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)

You know, it’s funny, when I used to work in an office, the distinction between the work week and the weekend was clearly defined. That TGIF (though more likely TFIF) feeling was always buzzing through me. Truth be told, in terms of social activity, I took part in it regardless of the day and I’ve gone into work hungover more times than I care to admit, so plans on the weekend were not necessarily the source of my weekend anticipation. There is something so comforting in knowing that the weekend is just around the corner. Whether your weekend was jam-packed with commitments or destined to be enjoyed in your PJs at home, it was the weekend and that’s all that mattered.

When I started to work for myself, that distinction became very fuzzy if not invisible. Not a weekend went by (other than one camping trip weekend) that I didn’t work in some capacity. In essence, I pretty much worked every day for a full year, for 365 days straight!

Of course, sometimes it was necessary and that’s a pill you simply have to swallow when working for yourself. However, there’s a difference between working out of pure necessity (i.e. to get on top of orders, a great idea you just want to work on) verses working out of self-imposed, unrealistic expectations. Seriously, would a potential customer feel any less of me if I didn’t answer a question at 11pm on a Saturday night? Heck, on any day even? Would a customer feel any less of me if the item they bought on Friday night shipped Monday morning rather than Sunday? My guess is no, they wouldn’t.

It’s not unusual for a bricks and mortar store to have 1 or 2 days of closure per week, so why do we put this pressure on ourselves to be available 24/7? Obviously, much of that pressure comes from the fact our primary presence is online. That alone brings expectations of instant results and constant accessibility. However, there’s a fine line and it’s up to you to keep in visible at all times.

I let it disappear in the beginning and I succumbed to the pressure only to later burn myself out. So, I’m drawing myself a new line. In a big fat marker. I’m taking back my weekends. My business will still be there on Monday, as will the customers, and more importantly, so will I, refreshed and raring to go thanks to two precious days off.

Who owns your weekend? You or your business?

Happy Weekend All!

Photo Credit: *Zara

As I gear up to close my shop on Sunday, I’m thinking ahead and looking at how I can make that closure as productive as possible. The more I think about it and assess what needs to be done, the more I realize I’ll likely need to take the whole month to do it.

So, come February 1st, I want to have a plan in order. I’m very proficient at whittling away time online, and as much as I love to twitter with friends and do other social activities, if I’m honest with myself, I often drain away a little too much time. If I don’t put certain restrictions on myself, I know I’ll end up going around in circles.

So, in an effort to make February an awesome month of productivity, here are some of things I have planned so far:

1. Getting up as if I’m actually leaving to go to work
   By this I mean showering first thing (yet to strike that off my to-do list), putting on clothes (not that I work naked or anything but the PJ days need to go) and making myself look more presentable (even if it’s just for an audience of one). 

I truly think that by adopting a more professional state of mind, which lets face it can be influenced by our outer presentation, it’ll drive my focus better.
2. Working offsite 2 to 3 times a week
   I’ve been talking about working outside of my condo for too long. So, as I won’t need to stick close to home to process orders, I think now is a great time to get this particular working pattern in motion. 

On the odd occasion I have worked offsite, the elevation in productivity and inspiration is very noticeable. So, why I haven’t latched onto this realization and made it a ritual is beyond me. Coffee shops here I come!
3. Breaking tasks out by the day
   While I’m a pretty good multi-tasker in general, there are some activities I need to do undisturbed such as designing and – blegh – admin. Right now I’m not sure how I’ll break the week up but I suspect to start it’ll be 2 days of product development, 3 days of admin and business planning. I’ll then switch this up as items get scratched off the to-do list in their entirety.
4. Set some work hours
   I know self-employment comes with long hours and in part I have to accept that, however, I also know that I can’t keep going at the rate I’m going. As much as I love my business, if I’m not taking care of myself, how on earth can I run it? 

So, the goal is to stop working at 6pm every night and actually take the weekends off. Of course, there will be times when I’m on a roll (I think most designers can identify with this one) and it’ll go beyond 6pm, but I’m going to try and limit that. I have a life outside of this company and I need to be living it a wee bit more!

This is what I have so far. What do you think? I’m sure they’ll be more planning and I foresee many lists in my future.

I’d love to hear what you do to make your day as productive as possible. Do you set yourself schedules for certain things? Break work out by the hour? The day?

