Consign-omics

To consign or not, that is the question.

Over the course of the last three years, I have seen many of my fellow crafters and entrepreneurs have pondered consignment arrangements with boutiques and co-ops, and wondered whether it was the right choice for them. When I was starting up, I leaped into such an arrangement, and as I later learned, made every mistake in the book. So here's what I learned, expensively, and I'm sharing it with the hope that others can avoid my mistakes! This is not to say that all consignment arrangements are bad, or won't work for you. I've had the pleasure of meeting and talking to really inspiring shop owners. However, buyer beware. There are some unscrupulous owners who take advantage of the fact that it can be hard to get your foot in the door of traditional wholesale arrangements, and find artists that will agree to situations that are very one-sided, just happy to have the opportunity for your items to be seen, ANYWHERE. I was there once, and I know how easy it is to get sucked into an agreement that will harm you financially (or emotionally) if you come from a place of fear. So here are some things to think about when mulling over a prospect: 

• You're the product. Consignment boutiques make money primarily from the vendors, not the customers. They will probably seem awesome when they're courting you, because the more vendors, the merrier. Aren't we all different when we're trying to land a job or a client or on our first date? Their attitude may well change once you sign a contract, so use good judgement. Beware of situations where the space rent is high and the FVF is low, the consigner has no motivation to sell YOUR products, or any products at all.

• If you must pay rent, make sure you have a dedicated space. Otherwise, your primo spot may be up for grabs, used to entice new vendors, which goes back to my first point. Sharing the love sounds great until you're the one in a dark corner, adjacent to the bathroom.

• The consigner wants to make money. There's nothing wrong with that. If the owner of the shop insists they are doing it to help artists, question their motives. if it's true that they receive no monetary benefit from running the shop, they will be even LESS motivated to sell product, and if then you have to ask yourself what they're getting out of running the shop, if not money. Make sure their vision and motivations line up with yours, or you could find yourself at an unpleasant impasse. Are you looking for a great place to sell your stuff or a cause? Either way is fine, but if the owner has the opposite outlook, conflict is sure to follow. 

• Speak up, early and often. Letting a situation with merchandise placement or payment go on unspoken because you don't want to rock the boat is a mistake, the simmering tension will eventually erupt. If you have a contract, don't wait until your contract is about to renew before broaching a deal-breaking issue, you want to make sure any possible issue is resolved before you commit yourself again. 

• Talk to other vendors, especially past vendors. Those are your best source of information for what it will be like to sell in this shop in six months or nine months. If you ask around, it should be easy to find past vendors, find out how they left and why. 

• How much traffic do they get monthly/yearly? ASK. Find out the median sales by vendor, and expect the low end of that range. No matter how good your products are, if the shop doesn't receive enough traffic, you may not get sales there. Find out the high range and the low range. Figure out the cost of the monthly rent or fees, less expenses for materials, balanced against the time commitment you'll need to stock your shop, pick up payments, etc. Even the best looking shops may simply not be profitable. 

Maybe these tips are all common sense and I just missed the boat, not unheard of! But maybe you'll glean something from MY experiences and you'll have nothing but fabulous and successful experiences in consignment, hope sprints eternal! 

If you have questions about any of my experiences or my tips, drop me an email! 

Cranberries in the Snow.....

Today is my two year business anniversary!

Two years ago today, I waded through all the sign up information to start an etsy shop. I think it took me all day, between setting up a paypal account (which I didn't have), and figuring out how to work the computer I borrowed. I had made the decision several years before, although I was computer proficient when I was in the workforce, to avoid any and all new technology. I've always been a somewhat quirky person, and to me, having such trappings as a cell phone and a computer was "giving in" to the popular sentiment. And I was very opposed to that!

Right about the time I turned 30 though, I realized that what I thought was setting me apart, was holding me back, and so I got my very first cell phone ever! Soon after, as my soapmaking hobby progressed, I realized that it could benefit me to find a way to make money at it, and so my Etsy shop was born! The picture above was my very first product picture. I came home one day after a lovely snowfall and wanting to try out the camera my Aunt had graciously given me, I set up my Rosewater and Glycerin soap in my tea set, on a bed of fresh cranberries. As you can see, the style I was going for back then was much more reflective of my personal taste, quite romantic and girly. It's probably the best picture, quality-wise, I've ever taken, yet looking at it now, I'm struck with how far I've come stylistically.

