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
