Small Business : Handcrafted
Continuing from my previous blog (scroll down to read it) about testing waters as a solopreneur, here I am back from a break — or as I like to call it, my extended sabbatical in the land of ice cream and Netflix!
Sure, I had my first question, but the answer played hard to get!!
The first question: What went wrong?
Initially, it felt like I had solid good idea, a decent plan that I believed would get fine-tuned along the way. So, where had I take the wrong turn? Or had I simply got on to the wrong road to begin with?
“My Perfect Plan” – Let me quickly put it out there!!
In my thrill of attempting to peddle my quirky handmade treasures at a pop-up stall, I totally ghosted several crucial step. Behold, my utterly flawless plan has gaps wide enough to drive a truck through.
The light bulb moment!
This was my last sketch for a product that never got executed & I lost my business with this client but I learnt something more important!!
I stumbled upon an old quote-“Ideas are cheap, execution is everything. “
After a couple of months of wrestling with my hair & simultaneously binge-reading every business book ever written and playing ‘spot the actual business advice’ on social media with influencers, I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (or maybe it was just my phone screen on low battery).
The ultimate realisation!!
I had been so fixated on my ideas & translating those ideas into drawing without any thought about other aspects of running a business, it had certainly cost me a lot of time & energy. I simply did not have the skills to even address some of these concerns.
The first rules:
- And most important underlying rule – a business is based as a concept that involves generating money at the heart of it. It can be based on crafting ideas but it is still rooted in the concept of money making or losing it.
I had to just begin by accepting my limitations. Also, I had to whip out a list of things that had not work well in the past or were not sustainable to either me or my wallet that had to be sorted out first.
Going forward, the new plan!!
- Pay attention to expenses – maintain a financial spreadsheet
- Hired an auditor to help me
- Execution is everything- so I learnt to sew, embroider & build my website in order to understand how things work.
- It’s ok to be a micro business but I wanted to stay true to my craft ideas & stand by the quality of my products.
Early crafting day – Circa 2019. This is my first ever sashiko embroidery practice on brand new loafers.
Then Gurbanji was born!!
A look at my first handcrafted bags and pouches from november 2019 ~ 2020
What was the idea behind Gurbanji?
Gurbanji means Sparrow in my mother tongue – kannada. It’s a common house sparrow that kept company as we went about our lives. An integral part and a silent spectator to the lives that we lived.
Just like the handcrafted traditions & family keepsakes that were quietly treasured and continued to be part of our lives through generations.
Has this journey been great?
Well, it has its ups & downs but it is definitely fulfilling – my cupboard is full of fabrics & my drawers are filled with buttons & laces. Meanwhile the heart is filled with ideas and the head is filled with words caution – that execution is as important as the idea!!
