Let’s talk some business today!!
I’d like to introduce myself as an “Architect who took a detour into Hand-crafting.”
It’s like going from drawing up building plans to measuring up yardage.
My little adventure began when I decided to take a break & spend some time with my little one.
The little pause somehow started to look like the end of the road to return to that office desk!
Idea but is it a good one?
The idea was simple—me, your local designer partnering with local craft centres & artisans to infuse new point of views into traditional handcrafted products.
Around the same time – design entrepreneur, women run small business were booming around around me. Craft shows & maker markets were the new buzz word on the street.
There were other enablers too, like those shiny online tools promising to make you a web wizard faster than brewing coffee. Everyone either was a business owner or an online marketplace for DIY enthusiasts, with pop-ups showcasing crafters like reality show contestants. And trust me, I was sucked in faster than a vacuum cleaner at a confetti party!
In hindsight, this idea had a goofy flaw. I didn’t see it coming. (More on that later!) Instead I hopped on the hustle market – yeah because everyone seemed to be racing around to get to the next handcrafting tradition to infuse new ideas.
But, soon enough reality stuck & exposed the other side of “running a business”
Ground Level Problems:
After a rollercoaster ride that had vendors vanishing quicker than my bright ideas and artisans treating my designs like they were scribbled in the worst invisible ink.
The highlight at this point included an exhausting manhunt for a well finished product.
At this rate, I might have just stumbled upon god or at least a unicorn!
Sales – what is that now?
I had zero clues about selling—apparently it’s a big deal in the business world!
So, I was flinging my hopes everywhere—from the deepest, darkest corners of the internet to coffee shop bulletin boards—like my masterpieces were just waiting to sell themselves! Meanwhile, my clients were examining my creations with the same enthusiasm you’d reserve for a mystery free gift, resulting in endless shop talk and me distributing more business cards than actual products!
The big question:
Let’s face it, am I really the mastermind behind this business, or was I just playing an epic game of “Who Can Pretend to be the Boss” with myself?
(Ya!! that’s my exhausted picture for you all)
I’ll leave you with some pics that I managed to “mine out” from my long forgotten memory disc
Quick Lessons before I hit publish!!
1) Do not print business cards
2) Pop Up stalls are not a sales avenue. Then what are they??
Have folks been telling you that your talent is so off-the-charts that you should be selling those handmade wonders instead of just giving them away to friends who owe you coffee? Comment here or write in.