P.S. Yes, that photo is of my kitchen bowls. I was searching and searching for a suitable photo on Flickr and then realized I was spending too much time searching (told you I can whittle away precious time). So, as I wrote “circles” in the paragraph above it, I naturally had a Eureka! moment and used my kitchen bowls. Work with me here folks. Ms. Productivity will thank you for helping me battle her whittling time away tendencies. ;)

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
Thank you so much for inviting me! I’m an artist who does a variety of things, really. I am a surface patter designer, an illustrator, a painter, and I do some graphic design work as well. I have a hard time putting a label on what I do– but my days are never boring, I’ll tell you that! I’ve been self-employed since I was 23 years old (with a part-time stint here and there)– but my business has morphed a lot since then. I really started selling online and becoming part of the blogging community about 2 years ago– before that I mainly sold my work at outdoor festivals and shows and in my studio. The change came when I moved from Boulder, CO (my hometown) to Atlanta, GA 2 summers ago- I began working at home, I didn’t know anyone in the area or know about any local shows, so I dove into the online community, and I’m so thankful that I did!

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
Quite honestly, I was sick of having meaningless jobs. When I graduated from college I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, and I ended up moving back to Boulder (I went to college in Ithaca, NY) and working in restaurants. It was unfulfilling, to say the least. I just got fed up one day and quit my job. I’d recently gotten accepted into a big art festival, so I devoted several months to painting, I’ve always been good with money, so I had enough to keep me going for a while after I quit my job at the restaurant. I basically told myself that I’d see how the show went and go from there. And the show was a smashing success! I saw artists all around me making a living doing what they loved, and I thought “hey, I can totally do this!” Basically I think it was that first amazing show, a young “I can do anything” mindset, and a distinct feeling of not wanting to work for someone else that gave me the confidence.

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
Well, I have a hard time separating my life and my work– they’re sort-of one and the same, so I WANT to work all the time! Sometimes it’s hard for me to realize that taking breaks is actually good for me, and that the work will still be there when I’m done resting. As for the income, I think I’m getting to a place where I just trust that I’ll have enough. I’ve had enough up to this point, and there’s no reason to think that’ll change. I think I’ve just accepted that it’s going to be unpredictable, and that’s ok. Mostly I just try not to resist the uncertainty of it all. Uncertainty isn’t bad– it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable If I can see it as exhilarating, if I can see how exciting that it is that I get to create my career and my future, that helps a lot. I much prefer the uncertainty of my path to having to go to a job I don’t love everyday, even if I was making a ton of money.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
I have such a hard time avoiding distractions! The main ones I face every day are my 2 adorable cats who want constant attention, my email and stat checking addictions, and the refrigerator. If I could keep these at bay, I’d be much more productive! As for procrastination, I’m just not a procrastinator. I’m a major list maker, and I REALLY like getting those things crossed off the to-do list every day. I make tons of lists, and I revise them all day long. They keep me organized and on task.

So a typical day…. I wake up around 6:30am and eat breakfast first thing. I love breakfast! I have a fruit & veggie smoothie every morning. And coffee. Yum. I check my email and read some blogs while I’m having breakfast, and I think about what I want to post on my own blog that day. I try to be done with blogging and stuff by 8:00-ish, and then I get to work as soon as i can. Sometimes more of my morning is eaten away by distractions (constant email checking, etc.), but I’m working on not letting that happen as much. So throughout the day I basically work on a variety of projects: paintings, design work for clients (logos, website designs, illustrations, etc), creating surface patterns for an upcoming tradeshow (Surtex), updating my etsy shop, running to the post office and other general errands, sending and replying to emails, chatting with people on twitter… I bounce from one thing to the next, always working from my to do list. I usually take a break in the late afternoon to go to the gym, and then my husband and I always have dinner together. Most nights I work for a few hours in the evening as well (I’m telling you, I’m a workaholic!)– my husband is in medical school, which means he studies all the time, so we’re just a couple of worker bees. :) Then I usually go to bed around 10:30 or 11:00, and sometimes we’ll drag the laptop into bed with us to watch a favorite show online. That’s pretty much it!

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
I work from home.

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?
Gosh, no, I do not miss working with other people! I love working by myself. My husband often says he could never do what I do, staying home all day not talking to anyone, but I really love it. Plus, I chat with people on twitter a lot during the day, so that’s helpful. I have friends that I get together with sometimes, so that’s nice, too, but I really like being by myself. My husband and I chat all the time when we’re both home, so I definitely don’t feel lonely. Plus, I have 2 sweet kitties to keep me company all day!

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?
Ummmmm, NO. I work all the time. I could definitely give myself more down time. That’s something I’m working on. I’d love to give myself one whole day off a week, but it’s really hard when my work is right in my house with me all the time! Sigh. I’ll get there one day!

