, do your best work and then letting that happen, even if it doesn't feel normal or like fitting into a mould doesn't matter because you're the boss man. So you can just say whatever this is what's working for me, and this is how I'm going to do it. I don't know why it took me a long time as a business person to figure that out because I really have this idea of what a business person would be like, but when I did figure that out, I thought, awesome, I have a question, he said yes, that some of the benefits of, like, being able to wear what whatever you want, it ended up being serviced, he was that did you wake up one day and realize you just had a closet full of sweat pants? Also, it will come one day to really say, like hadn't changed my clothes and like side base, you know, when I used to think about owning my own business, it was like to be in my yoga pants, and my favorite t shirt is gonna feel so good and I'm really comfortable, and the trick of it was that for me and this is different for everybody, but if I want to do good work, I need to be a little bit uncomfortable, like, I need to be kind of aware of my body if I'm on a really tight deadline. This is a two story, and I just should follow that up with all my stories are true, I works my last really professional job included me doing a lot of events and parties from for my city in denver. And occasionally I would have to really dress up and I had two pairs of high heels I am a clog whereby nature even these flats that I'm wearing right now are like the lady ist sort of shoes that I personally owned I have a lot a lot of clogs and I love clogs but I also fall down a lot what I'm wearing them just be standing here and then just clean so I decided not to do that for creative life but I saved a pair of red high heel shoes from that last job that I have and if I'm behind on a writing deadline or any sort of deadline really sometimes slipping on those horrible painful shoes will propel me forward for it's like it just signals something in my brain that says like oh yeah you're totally working like get this done if this ends so you can take off the shoes or there's just something about it that when I get dressed every day which I still so I guess I would say this if we were at a cocktail parties I'll just go ahead and say it live but I still don't get just every day like you know just put on my day pajamas versus my about my world that way it's but I get better work done if I'm struggling like this is this is one of the things that I know if I start feeling stuck or stagnant I'm not sure what I'm doing or everything is confusing, and I've had a couple of really rough days where my work this isn't flowing, then I just need to get just properly, and something about just jolting myself out of my routine will propel me forward, and also no one should have a million pairs of yoga pants like like I do, and they're not even all nice anymore, but I still keep them um, so sometimes getting dressed can can shake things up just enough for me, which I appreciate. Does anyone else have any good words? Yes, and that satisfaction when something you were struggling with just worked and you're going to hold the door when you find something out about her, you're happy with what you just created, I think is self satisfaction. Yeah, you know you you feel good about your own ideas, you know when your ideas work and you get to be the one that says yes, catherine, and go that's a that's, a pretty good feeling anything else from online or there was someone I don't have their name at the moment, but they talked about being able to be a home with their kids business that you can actually stay home, yeah, so I'm going to call that lifestyle because it is a really big motivator. Getting to choose where you work and if you're at home all day and what that's like that's that's really important to your daily satisfaction and more satisfied you can make yourself the more I don't want to work on your business and then the happier you're going to be so just really getting to make those decisions I I don't really like to leave that much I like my house I like to stay in it I like it so much it's your creative life I really really like to stay home and work at home and that is a big reason why I continue to push myself forward because I don't want that heart to stop you know I don't want to go toe work somewhere else every day um so do you guys have any questions or any general thoughts about that I feel like this has been like hey nice to meet you you're going to have the stuff well I really like the conversation about that some of these things even though they're bennett's benefits can also be a challenge you just like some things that are weaknesses are also strength I saw earlier that benefit wass that the other being the envy or what have you of of all of your friends in the staying at home but then the comment wass but that's actually not all it's not as glamorous I guess as as it all might appear because it is but, yeah, it is a business and that's such a big challenge working from home to me, there could be a little creative line on how to successfully work from home. I went downstairs into my basement recently to just put clothes from the washer to the dryer. It should have taken me under five minutes, but when I was down there, I started folding something else, and then I was sweeping something else, and then I was looking in storage boxes like, what about that crazy? That I have been in my basement for forty five minutes? And that was stirring my working time? That was forty five minutes that I just lost, and I could have done those same things at seven p m not at eleven o'clock in the morning, so working from home is wei should crowdsource secrets to success for that, because it is definitely a challenge and a benefit, you know, it's it's hard, I don't really believe in balance, so, you know, I don't put a lot of pressure on myself that way, and I