I can't believe on October 11th, I set in motion a hard and slow trudge towards a big dream that I have...starting my own paperie/invitation business. Looking at blogs, how other people "did it", etc sometimes makes it look so simple, easy and quick. Here I am, two months later and I can wholeheartedly tell you indeed, it is not for the faint of heart. I am WAY not where I thought I'd be; in fact, I feel like I have made very little progress. I'll just be real, it's hard.
Being a perfectionist sometimes means that I tend to harp on the have not's, when I really should stop and look at all that I have accomplished. I have a tendency to want to overly perfect everything before I lay it up for the world to see. Progress is really the goal, not perfection, and I need to give myself some credit for taking steps, no matter how small they seem to me in the grand scheme of things. Here's some of the progress I've made
- Initial investments. I took the plunge and invested in my biggest expense....a Macbook Pro. This computer has allowed me to do what I love faster and with better and clearer image quality. It really was the key to kicking my butt in gear and actually making things happen. I also got the latest and greatest Creative Suite (which is now in the cloud, so weird) on top of taking some classes to really refine and expand my skills. Seriously, this has helped loads.
- My support system. I have the best support system! My husband 100% believes in me and totally trusts the decisions I've been making.
- Having a business building buddy. I mentioned before, one of my dear friends, Alex, is starting her own event planning business. We have totally different product/service offerings but we have the same audience, struggles and big hopes for our futures. It's been an enormous blessing to walk alongside another creative to push each other, to counter any discouragement, and to celebrate the small victories. If you're planning a wedding in the Northern Virginia and surrounding area, seriously give this girl a shout.
- And the biggest yay!...I have a wedding client! This was another unexpected blessing that really forced me to figure things out quickly. I'm so pumped to see it come to life!
I'm so beyond excited for 2014. Here are some of the big things I still have to figure out:
- Find a local printer to partner with. This is my biggest prayer right now, as I still have yet to find a local printer. If you know a reliable printer in the Northern Virginia area, I'd love to know who they are!
- Refine my brand. I've started a Pinterest inspiration board and I have a basic idea of what I'd like in my brand, my ideal client and my services/products, but I need to think it out and write it out. I have Lara Casey's Powersheets on the way, so I'm hoping that they'll force me to ask myself some tough and necessary questions and to create manageable goals.
- Knock out the nitty gritty business side. I don't think anybody will ever enjoy the administrative side of business, but I still need to wrap my head around taxes, licensing, contract/proposal language, etc. All of it makes me cringe. Basically, the yucky-but-necessary stuff. I'm beyond lucky to work at an accounting firm where I can ask specific tax questions and know I'm getting the right answer for my specific situation. It's better than Google!
- Build a website. This is a massive project and I've been going back and forth between WordPress and Squarespace. They both have their pros and cons. I feel like I'm leaning towards Squarespace? If anyone has had any experience with either one, I'd love to hear your feedback!
