With every package I’ve sent out to a customer, I’ve always included a handwritten thank you note. Often, I try and touch on a topic we may have discussed throughout the transaction process to go that extra step in making it even more personal.

As I gear up to relaunch, I’m exploring packaging ideas and this got me thinking about this innocent little thank you note. I mean, if you’re processing a few orders per day, it’s totally feasible to take a few minutes to write out each note. But what if you’re processing 20+? 40+? Is it still totally feasible then?

To avoid burnt out again, I want to streamline my processes as much as possible. My first step was to outsource my printing. That’s production taken care of. Now I need to streamline the order fulfillment process. My mantra over here is – simplify, simplify, simplify!

So, my question to you is… how important do you think that personalized thank you note is? We don’t expect it from the big box stores when we order. I understand as “small scale” sellers customer service is imperative, but would you think any less of someone if they just included a business card with a simple hand-written thank you on it?

Photo Credit: hellojenuine

There are countless blog posts talking about the fine line of blogging when it comes to sharing personal matters on a blog that is also considered a communication outlet for your business. It’s a topic I mull over in my head often.

I’ve been pretty honest on my blog and if were to put it a sliding scale, I’d say some of it has slid towards the very personal level. I consider myself a pretty open person, though obviously I keep some cards hidden and wouldn’t consider myself an open book either here and in person. Yet as the “author” and “editor” of that book, the content is mine to write. Like any book, it evolves with each chapter and it’s characters.

Though for the most part my opinion on this is clear to me, like anyone, I sometimes sway and re-evaluate that opinion. But for now, here’s mine as it stands today.

Would I ever go on a public rant about a customer? No. A client? No. A copy cat? No. I’ve personally drawn that line for myself and my business. The saying “If you’ve got nothing good to say, don’t say it” comes to mind.

But am I afraid to share my ups and downs of starting a business? No. Do I wonder if sharing that I’m unmotivated, confused, going through self-doubt either personally or professionally will be read by potential or existing clients/customers and viewed negatively. Of course. Yet that’s the risk I’ve chosen to take for the sake of wanting to be true to myself and not being afraid to share that truth. It’s these truths that are the building blocks of both me and modernemotive.

Now some might argue that the saying “If you’ve got nothing good to say, don’t say it” comes into play again here. Yet based on the feedback I’ve received via comments/emails, the sharing of my up and downs has resonated with others. It’s given them hope. Made them feel less lonely in navigating their road to self-employment and business ownership. This “connection” in return empowers me and is one of the reasons why I chose NOT to close myself up and put a smiley face on everything.

With each experience I go though I always try and look for the positive spin or lesson. I view them as way to learn more about myself. With this I garner the confidence to keep pursuing my dreams, make better decisions and build some cushioning into any falls that I will inevitably make. Why would I hide that if it can help someone else?

Where’s your fine line?

Photo Credit: Yukon White Light

My long term goals for modernemotive always extended beyond just paper goods. So, as I sit here at somewhat of a crossroads with my company, I’ve been exploring what avenues are currently viable (from a financial and experience perspective) and I began to realize that my innocent little tagline – ecofriendly paper goods – was pigeon holing me. Perhaps more so as requests are coming in for design services beyond what I currently offer. As a result, I’m rethinking my tagline. It’s still important for me to include the ecofriendly aspect. Even though my services will be expanding (more on this another day), I will still be incorporating the eco factor in there when possible.

So, here’s what I’ve come up with so far. I’m inclined to go with the first option.

What are your thoughts? Any other suggestions?

UPDATE: A Twitter friend, Sabine of La Marquise des Anges, suggested the last tagline which I’m kind of liking. I can’t decide!

Friends, please welcome my online buddy – Erin Vale – to my blog. After reading her interview, it’s clear this girl has the knowledge, focus and determination to go far – I’m in awe! Oh and if you’re just getting into freelancing or perhaps considering it, be sure to check out her FREELANCE 101 series.

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
Thanks for inviting me! My name is Erin Vale. I am the owner/designer of Vale Design, a freelance design company specializing in package design and branding. I have six years of Chicago corporate design experience and I have been self-employed working both onsite and offsite for the past four years. In 2008, I started erinvaledesign.com, a website to showcase my work and passions to the design community. In 2009, I started an online product based company, finch&hawk, which combines my love for patterns and three dimension in budget-friendly, favor packaging printables and paper goods.

