Father's Day and Men's Gifts
curated by Buffalove on Etsy
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Monday, May 4, 2015
Mint Julep Inspirations
This collection was inspired by the Kentucky Derby and the celebratory Mint Julep's that start off May and its wonderful green colors.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Monday, March 30, 2015
Did I Really Just Quit My Job
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
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