From that, to this!

With my mentor's help, I was able to transition from a look that was "cute" to, as she always told me, "something you can build an empire on". While I have a long way to go before I start empire-building, that one change alone took my shop from a "cute-little-hobby" to a full-fledged business, and I'm forever grateful for the help I received.

In the last two years, my life has changed drastically! From a stay at home mom, which truth be told, was a little bored, to an entrepreneur who is going-going-going all the time. From a fairly isolated person, to somebody that has friends and business associates all over the world. I have gained so much self-confidence in the last two years, doing something that is darn hard and (mostly) surviving! It's also been difficult in some ways, I would never want to project that I have it all figured out, because truth be told, sometimes when I'm helping two children with math, while juggling two toddlers, while shipping out products, while emailing back and forth with a client....I think to myself, "what have I done?".

I have been able to gain a lot of strength from knowing that I'm not alone, this is the same dance that all work at home mothers and entrepreneurs do. I'm lucky to have a lot of people around me who have done this well, much better than I, and I learn so much from them. Whenever I'm in danger of feeling overwhelmed and sorry for myself, I remember the struggle my dad had when he started his business 16 year ago, a struggle that goes on today. And I have my Etsy-friends, other moms, who are far busier than me and still manage to pull it off.

Above all, the last two years have been rewarding, as I've been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor, staying home with my children, homeschooling, and being able to help provide for my family at the same time. It's hard work, very hard work, but I hope that I'm creating something here that will blossom into even better things, and that my children will look back at this time of being with me while I do grow a business, as a learning experience, and that they'll learn the value of hard work, sacrifice, and know that when they are all grown up, they can reach for their dreams just as I have!

Happy Etsy-versary to me and a huge thanks to those who've helped along the way, you know who you are :)

Etsy-Mom-ics

Two years ago, I started my business on Etsy, literally. I had no business when I started, and at the time, I had no idea I WAS starting a business. Like many families hit hard by the Great Recession, I just thought I was making a little extra money to ease the vice-like tightness of the family budget.

Etsy was founded in 2005, as they say, a long time ago, and far-far away. In 2005, I'm sure the founder of Etsy meant to create a haven for artists and artisans to display and sell their work, with the ideal that by doing so, people would be exposed to a different way of buying. A values-based vision to be sure, but something that from the onset, resonated with a lot of people, purveyors and producers of artisan made goods alike. 

Then something happened, and that something changed Etsy and the world forever. Around the time I discovered I was unexpectedly pregnant with my fourth child, *something* was wrong with the financial world  I remember reading the reports with no idea how my life was about to change. Almost overnight, my husband's livlihood all but disappeared. He works for a family business in the construction industry, and suddenly, nobody was borrowing, building, or buying. In order to save the business and his job, my husband accepted a paycut that amounted to 30-40% of his yearly income. In the meantime, I had given birth to both my fourth child and fifth child in close succession. What can I say? My timing sucks! The starter house that we had purchased so hopefully in 2004 (when we had two children) was now our permanent home, housing 7 souls in a 1140 square foot space. There was no question of moving, the mortgage on that home was now all we could afford, and we comforted ourselves with the notion that at least we HAD a house, a notion that became "realer and realer" as we watched people around us lose theirs. 

As our income shrank and our family grew, I employed my ninja budgeting skills in order to squeeze the last drop from every dollar. I remember crying one day when I saw that my oldest son's jeans had a hole in them, I couldn't afford to buy him more, and the shame in realizing that was heartbreaking. I made everything from scratch, and I mean, EVERYTHING. I baked bread, I made yogurt, I cloth diapered, I made my own clothes from discount fabric. I haunted thrift stores and consignment stores, never buying anything new. In my Little House in the Prairie phase, I stumbled upon soapmaking, and the die was cast. I found out something very interesting right away: I was good at making soap. I just...was. Perhaps the years of making bread and yogurt and coming up with my own recipes helped me, but making soap was a skill that came very naturally to me. And I needed a way to turn this skill into $$. My sister mentioned Etsy and when I checked it out, it seemed simple enough and not intimidating, so I listed my first item. When I started my shop, on December 14, 2010, my highest goal was to eventually make perhaps $100 extra dollars a month to ease our budget. 