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
Honestly, frustration gave me the confidence to freelance. I quit a job that was making me unhappy and that was not the right fit for me. I intended to take a four month hiatus, but after three weeks, a couple of clients from past jobs found out that I was working for myself and starting emailing me with freelance opportunities. I accepted every one and never looked back. In my opinion, my work has never looked better and I have never been happier. In the beginning, I was scared at every turn, but I just knew in my gut that I could do this.

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
I am blessed to be able to do what I love for a living, but I would be lying if I said that freelancing was all roses and sunshine. It can be stressful. When I start to feel overwhelmed, I just stop working. I give myself time off. I give myself permission to go out for a walk or grab a coffee. Sometimes, inspiration comes back after an hour and sometimes I just surrender and start fresh the next day. I do my best work when I am inspired, not when I am forcing myself to sit down and just design something.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
I wake up and get ready between 7 and 8 am. I get the house organized from the night before and deal with our high maintenance allergy dog, medicine, walk, etc. I check my favorite blogs while I have my morning coffee and I am working by 9 am. I work on a variety of projects for clients {packaging concepts, dielines, logos, front end web design, business cards}, work on research and posts for erinvaledesign.com and prep any shipments and new designs for finch&hawk. Somewhere in all of that, I eat lunch for about an hour while watching any black and white movie that is on TCM. Then, I am back to work until about 6 pm when my husband comes home. We eat dinner together and hang out for about 2 hours. I get back on the computer to finish up until about 9 or 10 pm. I typically try to read from 10 to 11 to “shut the design floodgates.” I am not a procrastinator by nature. I do not have a problem with distractions because I schedule them in. I will write in my iCal, laundry, dry cleaner, Office Depot etc. Then they are just items to cross off my daily to do list.

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
I work both on-site {for clients in Chicago} and offsite in my home office. When we moved back to Indiana 3 years ago, we specifically bought a house that had an empty front room. We had a wall built with french doors and large built-in bookcases to close in the the room. It was originally going to be my husband’s office, but the dog and I took it over!

It can get lonely working for yourself. Do you find yourself missing the companionship of a bustling office? How do you make sure you get social interaction throughout the day/week?
I think I have the best of both worlds. Some days I work on-site in my client’s office and other days I am able to work by myself at home. I do miss turning around and asking the designer behind me, “what do you think of this design, violator, logo, etc?” With the upswing in social networking, I have met a handful of designers, whose work I admire, and I will ask them vague hypothetical questions about my design dilemmas. Seems to fill that void quite well and I have made some wonderful new friends.

Finding a work/life balance can be difficult with any job, perhaps more so with self-employment. Do you think you’ve found that balance?
Finding the work/life balance is what I struggle with the most. I love my clients and I love designing. Having a home office blurs that line of when to stop working. Bored. Go to the office and work. Husband napping. Go to the office and work. Can’t sleep. Go to the office and work. Within the past year, I have started to research Indy more and have started to plan outings for myself, husband and friends. This gets me out of the house, into the fresh air and learning new things. I have noticed that this has also helped my design work. The fresh air clears out the cobwebs and the research adds more information to my visual arsenal.

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
I learned to remove “me” from my work. If a client is not happy with a concept, that is not them saying “I think you are a bad designer.” It just means that maybe they did not like the logo in red!

And now the best.
The most valuable lesson I learned from my first year, was to trust my voice and knowledge. I think all designers have design self-esteem issues at some point. Is my work good enough? Who is going to like this? How is that designer better than me? I have learned that my clients hire me for my past experience and my passion to provide them with the best deliverable I can. There is work out there for everyone. Worrying is a waste of time and energy.

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
My advice for anyone contemplating freelancing:

1. Be ready to work and work hard!
2. Be financially prepared. Have money set aside for the start-up expenses.
3. Experience. Put in your time and learn. Then you will be better prepared to lead.
4. Find a good small business accountant. I feel that this step is crucial.
5. Trust your voice. It can be intimidating to step out from behind the big bosses. This is where experience and past mistakes will help you.
6. Check your web-self. Clients and design firms like to google nowadays. Be professional in every web interaction you have. Twitter, Facebook, etc. They are watching you. Amazes me that some designers still do not understand this.