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
I’m going to go with the first year that my business was really online, since that feels more pertinent here.

I learned that sometimes people have to part ways, and that’s ok. I learned that I don’t have to listen to other people’s opinions of me and turn them into my truth. I learned that stress and worry affect my energy level, my mental health, the quality of my work, even my skin. I got horrendous eczema that has mysteriously disappeared as I’ve learned to let go, trust, and relax a bit. There was also a period of time where I didn’t produce much work that I thought was any good, which stemmed directly from my negative state of mind. I learned that negativity can quickly spiral into more and deeper negativity.

And now the best.
I learned how positivity and gratitude can change everything. An open and trusting heart full of possibility will bring unimaginable goodness into your life. I learned (and am learning) to trust myself and my uniqueness and that comparing myself to others is useless. I learned how generous, friendly, and open the blogging community is, and that by giving kindness to it I get that kindness back tenfold. Giving is receiving! But the biggest and most valuable lesson I learned, I think, is to trust myself and my ability to make my business sustainable. I learned to always be looking at ways I can improve and grow, and that attitude has taken me far from where I began.

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
I would tell them that it’s absolutely 100% possible! If you want to do something you are passionate about, then there is always a way, even if it looks hard. If you want to do it badly enough, then you will make it happen. I don’t have any advice about whether people should keep their day jobs while building their business or to quit their job immediately and jump right in, because I think that’s a highly personal and individual decision, and there’s no one right answer for everybody. I just want to encourage people to see self-employment as a possibility. It’s truly wonderful, and there’s nothing like being in charge of your time and the work that you choose to do. Learn as much as you can, believe in yourself and your capabilities, get involved in the community around what you desire to do, and just get started! I think too much planning can cause stagnation, so I prefer to learn as I go in a lot of cases. I encourage people to just get started, even if it’s just with a teeny-weeny step. Because that will build momentum, and before you know it you’ll be on your way.

JESSICA GONACHA SWIFT ELSEWHERE
Website | Etsy | Blog | Twitter | Flickr | Facebook

After posting that I often feel alone over here (in the working by myself sense), it got me thinking about what others do to break through that feeling. Obviously, many perks come with working for yourself, but there are some downsides to it too, such as loneliness.

There are really only two things I miss about working a regular job and that’s income security and a bustling office environment. I used to have so much fun at my old offices. You know, the office banter, coffee breaks, lunch dates and drinks after work with co-workers. While perhaps small in the grand scale of things, that break from work really does make a difference to your psyche.

Since working for myself, I’ve done a really poor job at maintaining those interactions. I’ve had plans to meet up with other self-employed friends for a work day together, intentions to work outside of my home in a coffee shop or just the simple task of getting out and about throughout the working day to people watch. I didn’t follow through with any it. It’s so easy to fall into a routine sometimes and no matter how much you lament about it, you’ll still don’t do anything to change it. Why is that? We are our own worst enemy sometimes don’t you think?

One of the questions I ask other self-employed folk in my interviews is:

“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?”

So, I thought I’d extend that question to all of you.

So, I’ve been debating whether to close up my shop up for a few weeks. There are so many other things I need to attend to – finalizing new products I have on the back burner, setting up some admin documents, that darned wholesale stuff, finishing up my .com…seriously, the list just goes on and on.

These days, it seems I just have no spare time or the focus to get it done. Obviously, getting orders out to customers in a timely fashion is my first priority, and some days, that’s a whole days worth of work. So, hunkering down at night to attend to the other to-do’s in my day simply isn’t happening. The reality is, this just adds to the stress and lack of focus because in the back of your mind, that mental to-do list is just eating away at you. I think in part, this explains some of the reasons I’m feeling burnt out too.

Of course, the major kicker to closing up for a wee bit is missing out on potential sales, especially when they are steadily coming in. Then there’s the fact that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and I had a pretty good success rate for a new shop last year. It makes me wonder if I’d be bonkers to close at the peak of a possible sales surge.

As always, there’s a flip side. Opting to temporarily lose sales will actually allow me to generate more down the line as I’ll finally have my wholesale up and running as well as my wedding line launched. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword. I’m just going around in circles and circles about this decision. Where’s the answer fairy when you need one?

Have you ever been faced with this decision? If so, what did you do?

Image Credit: bluecinderella

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
We are Marichelle and Ez…two friends with a shared love for creative packaging.
Ez began Nice Package on her own Spring 2009. After moving to Maplewood this past Summer, Marichelle came on board and the partnership was finalized in October 2009. We specialize in gift packaging solutions and provide creative inspiration with a focus on simple design and projects with real world application.

