Welcome back ladies (and gentlemen) for this weeks "How Do I?" series....
Go here to check out my other "How Do I?" posts. I've covered everything from my cleaning schedule, buying groceries, making time for family while still taking care of myself, and this week, i'm going to talk to y'all about how I manage a work at home business while still holding down a full time job, a husband, two little girls, and being pregnant with our third... tired yet?
I started HPA when Gretchen was just 6 months old. She's now 5 1/2 so it's been 5 years y'all!!! When I first started I ran HPA through my personal facebook page, and then through a website, this blog, and finally a business facebook page.
I started with just hair bows and tutu's, and blinged shirts... I then convinced my mom to make and sell pillowcase dresses for me, and then I branched out with applique shirts, wipe cases, paci clips, and now i've ventured into skirts and dresses- and I'm still not sure i'm done!
My business has had it's ups and downs, and rather than thinking of it as a full time venture, it's more of a part time hobby. It's how I make "me-time" and it gives me the ability to be crafty, while making my own girls something or creating for your little honey pie's!
There were months in the first few years where I was so busy, that it was really taking a toll on my marriage, and I knew my husband missed spending time with me. It's then that I decided that HPA had to be more of a part time for fun gig than a real life second job. After all, we had a daughter we also had to take care of! My husbands job is pretty demanding as well, so it's important that we make time for each other when we can!
I read all the time about crafters that have messy houses, or stay up until the wee hours of the morning, and I just decided that I cannot run like that. I need to function on a full nights sleep and I need to know that my house is picked up. I think I had to accept a happy medium, and decide what was best for me and my family... since then, I think we can say that we've been truly happy with what HPA has brought to our family.
So, here's how I get things done.....
- I work on crafting while MC is down for her nap on Sunday afternoons. This gives me 2-3 hours of work time.
- I work when the girls are in the bed, but only for an hour sometimes two.
- Once I manage to get items finished, I take pictures of them, and then upload them throughout the day via my iphone.... whatever did we do without smart phones y'all?
- If i'm not taking the time to make products, then i'm taking the time to write my blog posts, upload and edit pictures, and market my products via my blog, pinterest, or facebook page.
- I state that my turn around time is 2-3 weeks. In all reality, I can get a project complete in 1-2 hours depending on it's size and how complicated, but I need time to work at my real full time job during the day as well as managing my family and household. Now that i'm off for the summer, my turnaround time is down to two weeks.
- I ask first that my customers understand that this is a part time gig for me. I'd love to turn it into a full time business, but right now, that's not what I feel that God has in store for me.
- If i'm not crafting in the evenings, then I make sure to spend time with DJ while we catch up on our favorite tv shows... however, my mind cannot just sit and watch t.v. So, i'm typically on the computer posting and catching up with whatever needs to be done.
- I use to run to the post office to mail my orders, but I realized that it was taking so much time and often times I couldn't get to the post office before it closed, or I'd need to run on my lunch break. Then, I decided to purchase a postal scale and ship through paypal and I'm in love! I should've started this method years sooner and I regret that I didn't! Now, I can package my orders, write the weight, and then print out my shipping labels, and throw the packages in the mailbox before I leave for work.
- Offering pre-orders and product testers has really helped to ensure that I don't waste time making products that people aren't going to buy! I offer discounts on products in exchange for pictures of their honey pie in the shirt, skirt, dress, etc. and then I can gauge how many people are interested. It helps me get orders, and also ensures that my own daughters aren't wearing my own creations 24/7. Although, they do wear a lot!
- I also started a ready to ship album, where everything is posted that i've pre-made. I still welcome custom orders, but my business was based solely on custom orders in the beginning that it made pricing and completing products more difficult. Now, I feel like I can offer the best of both worlds!
- I take breaks when I need it. If i'm feeling burned out, or have just had a baby, I take a break! I need that time to refresh my creativity and adjust to life's changes. The past few years, I typically take the entire month of July off because that's when we have our family vacations. Two years ago, when I had Megan, I took several months off (we also didn't have the space) and when Adalyn arrives in a few weeks, I plan to slow down again too focusing on ready to ship and product tester orders.
I think my biggest piece of advice, is that if you're going to start a work at home business, you need to love what you make and figure out how to make it work while maintaining balance in your normal every day life!
I'm still working on revamping things, and I try to change things up from time to time to keep things new and fresh for myself and my customers! I've joined craft groups that I can bounce ideas off of, or just vent about how my machine might be crapping out or get suggestions. I'm still trying to figure out my best packaging materials, I'd love to get sew on labels, and eventually start an etsy page, but for now, i'm very happy with where my business is.
I truly love my little business, and i'm thankful that i've made it work for me. I do hope you love HPA as much as I do!
If you own a work at home business, please leave your link in a comment below along with your one piece of advice for maintaining balance!
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