on making tough decisions, trusting your gut & supportive communities

Hi, I'm Shawna from Scrawny Girl.

 

(This is my idea notebook. It helps me to write everything down.)

I'm one of those people who has a hard deciding where to eat for dinner, but I'll decide to change my hair color in a matter of minutes. Even though I'm pretty spontaneous with my decision making on most things (ask my husband how many times he's painted our kitchen), I sometimes have a hard time actually making a decision and sometimes sticking to it (again ask my husband about painting the kitchen).

I recently made some big decisions for my business. These decisions weren't spontaneous, but I also didn't agonize over them for weeks either. It was more of a necessity, and a gut feeling that got the ball rolling.

  Community/Support

I'm pretty new to the indie business world, so I turned to my awesome online maker communities for support and advice. I knew I wasn't the first to experience burn out, stress, and time management issues so I threw my concerns and ideas out into the forums. It's nice to know you aren't alone and sometimes just talking it out helps to make the path more clear. I also usually talk to my sister about most things because she has a business/marketing degree, plus she's brutally honest (which I appreciate).

If you can't find proper support in your personal life, I would definitely recommend joining an online community or two. You can join communities based around parenting, small business, crafting, photography - find one where you can connect organically with people who have similar interests & passions, people who will be facing familiar troubles and celebrating similar milestones. I am a member of Oh My Handmade  and a few other communities. The wealth of knowledge, friendships, and support I've gained from these communities has been monumental for my business!

(source: Kelly Rae Roberts)

Ultimately it's up to you to make to right decision for your business. The right decision for me was to stop taking custom orders, retire some products, and change my inventory process. Of course only time will tell if these decisions will be beneficial, but right now I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and the creative block cleared. It was important for me to remember why I started my business in the first place, and that I continued to enjoy what I do.