And I did. 

I remember seeing a blog article a year or so ago, where the author purports that what Etsy is selling is a lie, that's it's impossible for your average housewife or stay at home mom to make enough money to make a difference in her life, and that theme is something you hear over and over on etsy forums and elsewhere. Part of the problem is that Etsy is made up of so many different people, with different motivations and concerns. Everything from the fine artist who cringes at the very mention of making money to the people like me, who turned their talent into profit, where enjoyment is not a primary concern, where our driving factor is not love of art, but love of family. 

In my time on Etsy, I have been lucky enough to meet some amazing women, and many many moms. I've heard this story (my story) over and over, a mom desperate to preserve her family starts an Etsy shop and makes good. I've heard from women that went from being in severe financial distress to bringing in $100,000 a year. I spoke to one amazing lady that grosses over HALF A MILLION dollars a year, and does so with aplomb. So many stories, so many successes. Is this the norm on Etsy? Of course not, not everyone can do what these women did. BUT; so many women have been able to provide a few hundred a month toward the family budget, which for them, DOES alter their life. $200 a month could make the difference between eating Top Ramen again and having fresh veggies and whole grain pasta for dinner. It can mean that a child can join a sports team, or take dance lessons. It can mean a night out once a month, an occasional movie, that special outfit for a special occasion. It's not a lot of money to most, but when you buy directly from a home crafter, you are able to instantly affect their life positively. Sounds a lot like Etsy's mission statement, doesn't it? 

Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers.

Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice:

Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.

So many women on Etsy have been able to use their time and talent to enhance their standard of living and hopefully, their self esteem. For myself, I use my Etsy profits to enhance my life, I have been able to purchase things that are important to me; like the local hormone-free milk that is bottled only a few miles from my house and delivered to our door and the huge sectional couch that means that the WHOLE family can snuggle together in the evenings. I've been able to provide the little perks in our house that were sorely lacking for a long time during the worst of the recession. In truth, I don't know where we'd be if I hadn't had the opportunity to start my business, it very well may have kept us in our home, and it certainly made a huge difference in our daily lives. By doing so, I have hopefully, in my small way, been able to provide these things for ANOTHER mother somewhere.

As for myself? I quickly went from providing a little money here and there, to a big chunk of money regularly.  While it has taken a lot of work and a whole lot of sacrifice, on balance I can only conclude that Etsy is positive for women AND for mothers. $200 a month could make the difference between being hungry or fed, clothed or ragged, cold or warm. And $2000 a month? It can be the reason a mother can stay home with her children, or quit that job that is sucking the life out of her. Women having choices is always a good thing, since women and mothers are Atlas that hold up society, and allowing women to share their talent with the world is something that I will always support, even if I don't consider myself an artist. Like so many women,  children are my art and my world, and the greatest thing I will ever do with this life. I will always be grateful that I was able to start my business on Etsy and have been able to "meet" and talk to, so many women who awe me everyday, and spur me on.

Giveaway Fail

Ok, so I've tried and thoroughly failed at creating a giveaway with a third party app. Who knew it was so hard?!

So.....because this is MY turf, I can make this simple.

Just comment on my post, and tomorrow morning I'll select a winner with random.org for this lovely prize:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/105989175/handmade-bath-and-beauty-products?ga_search_query=gift%2Bset

That's it! You don't have to do anything, although if you *happen* to tweet my shop, share something, or whatever you feel like doing, that would be awesome!

Yay for 500 fans, being 32 and 3,000+ sales on etsy! Thanks fans!

Growing Pains

This picture (of my huge pile of packages) is a perfect representation of where I am right now, reaching for the sky and trying not to topple over!

