I came across an Etsy blog not too long ago. There's a section in there called Quit Your Day Job. One of the latest blogs was on a jeweler named Rachel Blakley. She did a Q & A on what prompted her to leave a position with an interactive web development company in Seattle, to form her Etsy store Elephantine. It started as a hobby, but after a break and rethinking, she took the leap and reopened it as a full time venture.
In the blog, Blakley discusses the steps she took to prepare to go full time with Elephantine. The first thing she mentions is the need to treat the new venture like a real business and not a hobby she does full time.
"I registered for business licenses, kept diligent records, put my earnings into a savings account, and spent a lot of time crunching numbers to figure out how much jewelry I needed to sell per day for it to be a viable option as a full-time job."
She talks of product branding:
"I understood that my shop needed to be branded in a certain way, from the logo to the packaging to the way I photographed my jewelry."
Or marketing tips:
"My blog has increased my sales because it gives me more web presence, and it allows people to get to know me outside of my shop. Personally, I'm more likely to buy from a shop if I feel like I've gotten to know the seller."
The blog doesn't just cover what Blakley has done right, but the mistakes she's made. There were unsuccessful promotions, and challenges in running a home based business. Some of the issues she discusses I can relate to. Like working from home. Sometimes I miss having other people around. When you work from home, you really have to make a point of meeting people for lunch, or even just going to a coffee shop to be around others.
Blakley's advice for would be small entrepreneurs? Start small, build your business, at least a year of steady growth before you pull the plug on your full time job.
It's a good Q & A from someone who's been there and is making a living doing what she wants from the comfort of her home.
Thumbnail photo of Blakley from her blog. Thanks!
