Being Broke and Dirty Inspires New Venture

So I'm broke, about $7 to my name after I paid for the soap samples I ordered from HelloCrafty. I'm glad I ordered them when I did, because I'm almost out of my other soap. So, sitting around being broke and dirty, I'm trying to think of how to make some sales. Things have been really slow lately, and I decided that I should try putting some lower-priced items in my shop. The first thing that comes to mind is a set of crocheted cotton face cloths.

After I got them made and listed for sale, I thought about it some more (and thought about my soap purchase some more), and though "Hey, it'd be nice if soap sellers included a little face cloth with people's orders." What would be really nice would be if they bought them from me so that we could cross-promote a little. I started a thread in the Etsy forums, and was surprised at the number of responses I got. One of the first was from none other than HelloCrafty, from whom I'd ordered the soaps that inspired this.

I've also been contacted by over half a dozen more soapers. It looks like I posted that idea at exactly the right time, because a few have told me that they'll be finalizing their lines and packaging for the holidays in the next few weeks, and will order face cloths to coordinate with them. I really stumbled onto something here!

In the end, though, this is just another example of what I love about Etsy. Lots of people who do very different things, but eager to work together for everyone's benefit.

It's pretty...and I helped!

Not too long ago I began playing around with dyeing yarn. It's addictive, let me tell you, especially for someone as color-obsessed (and yarn-obsessed) as I am. I discovered three things. First, I love the process; second, I don't have nearly enough time to knit/crochet with all the yarn I dye; and third, I can't afford to dye all this yarn and keep it for myself. The obvious next step was to start selling it in my Etsy shop, so I began listing it.

Now let's flash back a bit further. I don't remember quite how I discovered her (Etsy's forums are a good guess), but I'd run across an artist who goes by the name TotusMel. She makes stunning needle-tatted jewelry and accessories, and I quickly added her to my list of favorite sellers.

Flash forward again. I wake up one morning to discover that I've sold my first skein of yarn, and whaddya know, it's TotusMel who bought it! Yes, I giggled, and although I will neither confirm nor deny it, I may or may not have squealed a little. She was even kind enough to later share pictures of the scarf she made with it (which you can read more about in her blog post here).

I must say that of all the great experiences I've had through Etsy, having another artist (particularly one so talented) make something so beautiful out of my materials is the biggest thrill.

(Thanks again to TotusMel for allowing me to use her photographs in this post. She retains all rights to them, so don't go getting any ideas.)

In the event of...

I started a business roughly six months ago. I'm a one-woman show, and that's the way I like it. But it has occurred to me that this might present a problem if anything were to happen that rendered me unable to run my business. I'm 26 so it's unlikely that I'm going to croak in the next ten minutes, but things happen and you just never know.

I looked into making a will, but right now I can't afford anything other than one handwritten on a sheet of notebook paper, and probably less than legally sound. I also don't have too terribly many assets. What's really important, though, are the intangibles: my passwords, where I hid my ATM card or my housekey, that sort of thing. The things that someone would need to know if they suddenly needed to take over or shut down (permanently or temporarily) my business.

So this is my task for myself. I'm going to put together an "In the event of..." package for my family. It'll have a list of my online presences and their accompanying login information, instructions for what to do with my Etsy shop and how to do it, and where to look for help if the instructions I've left are insufficient. I'm thinking that there will actually be two packets, one for if I am temporarily incapacitated, and another for if I am permanently incapacitated or deceased.

For all you other Etsians and small business owners of all kinds, especially if you're the sole member of your company, think about doing this, even if you have a real will. Not only will it help your family or whoever such responsibilities fall to, but think of your customers.

There now, that's a nice cheery topic for the first real post on this blog!

Thanks for visiting. I have an existing blog at http://jenhintz.blogspot.com but soon I will be splitting that blog off so that my personal blogging stays there and this blog is devoted entirely to business.