The last few months have been the most exciting/scary time for me since I started my business. I'm only just now starting to believe that it's possible for me to reach my goals, and yet they seem so far away.

I have the advantage of having a father that is a small business owner, and my husband was describing to him what we're doing right now. Trying to grow but needing more capital. Nobody willing to loan us money because we have to grow more. Hearing that everybody who starts a business goes through this is both comforting and terrifying. You mean, this is normal?! The balancing act, the personal loans I've taken to get it off the ground, the fear that it will all come crashing down? Yep, according to my dad that is all to be expected. And I have it GOOD as far as that goes, since when my dad started his business, an industry that requires a warehouse full of material and expensive machinery, he had to take out a second mortgage on his house and sign loans for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Well, my poor little house is not even worth what the FIRST mortgage is for, and with the economic climate the way it is, there will be no huge loans for me. I just keep thinking that if I make it through this, I will be better off, having done it mostly on my own. That's what I keep telling myself anyway!

Another struggle I'm having is the constant refrain, "we need more product". As a busy mom of 5 children, I do my best to produce enough product, having a daily production goal. Often, I get so caught up in filling present orders that I don't have time to produce more products, and it's an endless cycle.

Hiring Jordan helped a lot with that, she's able to package and label custom orders and others while I make stuff. And she cleans up after me! No kidding, when I'm in the groove, I need somebody following along after me to clean up and wash and sanitize the dishes I use, and it's much more efficient than me stopping production to do that. I'm hoping to ramp up production the rest of this month. I have a daily sales goal, so I have to make at LEAST that much inventory that day, and my goal is to make twice what I hope to sell every single day. I'm getting there!

Wow, does this post sound like a downer to anybody? It's not meant to, in reality I'm hugely grateful and blessed to be having these particular problems, because it means I'm becoming a "real" business owner. But I won't deny it's stressful and it's something I fell sometimes unprepared for. But as my fave John Wayne says, "Courage is being scared to death and saddling up anyway". Giddyup!

I get by with a (lot of) help from my friends..

My real desk! Aaak!

So much has changed since I last posted on my business blog! Last time I was reflecting on the craziness that was the holiday season and now I'm preparing for another season to start!

My business has grown by leaps and bounds since January. I now sell at a great boutique and am about to take on another, and I'm confident enough to approach larger retailers. A year ago I could never have imagined doing either! I am very lucky to have had (and still have) a Obi-Wan of sorts that helped me focus on having a plan for my business. I'm a very spontaneous person by nature and probably would still be flailing about if not for her advice. It's funny because I always think of myself as being a very logic-driven person but in reality I'm just not much of a planner. When the going gets tough, I have a tendency to become frozen with fear of failure or indecision.

Luckily, James is a very grounded person and is able to pull me out of the ruts I get into. We recently made the decision to have him take charge of productions schedules. I'm not a lazy person by far, but lately I've had so much trouble keeping up with production, mainly because I was never sure WHICH fire to put out. Out came his favorite clipboard (that I bought him) and he clearly laid out which items to make and when and actually works with me when I'm making things, both to keep me on track and to learn. I'm also quite legendarily unable to find things. TERRIBLE at it! So James organizes my stock and finds ingredients and "things" for me. Without him, I'd be still desperately searching for the ONE ingredient I need to make something for an order. I really need all the help I can get in this regard!

James put these shelves together, built dividers and attached these boxes, perfect for holding lip balms

 I took another big step this month, hiring my first employee. When it became clear to me that my growth as a business and my family life were being hampered by not having enough help, I sought a one day a week assistant. Jordan is an etsy shop owner and a VERY talented artist. She was looking for a one or two day a week job to work toward her goal of buying her first house with her husband, and the fact that I know her in real life AND she already knows the ins and outs of etsy shop ownership was perfect! She's also from a big family (4 brothers!) and was not horrified by the idea of spending the day in a very small house with five boys. Having her help has been tremendous, a huge relief to me and I was gratified to see how well my boys took to her and she didn't mind being cajoled into playing Chutes and Ladders at one point, freeing me up to get some serious work done.

Jordan, my new assistant!