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
Having both experienced running our own etsy shops as well as reviewing and looking at millions of products online for our personal blogs, we learned over time what we love, what works and what doesn’t. We are constantly reflecting and revisiting our line to be sure that it reflects what we and our customers love. In business flexibility is very important, and so we work at that every day. When we first launched the line, our focus was split into two product segments – creative “supplies” and handmade home decor items. We quickly learned that our customer base is more interested in our creative supplies, and because of this have been working on slowly phasing out our home decor category. While changes like this can be unsettling at first (especially when you are really jazzed about a product you’ve worked so hard on), we are learning to take it all in stride and that every step is part of the ultimate growth and success of a healthy business.

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
We started out working insanely long hours but just recently had a meeting to reevaluated our schedule and have figured out hours and specific goals that are helping us to be much more efficient (most of the time – we are human after all). Having a well-balanced partnership is crucial. A lot of this has to do with open communication and honesty about where we are with things on personal and business levels. We try to focus on our strengths individually so as to to make the business as a whole function as smooth as possible. We are also both very lucky to have a supportive family network…this gives us the license to create and grow our business in ways that would not be possible without their help. We are so thankful.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
A typical day starts at 8am. Ideally we have worked out our day’s agenda before-hand and know what tasks lay ahead of us each day. A common day might find us doing any number of tasks (or all of them) from product development, supply orders, inventory, accounting, photography/editing, site development, blog/web communications, etc.

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
We work from Marichelle’s home and have converted her office/crafting room into our stock/packaging area. Product development and online operations generally take place in her dining room area (now our main work room).

It can get lonely working for yourself, but luckily, you both have each other. How is that working?
We both really enjoy our quiet creative time but it is also so much fun to have a business partner to work with and bounce ideas off of. Thank goodness we also share a similar quirky sense of humor. Many times laughter really has saved the day and keeps us going.

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?
Not yet, but we are working on it. For both of us there is always that temptation to keep going, working late hours and in our off times when we should be relaxing. It isn’t easy to balance work and day to day life but it is something continue to get better at over time. Having open dialog with one another is a great benefit.

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year.
As an indie business it is easy to forget the importance of your own value, especially when you enjoy what you’re doing. The most valuable lesson we’ve learned so far (3 months in) is to make sure you run the numbers (definitely not our favorite thing to do, but very necessary)! We might have an awesome product idea but if the price that our customer is willing to pay does not add up to our production cost (including supplies/labor/overhead AND product packaging costs) then it’s simply a no go. We’ve made the mistake of producing items without first running the numbers, only to realize that there was no way that we could sell the product and make a fair profit from it. It makes us sad to see other indie businesses undercutting themselves…in the long run this only undermines the value of indie business as a whole.

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?

• Make sure you have a strong support system, we’ve found that working for ourselves is even more stressful (but infinitely more rewarding) than working for the man. After all, we are our biggest critics right?
• Make sure that it’s something that you absolutely love and are passionate about, self-employment is definitely not a 40 hour/5 days a week gig.
• Pay yourself (a fair wage)! Paying yourself should be part of the plan from the very beginning. If this is impossible, then at least have a set goal//deadline when you’ll start reaping the rewards of your hard work.
• If you’re not a numbers person, make sure you can hire someone who can help you with spreadsheets.
• If you’re thinking about going into business by yourself, make sure that you know where your time and efforts will be going. Do the legwork first. If you know that product photography is not your strong-suite for example, source out talent before you make the leap into self-employment. The last thing you want is to jump both feet in and realize that you’ve forgotten some major detail or two, or that you won’t be able to fill every shoe that needs to be filled in your business.
• Planning & Organization: Plan your year, months, weeks and days. Set a consistent working schedule and organize your work space (physically having a place for everything goes a very long way)!

NICE PACKAGE ELSEWHERE
Website | Shop + Shop | Blog | Twitter | Flickr

I don’t remember when or how I came across Jenna & Mark, the married duo behind Whimsy & Spice, but I was instantly hooked. With gorgeous goods, beautiful photography and a business story I admire, it’s hard to not become a virtual fly on the wall into their journey. And to boot, they have two of the most adorable girls I have ever seen.

Welcome. Give us some background about yourself and your business.
I’m a graphic designer and art director. My husband, Mark is a pastry chef. Together we have over 12 years of experience in our respective industries and 2 years ago we decided to open our own company, Whimsy & Spice, after having talked about it abstractly for many years. We make and sell handmade cookies, marshmallows and other confections.

