Did I Really Just Quit My Job

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

A quote from Henry David Thoreau in answer to questions about why he decided to live in the woods for 2 years (which several years later, in 1854, he wrote about in the book Walden).

In a strange way I feel little bit of Thoreau in my blood. I’m now 8 months into my journey of leaving the “real world” and I've learned quite a bit more about life and myself.

Since my last post in November, I've made enough progress to keep the dream alive, yet by no means am I out of the woods – haha I had to throw that line in there!!

I finished 2014 with a strong showing at the St. Greg’s and Heim crafts shows and kept the momentum going as I headed into the new year. The hymnbook holder project I spoke of previously, turned out great and it looks like it may lead to more business this year.

On-line sales improved through December, but I realized that if I want to make a big difference I need to really upgrade my game in that area. With that in mind I sought the insight of EurekaGuides, an ETSY store, specializing in very thorough and direct critiques of Etsy stores.

I highly recommend this service to anyone who is looking for more insight than is possible, or sometimes helpful, through the forums or teams. I learned quite a bit from this critique.

Every single facet of the store is analyzed. 

The cost ($75) was well worth it to me and the increase in traffic was immediate after I started implementing some of the suggestions.

My retail molding endeavor, located on my DIY pictureframing website, went live a couple of weeks ago and I had my first sale after only 6 days! I’m hoping to turn that into a consistent revenue stream.

I’m still edgy about money, I still don’t have health insurance, and I've cut back on quite a few things. I wouldn't quite compare it to Thoreau's living off the land, but it's certainly a lot different than I was used to.

Luckily for me, my family and my girlfriend are very supportive and understanding.

I see progress though and can actually feel momentum building. Each day I wake up with a feeling of anticipation. Wondering what new opportunity will present itself. Spring always brings hope and re-birth and I'm sure that is some of what I'm feeling now, but not all of it. 

So, I’ll just keep planting the seeds of hard work, faith and a positive attitude and see what grows from that. 

If its not enough to live on, I can always come out the woods….

Until next time, stay positive and good luck to all!!

Al

www.harvestwoods.com

www.picture-frame-it-yourself.com