I am incredibly lucky to have such people around me and I would literally be NOWHERE without them!

What a Year!

Toy Car Still Life; by Dorian (and/or Callan)

 2012 already? When I look back at the year; I can hardly believe how much my life has changed; looking back; it seems like this year was a very LONG year; simply because of all that has happened. The beginning of 2011 found me with a brand-new etsy shop; I had just listed my first few items; and was surprised right off the bat to get a few orders! Looking back; I can only imagine what my poor customers were thinking; my pictures were terrible; my shop back then was a far cry from professional. I was content throughout January to get the few sales that I got; and worked on my shop just a few hours a day.  I remember it through the haze of reminiscence as being a simpler time.

I remember somebody saying to me early on in my etsy "career"; probably in March; "You're going to be an etsy star; I can tell!". I still remember flattered I was that ANYONE thought I had potential; I feel mostly like a fish of out water with the online selling stuff; and every day is a learning experience. Starting out; I didn't have any experience with any kind of selling; and my limited computer knowledge made a steep learning curve. I still come up against "techy" type things everyday that I don't know how to do; I have shed many a tear of frustration trying to learn the ropes at being an online business owner. With the support of some AWESOME etsians and others; I've muddled through; and I do feel proud that a SAHM with a high school education and a sparse resume has hung in there even though there were many times I thought I couldn't do it.

Of course; I'm no "star", and I'm bowled over often at some shops on etsy that are wildly successful because I know how much work this all is. 2011 was a huge learning experience for me; and I know I'm a better person for having done everything I've done along the way. I've made lots of friends; and feel like I've "come out of my shell"; after 10+ years where I was consumed with raising babies and was fairly isolated.

I've given up some things; too; I used to spend hours a day cooking elaborate meals; and my house was spotless all the time; it's been an adjustment trying to be less hard on myself when I look around and the house is not clean (again) and I "mail it in" with dinner. But I feel like what I am spending my time on is more lastingly important; and I also know that in time I'm get everything figured out and hopefully have more time for my hobbies. For now; I'm enjoying growing my business; and taking pride in the little bit of success I've managed to achieve. But as a perfectionist; I'm never satisfied; and every day; I plot and plan my next move.....2012 will hopefully bring some great changes and innovations for me!

Today I was thinking that it will shortly be the centennial of 1912; I year I've always thought was a benchmark of sorts; a time before The Great War changed people's way of life; so I made this fun treasury on etsy:

Party Like it's 1912

Tonight I'll be drinking some sparkling Riesling and eating some late night burgers with my husband; Welcome 2012!

Hello, Migraine; My Old Friend

Illustration of visual migraine aura from a participant in the National Migraine Art competition. © 2007 Migraine Action Association and Boehringer Ingelheim

I've really enjoyed giving my blog-ees a little behind the scenes look at my business (and by extension, my life), and migraines have been such a part of it all; I wanted to share.

First of all; I've always had migraines; but until last summer; they were occasional to rare and never really affected my life. I just took to my bed, and tried to get through them as best I could. When I was pregnant with baby Elvis; I started having an upsurge in the visual disturbances that accompany migraines for most people; but I thought it was just a weird pregnancy symptom. So I went along, blissfully unaware of the storm that was about to rage out of control in my nervous system. When I look back at that time, I wish I had enjoyed all the pain free days I had!

Very suddenly last summer; right in the middle of a busy summer; and an unexpected upsurge in my business, I had what I think of as the "life changer". A migraine that was so bad it caused me to have an emergency CT scan; and Labor Day morning found me sitting in a wheelchair in front of the hospital, attempting to vomit gracefully in front of the nurse and all present. Not the best day I've ever had! After that migraine; it became clear that the "migraine gods" were not smiling upon me; and this was going to be an affliction I'd have to bear, probably for life. I was thrust into a whole different world. I felt like I went overnight from a healthy, vibrant, go-getter to a shell of myself. The pain was often overwhelming; and my entire family was affected. For a short time; I really felt without hope. i imagined myself not being able to care for my children; not being able to attend to my business; and my entire life being over. Chronic pain is a whole different animal from the pain I was used to; and believe me; as a mother of five naturally born children; I thought I "got it". Nothing could have prepared me for the emotional impact of living in fear of pain.