The decision to take the self-employment route is not always an easy one. What gave you the confidence to take that leap?
I’ve been freelancing as a designer for the past 7 years, so It’s been many many years since I’ve worked in an office, but luckily, this profession is one where working from home is entirely possible.  Part of deciding to go freelance is knowing a little about yourself to begin with and I always knew early on that the corporate office life wasn’t really for me. I’ve been fortunate enough to have a strong network and as a result, have worked on some very interesting, large-scale projects over the years.

Mark took the leap to self employment not by choice, initially. He was laid off from a new job right when the decline in the US economy was happening, so it was a scary time to be unemployed. They say, however, that a surge in start ups and new businesses occur in a down economy, partly because there are no jobs to be had, so we figured we had nothing to lose when the idea to start our own company began to percolate. It’s been almost 2 years and we see that pivotal day as a blessing in disguise. Had he not been laid off, we would have never started Whimsy & Spice.

Self employment can mean long hours, irregular income and other unpredictable stresses. How you do you handle it?
Sometimes not well, lol. There are times when I look at all the factors that are lined up against us and I wonder why we do it: no benefits, no company subsidized heath insurance, no steady paycheck, no stability, crazy work schedules, no clear boundaries between work and home life. It gets really stressful during dry and slow periods, particularly since we have 2 small children and a mortgage to support – there’s really no slacking off. But when I catch myself being anxious about not finding another client or project again, I need to remind myself that in the 7 years that I’ve been freelancing, we’ve always pulled through and I’ve always found work. Basically you need to hustle and work hard, but you also need to trust. It isn’t easy and I am still learning how to do that.

What’s a typical day like for you? How did you keep yourself organized to avoid procrastination and other distractions?
There really are no typical days because each day is dictated by how many orders are received and how many client deadlines I have, but there are always 2 constants: dropping off and picking up our older kid from school. Most of the other tasks revolve around this. Mark will often go into the kitchen to bake during the day, as well as make a trip to the post office to drop off packages that need to ship to customers. If I’m on multiple projects, it’s not uncommon that I’ll work 15 hours a day – I’m a night owl.

As far as keeping organized, we’re pretty low tech on that front! Mark still scribbles his to-do list on paper. Mine is usually all in my head. I’ve never been one to use paper or technology to organize my day.

Do your work from home? Or offsite?
I work from home. We operate our business from home, but Mark bakes in a restaurant kitchen in our neighborhood.

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 do miss the socialization of an office environment sometimes or the natural collaboration that happens when you’re working in an office with colleagues. Twitter has been a good substitute for that in some respects, but to prevent yourself from feeling too isolated, you have to make an effort, reach out to people and go out. That is my main resolution for the New Year.

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?
Depends on the month. When it is our busy season for the business – the holidays – no, the balance is totally imbalanced; we’re working around the clock. It’s easier other times of the year, but like most freelance it can be feast of famine, so when there are times that 3 projects will hit at once, I am constantly working and can be holed up in the apartment with my computer. But the one thing we always do is eat dinner together as a family every single night. I think that helps bring some normalcy to our life. We also try and take at least a few hours on 1 weekend day to do something fun as a family.

What valuable lessons did you learn within your first year. Let’s start with the worst.
In a way, this is counter-intuitive to how I normally make decisions in life, but in our first year we made a business decision with our hearts rather than our heads and it turned out to be the wrong decision that cost us business and money. Sometimes you have to put on your business hat AND keep it on. It certainly made us think more carefully about business decisions after that. We don’t want every decision to be solely based around money, but we are running a business after all – one that needs to sustain and support our family – so we’ve learned to make big decisions with our business hats on.

And now the best.
I’ve learned not to over think and belabor over certain details. I’ve learned to let go to a certain extent and push things out in the world instead of keeping them in production and refinement mode forever. This may seem obvious, but this was a big thing for me. Sometimes you just have to spring into action and not think too much.

Lastly, what advice would you give to others that are thinking about quitting their 9-5 job to pursue self-employment?
Be courageous in your pursuit of self employment, but do have fun. It’s good to  weigh the pros and cons of self employment, but sometimes we have to go with our gut and not over-analyze things too much. I know for myself, I would never get anything done if I just went strictly with facts and numbers.  It definitely is a leap of faith, but if you have a reasonable plan, ambition and a good attitude, it can be done. It’s also important not to get discouraged and give it some time (I still need to follow this advice!). You can always look for a job if things do not pan out, but at least there will be no regrets for not trying.

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