ERIN VALE ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Twitter | Facebook

I discovered the talented sisters – Janet & Trisha – behind PAWLING | print studio when they left me a comment on my blog. I immediately fell in love with their work. So, if you’re lurking back there, say hello. You may end up on my blog too. With that, allow me to introduce you to their delightful work.

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
PAWLING | print studio is a collaboration between sisters Janet & Trisha.  We make modern handmade prints and patterns for the home.  We opened up shop in the fall shortly after graduating – Janet with an undergraduate degree in Graphic Design and Trisha with a Masters in Architecture. Despite spending very little time together in the past eight years because of school and jobs in different states, our interests seem to have independently converged and now we’re in business together!  We named ourselves PAWLING | print studio in honor of our grandfather who recently passed away.  He was a photographer and a painter at heart and always took time to teach us how to draw and paint when we were younger.  We assume he is where our “artistic” genes came from, though our mom also has some pretty sweet calligraphy skills and our dad designed the house we lived in as kids.

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
In retrospect graduating in a down economy gave us the opportunity to try what we really wanted to do rather than what we were expected to do.  Of course that doesn’t mean we knew it at the time.  As far too many people know, searching and applying for employment is a full time job in itself, so although we weren’t giving up a job in the traditional sense, the decision to start PAWLING as a full-time venture was no small leap of faith. We had both been secretly toying with the idea while in school, but were too afraid to tell anyone.  Once we sheepishly started talking about it with each other, we found we couldn’t stop.  We were so full of ideas and excitement that we knew we had to take the idea seriously.  Now whenever either of us is having doubts the other one is there with a pep talk.  It certainly helps that we’re in it together!

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
Hmm, sounds just like school.  I don’t think we know any other way to live!  But instead of hypothetical projects that will undoubtedly get torn apart in a review, we get to make things that we believe in and that people will actually use.  Working for ourselves is infinitely more rewarding!  We’ve had some amazing customers who with one comment manage to make all of the stress and uncertainty worth it.  We’ve also been blown away by how supportive the online creative community is.  We probably couldn’t do it without them and we definitely couldn’t do it without the support of our family.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
A typical day is following our check list, but no two days are the same.  Production days are definitely the easiest in terms of procrastination, because there are clearly defined objectives.  Brainstorming days are the most fun, though there are so many aspects to setting up a business from research and design to production and marketing that often we are overwhelmed with ideas.  For us, procrastination never seems to come from a lack of ideas, but rather from too many and a need to focus.  Making lists really helps us prioritize our goals on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.  Fortunately we both like to use organization as a means of procrastination – sometimes we just can’t work until everything is in order!

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
We work from two homes!  We dream of an offsite studio one day, but for now we just have designated “studio areas.”

It can get lonely working for yourself. Do you find yourself missing the companionship of a bustling office? How do you make sure you get social interaction throughout the day/week?
We’re lucky that we don’t work alone!  Yes, it’s just the two of us, but that’s the way we like it!  And we find that instead of just wanting some space to ourselves on weekends, we actually look forward to spending time with our friends.

Finding a work/life balance can be difficult with any job, perhaps more so with self-employment. Do you think you’ve found that balance?
Perhaps not yet, PAWLING is still very young and changing rapidly.  We try our best to separate our evenings and weekends from work, but we’re definitely still learning.

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
That’s an easy one, to start out within your means is great advice, but cutting corners is not.  For example, scoop-coaters are absolutely positively necessary for screenprinting.  We learned that the hard way.

And now the best.
It’s taken some time for us to get comfortable talking about our business to others.  While we always had confidence in our products, we really weren’t sure we could pull off the business side of things.  It was especially hard to explain PAWLING to our friends and family in the beginning before we had real products and a website. Now that we have tangible things to point to, it’s much easier for people to understand what we do.  Now instead of getting skeptical reactions from people, they are generally impressed and enthusiastic about our work.  Not only that, but a surprising number of people have since revealed that they secretly want to be more creative and that we’ve inspired them to be more proactive about their hobbies as well

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
Not sure that we should be giving advice to anyone yet (see question 2!) but it felt right for us and so far the ups have outweighed the downs!!!