I had so much support from my husband and family; but still I floundered all through the autumn, trying to come to grips with not being "myself". I often joked with James that if I could just remove a quarter-sized section of my brain; all my problems would be over! (and so would higher reasoning). But, we adjusted. James took over 100% of the shipping duties for my business; and even Andrew stepped up by making simple dinners when I needed it; or watching a few of his brothers while I took quick trips to the store or the PO. Finally, just as the holiday "busy season" kicked off on etsy; I started seeing a doctor that has had great success helping migraine sufferers using a combination of traditional chiropractic treatment; along with physical therapy of the jaw, electrode treatment, and neck traction. One problem? Our insurance only covered a small portion of this treatment, which is considered experimental. Thankfully; my etsy business was now healthy enough that my soapmaking paid the bill for the treatments; which were three times a week for four weeks; by now I feel I practically live at the doctors office! But it has helped tremendously; bringing my migraine frequency down from a torturous every other day; to a much more manageable once a week or less. And my migraines are much less severe and I'm thankful to say that after my Labor Day debacle; I have never experienced a migraine that severe again.

Now I feel lucky that I can function so well "considering", and I appreciate the lessons I've learned from my migraines; mostly not to take good health for granted. I've also become much better at tolerating pain in general; and much more responsive to the signals of "I'm tired!" that my body gives me. I'm hoping that in the fullness of time; I'll look back at this time of my life as a "trial by fire", and that someday; there will be a cure!

How We Did It

This last month has been a wonderfully exciting, exhausting learning experience. I'm so grateful for my customers' support of my little venture; and my husband's help. I could not have done it without him!

So how do this "details" guy and a "big picture" gal work together to make this etsy shop run? I thought it would be fun to do a little "behind the scenes"!

First of all; I make every item in my shop, from scratch. All the formulas are rattling around in my head and I have certain items (probably 50+) that I keep in stock all the time. Without James' help; I would have ingredients, products and bottles strewn about every which way; I'm not the most organizationally minded person, and when I'm "in the zone" of creating; I simply can't be bothered with trifles like putting items back on the shelf....that's where James comes in. He's a very level headed, precise, methodical person (everything I'm not), and he invested in several industrial shelving units a few months back. He's spent many a weekend organizing my ingredients; packaging, and items. There's a place for everything, and everything is in it's place. He even found tiny bins that perfectly fit each flavor of lip balm; for easy order pulling. I try really hard to maintain the system he has in place; however; after I've been out in the workshop packing orders it has a tendency to look like a tornado hit it....he's very understanding; although he did look at me like I was crazy when I explained that having everything in certain places makes it so I can't think....if you'd ever seen my desk; you'd understand!

Being in a marriage is a lot like working together; so over the course of our 13 year relationship; James and I have settled into our roles and that helps. James is the detail guy; he pays the monthly bills, organizes our house, calms me down when I'm in a tizzy. I'm the "big picture" girl; I make wild plans (like telling James in 1998 that I wanted to have five boys and name them alphabetically); and usually manage to execute them. I'm the dreamer, and the "make it happen" one; and James keeps me from crashing and burning; or cleans up my drama when I do.

So, soapmaking. It's not as exciting as it sounds, really (because it SOUNDS so exciting right?). I make two different kinds of soap; my hot process soap that I mold in my old style molds, is cooked in a crockpot until done; then molded and cooled. It looks like this:

Riveting, right? It cooks for about an hour and a half; stirring, sometimes boiling over, until it tests done; which means that I touch it to my tongue; and if it's not fully saponified; it will "zap" my tongue. NOT fun; fortunately; I'm good at knowing when it's ready now; so I rarely get zapped.

