Lately, since February really, I’ve been unofficially, officially self employed. It happened so gradually. I just kind of phased out anything that wasn’t “my own project” and now, I’m sitting here and I realize, it’s just my projects on my plate now. It’s so exhilarating. And, honestly, a little scary. I mean, if something happens, or doesn’t happen, it’s all on me. So I did what I do and I started researching like crazy how to fortify myself against the unknown (like what happened with my finger or the economy or unexpected randomness that can happen in like) and health insurance was high on the list of something that needs to be taken care of.
Then there is the day to day issues. Without any kind of structure – even just working at the chocolate shop was its own kind of imposed structure on my day – I’m having a hard time getting my daily things done, not because of lack of time, but because of lack of time constraints. That mythical “well I have ALL day to get it done, surely it will be fine if I work on laundry for the next 3 hours”. Well, it’s not fine and more than likely 3 hours stretches out and just doing the laundry turns into cleaning the ferret cage and the kitchen and the bathroom and petting the cat and watching “my favorite” show – which is funny because I really don’t even care for TV. So scheduling is another big topic. How do I set up my day so I feel free to be creative and exploratory but at the same time get everything done I need to so I meet all my deadlines. That can be a huge dilemma.
And what happens if you get sick, like I did last week, or even with something like the flu. It’s so hard to “call in sick” when you are working from home, even if you say you are taking the day off, you generally work on things anyway. And the larger issue there is keeping Home and Work separate when they share the same physical space. Not to mention the issue of always feeling like there is more work always needing to be done.
Keeping on top of the books is a hard issue for me and facing paying taxes in just 3 weeks (less than 3 weeks) is horribly overwhelming at this point. So some great ways to keep on top of the books and taxes in order.
In general making the transition from “hobbiest” to “craft business” is a hard one because it can sometimes be so easy you don’t notice the change was made until it’s made. When you buy a business or start a retail store you have to make a business plan, you have to get your ducks in a row. And thankfully in some ways and unfortuntately in others, that is not the case when declaring yourself a business. I think a great topic for me personally to cover would be to write up a business plan and how to set some long term goals for myself and my crafty business when everything is so undefined and up to me.
These are just some of the topics I want to cover right now today, but I’m sure as I look more into the specifics of each topic I will discover more issues worth exploring with you. And then there are also topics that you are interested. What craft business topic are you most interested in? What dilemma are you facing while being self employed or thinking about being self employed?
So to recap the articles to come:
Health Insurance – navigating the paper trail to find what you need to keep you from going bankrupt
Scheduling – Setting up Your Workday so you work Every Day
Home Sweet Home – Keeping Home and Work Separate when they share the same space
Keeping the Books – Not having a melt down when tax time comes around
Transitions – From Hobbiest to Business and all the transitions inbetween that throw a curve in the road
Planning – Looking to the future – business plans, goals, projections, and dreams
Dilemmas – Tell me what issues you are struggling with and let me see if I can dig up some solutions for you – email me at kristin@craftleftovers.com
I won’t be posting about this every day, or even every week, but I’m going to keep links to all the parts of the series in the Resources and Links section for you (and me) to look back to. I’ll also be double posting this over on Kro Studio. I might end up posting shorter quick topic posts there only, but I want to keep CL focused on the Crafty Goodness.
I’ll be back to the craft tomorrow actually as I am just about finished with the mythical skirt I started a few weeks ago :)
See you all then!
Happy Crafting!
Kristin
Wow, you really nailed most of my big issues, scheduling and planning being the biggest. Related to planning and transitioning, I have trouble with really taking myself seriously as a home based business, or maybe it’s more of a home vs. work/planning issue and I just feel guilty for not working on work 24/7. Lately I’ve been putting a lot of time and energy into online stuff which I tell myself is all working towards building an online presence and market, but if I don’t actually get any product made then what good does that online presence do me really?
So, add to the list of issues: motivation, inspiration, and how to feel like you’re part of a community when you’re isolated by yourself at home — without letting the drive to join a community take over all your time.
Really looking forward to all your business posts!
I’m finally catching up on blog reading & am hoping your finger has a quick recovery! Good luck with the working at home business. I know that I have issues with lack of time constraints, too— I get much more done when I have appointments and deadlines. Self-imposed ones aren’t working so well for me, although setting my kitchen timer to ring every hour or so is a good reminder occasionally.
Can’t read your upcoming posts.
Can’t wait to read I meant.
My problem is with scheduling enough time to actually work on product. I’m still working full time and have an apartment to take care of and two dogs to look after. Then there are the friends who don’t seem to understand I cannot spend every weekend playing with them. Scheduling is my biggest issue!
This post is a great sum up : there are so many overwhelming issues related to starting a craft business. I am dreaming about taking the leap one day, but feel overwhelmed just thinking about it (well, and also completely exhilarated :))
I will be looking forward to you next posts on the subject.
Have a great day !
Wow! It’s always nice to know that others have the same concerns as me. I’m not self employed by any means yet, but the legal end of the whole thing is really my problem. I was just selling a couple things here and there and in Feb decided to open an etsy shop. Still working full time, but a girl can dream.
Thanks for sharing with us!
Wow – well put and boy do I know what you are talking about! I too slowly dropped away other commitments, and began to sew full time this year. Just getting my space organized, and keeping it on top of that while using it takes up a lot of time. I wrestle often with the problem that much of what I accomplish during the day won’t necessarily translate to something I can point to on my website. Looking forward to reading your next posts!
This is going to be a super awesome series. These are all issues that have been weighing on my mind lately, and more. I am still trying to balance a day job, friends, household chores, etc. while trying to grow my side business. It can be overwhelming! So I very much look forward to reading what you have to say on these topics.