PAWLING ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop | Etsy | Blog | Twitter

Me: “No.”

Yep, a particular stationery designer – *ahem* me *ahem* – doesn’t have a business card. Shocking isn’t it? I can’t tell you how many opportunities I’ve potentially lost due to the absence of this handy piece of paper. Yet here I still sit business card-less. Bad Adele!

I’m sure a lot of designers can identify with the fact that it is soooooo hard to design for yourself. As a perfectionist already, it hits an all time extreme when it comes to hiring myself.

As I’m preparing to contact retailers and other venues to spread the word about modernemotive, I’ve decided to jump in and design a whole identity package for myself. It’ll include letterheads, envelopes, labels, packaging design… the whole shebang. Let the fun begin!

I plan on sharing the process here on my blog so if you don’t hear from me about on this matter within a few weeks, please give me a nudge. I’m hiring you as my virtual Project Managers… sound good? You in?

And while we’re at it, please tell me I’m not the only one missing an important piece of their business puzzle? It feels lonely up in here.

Photo Credit: Kevin Steele

Now that I figured out a new plan of attack for modernemotive I want to go back to basics and start looking at my brand as it stands today. I’m not just talking visual esthetics here (people often assume “brand” means your logo but it doesn’t – more on this later) but how it’s perceived by you. This is where I need your help.

What words/emotions come to your mind when you think of modernemotive and my products?

After announcing last week I was going to rebuild some foundations over here, Silvia of Silvia Reitsma Creative Photography asked some questions that got me thinking:

“When you say you have to do some foundation work, what do you mean exactly with that? What do you consider the foundation for your business, in a practical way? Do you have any idea, plans? How to start building the base?”

Truth be told, these questions left me stumped for a few days but eventually the answers started to reveal themselves. Bare with me as I try and show you how they are all intertwined.

“The foundation of modernemotive is my creativity.”

Pretty simple declaration huh? So why did Silvia’s questions leave me stumped? The answer to that is simple too – I stopped being creative and lost sight of everything. I truly think this is why I have been so unfocused and disoriented lately.

Creativity fuels me and allows me to keep going. So, as sales increased and orders began taking all day to process, there was no longer any room for creativity and I ran out of steam. In essence, this shook my foundation and cracked it. That’s why it is in need of some work.

How am I going to fix it? I only have one choice and that’s to make “creativity” the driving force behind modernemotive again. Not sales, not delivering product lines because they are working for others nor worrying about (and sometimes envying) my competition. With creativity back in the driving seat, those sales will come, I’ll deliver product lines true to me and one day I’ll be able to share the same successes as those I admire in the stationery world. I just need to believe in my creativity, my foundation.

So, how do I start building my base? By listening to myself. Yesterday, Michelle of Holley & Gill asked this simple question of me:

“What at this point in your life would you be the most happiest doing on a daily basis?”

Again I was initially stumped and my response was scattered. But now that I’ve redefined my foundation – my creativity – I’m able to respond with a more clear and defined answer.

If my answer to this is to simply be creative as much as possible, I need to eliminate anything stunting that creativity. Here’s what I’m currently considering:

1. Outsourcing printing and production – not only will this allow me to expand my line beyond greeting cards, but it will also expedite order fulfillment as everything will be ready to ship.
2. Discontinuing personalized stationery as it stands today – more on this another time.
3. Focusing on wholesaling my product line rather than being the direct point of sale myself - As much as I love working with my customers, as one person, the effort needed to make those sales can be a full time job in itself. While I am truly honored with every sale I get, in order to take modernemotive where I want it to go, I need to generate revenue that allows growth at a faster pace than it’s at today. Therefore I need to focus on moving 100s of product units at a time rather than securing a sale of one card. Make sense? This doesn’t mean I won’t sell direct to the customer too, just that my primary focus needs to shift.

Of course, all of the above requires more thinking and will not happen overnight. For example, I know I’m not in a place right now where I can outsource my whole product line. However, with small, deliberate steps it all seems achievable. I just need to keep leaning on that foundation whenever I have any doubts.