My other kind of soap is a modified hot process; meaning that it's cooked in the molds; in the oven at 170 degrees. I heat up and melt the oils and butters in a pot; add the lye mixture; stick blend until "trace" is achieved; then pour it in the molds and pop it in the oven. A combination of the temperature of the oils when the lye is added (I soap "hot") and the heat of the oven; cause the soap to go through the "gel stage" while in the molds. I let it cook for about an hour; and then allow it to sit, stacked in the oven with the door closed for several more hours. This causes a much shorter cure time than cold process; and again; this is tested with a combination of tongue testing and ph testing. It looks like this:

I use these disposable trays to stack my molds because I can just toss them instead of cleaning them. Consequently, the inside of my oven always smells lovely, like whatever soap I just cooked in there. BUT......I have to always remember to unload the oven before preheating it; I have had melted molds before from a careless preheater! I'm going to get yellow warning tape for my oven; because I've been known to shriek, "DON'T OPEN THE OVEN!".

Someday; I'm going to have a dedicated soap oven, I'm working on a design that is self contained and energy efficient....now for an engineering degree.....

So that's the basics for "how we do it"; lots of work; cooperation; late night movies, and coffee! Always coffee!

We Did It!

The last bin of Pre-holiday orders! Whew! 

600 items sold
299 orders
2 cases bubble mailers
1 pound activated charcoal
8 gallons olive oil

= A tired and grateful me!

The last month has been beyond my wildest expectations as holiday buying season on etsy was in full swing. I approached what is generally considered "rush time" with a healthy dose of scepticism, because I don't consider my items terribly "giftable" and being my first real holiday season on etsy; I didn't want to get my hopes (and my supply stock) up and then end up disappointed.

So, I stocked up, but not overly so; I prepared by buying a fresh case of bubble mailers and bubble wrap; and then I prepared to have my hopes dashed. Well, the hope dashing was not to be! On Black Friday alone; I had over 50 sales; and in the last 30 days have averaged 20 sales per day. WOW! I had a few memorable days over the Thanksgiving weekend where I did nothing but stare at my screen in amazement as the sales count rose; and click "renew sold" 24 hours a day.

The last month has been a blur as I made my unexpected smash hit, Blacksmith shaving soap in my dinky new crockpot. There were days where I made batches and batches of the stuff and ended the day looking like I was about to break into "Chim-chiminee, chim-chiminee, chim chim, cheree; a sweep is as lucky as lucky can be.....".

Every day I raced around filling orders all day; and had late into the night labeling/packing sessions with my husband; who spent his evenings in my workshop (formerly the garage), which, although insulated, was so cold he could see his breath! Fortunately; he worked tirelessly; requesting only that I keep him in imported beer and Pandora radio! Often at 3am, I had to beg him to go to bed, and then he'd be up at 6; dressing the boys for school and letting me sleep. I'm completely serious when I say that without him keeping me grounded, I would have run away to Bermuda when the pressure was on!

We ate a lot of pizza; some fast food (I tried to mix in a veg or two or the occasional home cooked meal to avoid the "Worst Mother in the World" award). I stopped wearing makeup (no time!); wore yoga pants 24/7, drank endless rounds of espresso, finally buying this machine to save money (or something) Ok, ok; I bought it because it was cool. But presumably I will end up visiting the coffee shop less with this....

$1.00 per coffee! And it makes a mean cappuccino.....yum!

So now that all my blacksmith soaps are blacksmithed, and the last order has been packed and shipped, frantically at 3pm on Saturday; I have spent a glorious Sunday sleeping in, eating brunch (late), milling around on the internet, cuddling with my boys and husband, and generally becoming bored out of my mind.....so 2012; bring it on, I'm ready for ya!

It's....Me!

Where to begin? As much as I love my homemaking blog, I sometimes felt boxed in by it; I didn't want to spam all my lovely followers by talking business stuff; but it has become such a huge part of my life that it seemed strained to not discuss it. But now I have the best of both worlds; I'll be able to delve into the inner workings of my business without feeling torn.

This new blog comes at an exciting time for my business. I've recently undergone intense reevaluating, and have ended up with a new name; new look, new attitude. But it's still the same me; in fact; this new identity is more me than "me" is! There's going to be a lot of work behind the scenes in the next few weeks; so that I can switch everything over seamlessly....I hope!

