Wow! What an adventure I’ve had in the last five years. There have been lots of wins and just as many fails. There have been plenty of celebrations and more than a few tears. There has been a lot of learning, giving myself grace, and dreaming. I truly started creating as a hobby and had no idea it would lead me to running my own business, full time.
So, here I am at five years in and want to share a few things I’ve learned about being self-employed, working with brides, and the wedding industry.
Mistakes Happen.
It’s inevitable that something will go wrong. Missing packages, issues matching a color, a printed typo, out of stock envelopes, an important email ending up in your spam folder – the list goes on. In the beginning, I would stress so much and legitimately lose sleep over these type of things.
The worst part about being self employed is that any mistake comes directly out of your pocket, however having to literally pay for it reminds you to be cautious of repeating that error again. For the most part, clients are extremely understanding when there’s an issue – I’m always very up front if something is wrong that will affect their order. Give yourself a break, you’re only human!
It’s OK to Not Feel Creative Every Day.
When starting out, I felt so much pressure to come up with new ideas, designs, strategies, and content daily. Most of the time, it was enjoyable but there are days when you’re just not feeling it. Maybe there’s a custom design project that isn’t speaking to you on a particular day. Rather than trying to force something out that isn’t there, it’s ok to step away. Take a break, whether that’s for an hour, a day, or a week, and come back to it later. The best designs are born under positive factors and without feeling pressured to create.
The Wedding Industry is So Rewarding.
I did NOT want to get in the wedding industry. I was extremely intimidated and nervous about bridezillas. There are rules, etiquette, and pressure – just designing for the biggest day of someone’s life, no big deal! My experience was lacking and transitioning to wedding invitations was pretty slow.
However, I knew that I had to take the leap into weddings if I really wanted to grow my business. Once I did it, I never looked back! I’ve worked with hundreds of brides and haven’t had a single bridezilla – yes, really! The clients I’ve gotten to work with have truly been the sweetest. They’ve been so pleasant, so happy, and overall grateful
Consistency is Key.
This is one of my top tips for anyone wanting to start their own business. It doesn’t happen overnight and it takes work, a lot of it. If you’re consistent and putting your best efforts in, it will happen! The more you’re able to devote (money, time, etc) the quicker it will grow but patience is so important.
Show up, market, blog, strategize, network, create, dream, and don’t stop. Continue to work for it and amazing things will happen!
Interested in more about my business journey or starting your own? I have an entire blog dedicated to these topics! Check out zerotobiz.com now.