As many of you commented that you too were going through an identity crisis with your businesses, I hope sharing my thought process over the past few days helps you redefine your foundations too. To end, I’d like to share some advice inspired by one of my favorite quotes:

“We cannot direct the winds, but we can adjust our sails.”
Author Unknown

Think of your business as a sailing boat out at sea. Elements are going to come along that will unexpectedly take you off course. You have a few options. You could turn the boat around, return to the habor where it’s safe and go nowhere. Or you could trust in your sailing boat (your foundation), adjust your sails (to compensate for the elements rocking your foundation) and keep going towards your destination. Once reached, you’ll have the confidence to get back out there and keep sailing to new destinations.

Photo Credit: S@ilor

I’m sure it’s evident from my posts lately that I’m going through a bit of an identity crisis with my company and perhaps if I’m honest, with myself too. Previously I’ve attributed this to the usual culprits such as confidence, life’s ups and downs, lack of motivation… we’ve all been there and some of that holds true. However, after sharing this post, once again, Jan of Daisy Janie threw some words of wisdom at me that made me dig a little deeper:

“You said you’ll just rip the carpet up to reveal the concrete…the foundation of your home, your life. Well, why can’t you do the same with modernemotive? Rip the surface layer off and get to the foundation. What’s down there? What do you see? How can you make it functional? What will it take to build on it?”

It took a while for the “light bulb” to turn on, but when it did it hit me like a ton of bricks. I’m not struggling because my vision isn’t there, nor my passion or drive. I’m struggling because I’m standing on top of a foundation that was rushed and not given time to set. A foundation I’m not confident can withstand the load if I keep building. There are too many cracks that need filling with long-term solutions and goals, not just temporary fixes. Some of that foundation is me and hey, I need a little repair too.

You might think I’m over-analyzing this, but recently I was presented with a few opportunities that would of taken my attention away from modernemotive indefinitely. The fact that I seriously considered them reinforced my belief that the foundation of my company needed some work. They both fell through within 24 hours of each other and the relief I felt made me realize modernemotive is still my home and I’m not ready to up and leave.

So, if I’m going to stay in these digs, it’s time to do some foundation work. Going forward, I need to be able to build on top of what I have with confidence and strength, so it’s time to rediscover and redefine things. Once my foundation is set, I’ll start to brick this goddamn house. After-all, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Photo Credit: mauresque

You know, I think I jinxed myself bitching about February because she’s dealing more crap to me. The latest happenings over here is a bedroom carpet* ripped up along with some baseboards courtesy of Riley. Yah, the cute boy down below. Looks like butter wouldn’t melt huh?

Seems he got himself locked in there while we was out yesterday and was determined to eat his way through the wall. WTF? He ain’t a puppy, don’t only puppies do stuff like this? Of course, I can’t be angry at him, he’s cute and shit happens, but still, February, seriously, can you not reserve some of your challenges for March, April, May… ?

Anyway, rather than bitch some more, I wanted to talk about drive. You know the motivational kind. For me, it’s been slightly lacking this month. Even though we’re only 8 days in, I’ve done eff all in terms of what I had planned. Let’s just say my motivation and optimism has taken a trip elsewhere. I’ve even looked at my business as a whole and debated throwing in the towel. Yah, it’s gotten that bad at times.

But see there’s a problem. I have this drive I can’t ignore. I didn’t quit my job, invest money and talk the talk to later walk away due to a few bumps in the road. Yah, I might be driving under the speed limit right now, but let’s face it, all I need to do is put my foot firmly down and step it up a notch.  And hey, if I need to pull of to the side to refuel that’s okay too. That final destination isn’t going anywhere, it’ll still be there whether I arrive tomorrow, next month or even next year.

I’m curious, what drives you to keep going? These roads we are taking, whether personal or professional are rarely smooth, so what gives you the drive to keep at it?

* After 30 minutes of thinking my place is a shambles, I saw the bright side of things. I’ve always hated that carpet. Besides latching on to every bit of dirt that comes its way, I just hate carpet period. So, screw it, I’m ripping it up and exposing the concrete. I already have exposed concrete in my condo so I think it’ll work. I’ll keep you posted.

Photo Credit (bottom): Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos (ClintJCL)