As I'm going through an identity shift with my business, It's led me to reflect on my own identity; and how  I got to this point in my life. Like all of us, there's more to me than meets the eye, and I thought it would be fun to explain. Many of the followers to my homemaking blog know that being a wife and mother is a priority to me; but I'm not "just" a mom. In fact, the groundwork for my starting a business was being laid when I was very young...very young!

I was raised by a stay at home mom and a dad who was basically a workaholic. He managed a construction-related company and was very good at it. Since my dad was a valued employee (to say the least) and was in charge of his branch of the business; he had the flexibility to bring myself and my siblings to work; which he often did. Some of my earliest memories involve job sites; trucks with lumber racks; and the scent of sawdust. My dad is not an extremely talkative person; but I felt that we bonded on those days when I went to work with him. When I was fifteen, my dad struck out on his own, starting a family business. I went to work with him every morning at 7 am; to answer phones, write up (by hand) work orders, and help in whatever way I could. I quickly learned the ropes, with my dad often remarking that he wished his others employees learned the business as quickly! I enjoyed having my own money; saving quite a bit at such a young age, and completing my high school education in the evenings and during my breaks at work, through the now defunct correspondence course system. As my teenage years went on, my independent nature caused me to start having the usual conflicts with my parents. It came to a head shortly after my 17th birthday; when I was given an ultimatum: do things "their way" or move out, AND leave my job at my dad's business behind. I moved out.

I was in the unique position at the age of 17 of being well-equipped to support myself. I had working experience, and the drive to support myself. In fact, it was necessary, since I had no financial support from my parents whatsoever. I applied for a position of a clerk at a small printing and copy shop; and started there full time making $6.50 an hour. I didn't have many expenses, except the rent on my apartment, which was $585 per month, and utilities; so that, and my savings, would have been plenty. Within a few months, however, I was given several raises, and was making over $9 an hour, not bad for a teenager in 1997! I absorbed as much about that business as I could, and I enjoyed being my own "boss" as you will, since I got off every day at 5pm, walked home to my own apartment, and could do as I liked. Unlike many teenagers in this situation, I did not have a wild social life; I've always been a bookish and serious sort, and my and focus was on supporting myself and doing well at my job. During this time, I was also dealing with an eating disorder, which sapped my energy and my health.

One day in 1998, I had a long talk with my best friend after work, which convinced me to take the big step of moving from Idaho to Southern California. I had relatives there, and had been considering the move for a while. I was sick physically, and felt that I needed a complete change of scenery. In my usual fashion, I worked quickly. I decided to move on Tuesday; and was on a plane on Saturday, having sold/given away, and finally, in a panicked rush, thrown away; all the belongings I couldn't ship to San Diego.

It was the summer of 1998, just shy of my 18th birthday, and for the first time ever, I was a fancy-free teenager! My savings were enough to sustain me for a few months not working, and I was so exhausted and ill from years of the eating disorder, my health was my top priority. I ate, rested, swam, shopped, and watched MTV. It felt decadent! After a month of this, I was ready to go back to work; and started working full time again, my health almost completely restored. I'm not suggesting that all eating disorders are so easily overcome; but I was highly motivated, stubborn, and for me, my surroundings were a big factor in my disorder. Being removed from them helped immensely. It would never have occurred to me to go to therapy in those days, and I had no parents to insist. I got lucky.



Over the next several years which included a move back to my hometown; and the birth of four more children; I've always been a stay at home mom. For several years, James worked a second job delivering pizza at night to enable me to raise our own children; with me filling it with a few part time jobs when needed and when the opportunity presented itself. In 2010; after the birth of our fifth son; I was doing everything possible to reduce household costs. The economy had caused my husband's income to take a huge hit; and we were adjusting as best we could. Part of my cost-saving measures involved me making handcrafted soap and bath products, including shampoo and laundry detergent for our household, a craft that I truly love. After giving my soap to several family members, it was suggested that I should try to make a business out of my rather practical hobby; and so, with a $60 gift from my sister in law; a computer that I borrowed from my dad; and my aunt's hand-me-down (but wonderful) camera; my etsy shop (and business) was born.

What a ride!