Monday, September 6, 2010

Monday

I've got my shirts up and going again, which is what you see at the bottom of the page. I need all the sources of income I can get. I've also added to my Etsy shop. I'm still debating linking it to my blog. I may link the etsy shop to the Zazzle shop. I don't know.

My grandfather used to have a ceramic shop. Ceramics are not a very profitable business. People are only going to buy so many vases and coffee mugs. It's also a very limited medium as everything is molded. You can only make what you have molds for and they are expensive. As is the kiln and the slip (mix).

But Grandaddy seems to make a profit on a regular basis. He was always loading up his van and going on selling trips. He had a showroom in his shop and he opened it every day. He had regular business hours. He had a production schedule.

When Grandaddy died, my grandmother said she would keep the shop open. But she didn't go on selling trips. She would often be in the shop, but forget to unlock the showroom. She tried to finish all my grandfather's projects, but she didn't go in any kind of order. If she felt like doing decals, she did. But if vases needed to be fired before being painted so they would be ready for decals, she might put it off for a week because painting wasn't her favorite thing.

Eventually the showroom got dusty, the phone stopped ringing, and no one stopped by anymore.

Mama Kate had everything she needed to keep the business going. She had customers, tools, supplies, and products.

But she failed to do the one thing Grandaddy did- she didn't work in the shop every day.

This is the key to any business, whether it is a full time career or a hobby. You must do something every day. You must design, plan, create, think, organize, have ideas, gather information- you've got to WORK.

I've decided I'm going to do something with at least 1 of my shops every day even if it's nothing more than signing in and looking at the site.

Today's card is parrot. 'Let sunshine revitalize your soul and color transform your world.' And it might help to talk about what you're doing.

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