don't want anybody else to either, but I think balance is a myth or or sort of a little bit of a trick that we tell ourselves and kind of keeps us in line like I feel bad you don't know anything about the balance you can't do it all now you should feel bad you don't understand how to balance your time you know I think that that's balance balance mallon's way don't need that in here I have a question okay jennifer lynn says when you finally find your passion what do you meant to be do what when what you are meant to be doing how do you figure out what is next now that I have a book I want to share with the world under my belt there are so many areas I could go but which first that seems like a pretty big question to me that seems to be a question about marketing and selling your book and then jennifer do you mean by that that you've written this book and now you're like what's next because I'm here to tell you that's totally normal so there's you know I think when you figure out your passion you you I believe in taking what you really like todo and figuring now how many ways can you make it work for you and we're going to do this a lot on day three but I'll give you a sneak peak right now for instance I love writing books but the reason I love writing books is because I love helping people and jennifer I think that that's the scene for you I think that you're trying tio change the world and change the life of other young girls with your doodlebug if you're the same jennifer that was mentioned earlier um so what's next after that do you do workshops? Do you teach tio ask people to submit their own doodles, which you then turn into embroideries and then they hang them up on their wall like I mean the possibilities are endless in the more you keep working on little tiny parts of what you really like to dio, though more things will come to you out of all of the things that I can tell you over three days of starting a hammy business. The number one thing that you should definitely take away is that you're never going to run out of ideas. Your creativity is never, ever, ever going to dry up and disappear for a little while it might be are defined and I'm a little slippery and you can't quite catch it, but you are always going to have ideas and your next direction is always going to come to you there's been plenty of times where I because I personally have a problem. I had no idea during daylight I talk about myself so much e me, but um I really were a problem being in the now so in the past two weeks alone, I've launched a book I've had to dio a big bout of media around that I was coming to create alive to teach all of you I'm wrapping up another big project, I have that it's hard for me to be in the now being might be in my moment, and sometimes I'll think I'm not doing enough and definitely like not keeping up with, I don't know like some imaginary person, not even anyone in particular, but better carry I don't know some phantom carry that lives in my mind. I'll think this just isn't enough four books isn't enough helping, you know, getting however many e mails I got this week like isn't enough, I'm not doing enough work, I'm not citing enough contracts, I I'm not booked in two thousand sixteen I have no idea what's going to be happening in my business years from now on, clearly on the wrong and it's, just ridiculous, and I know so many of us do that and it's, just your ideas are always going to come if you're staying in your true zone of jennifer, I guess that's what you called your passion, which I think puts a lot of pressure on people. I'm not really sure that I have a lot of passions that's a word that feels really heavy, unloaded to me, so I have to reframe that for myself, as in what do I like right now and what direction can I take that and that I like right now versus like having a passion or calling because that just feels pretty serious to me, but you'll know what to do next because it will just make itself clear and if you are really trying to figure it out workshop it, what are at least three things you can do with your book that would take you in a new direction? Can you donate it to libraries and give free talks? Can you give it teo the boys and girls club and do a workshop with them? Can you figure out how to teach it? Can you figure out howto license it? Can you figure out how to turn it in to turn the art into a product line? So if you want to keep growing that business, then you have to keep thinking about it and working on it every day, even just a little bit, and the ideas will flow into that's a guarantee. Yes, I really love what you said about that continual, I'm not doing enough, I'm not doing enough, I think so many of us feel that way china and if you do at home but it's, if you if we can all this is actually currently what I'm working on right now, personally, what is that? Switching tio I've done enough at the end of the day have done enough, I am enough are always reminding me of that, but but I want to give rosalie have shout out and say, rosalie, I think you should make cem bathtub, you know, some of your shower are just I am enough or I've done enough what's funny because we think about starting your own handmade business or, like, all the business pricing, all of these things and what it really comes down to the most important thing is really how you talk to yourself. Yeah, like that that is going to make her breaking more than whether you have insurance and all these things that we think you need, definitely and turns out I was super mean, and sometimes I think, like what? What, what? What I say to my friends, well, what I tell rosalie if she was feeling like she wasn't enough. Well, what I say to my best friend, carrie, what what would I d'oh if they weren't feeling like they were doing enough? And then I try to talk to myself that way, which, you know, sounds like I'm serving you a giant plate of cheese, but it can, it can be helpful, and it can work.