3 reasons your crafty business dreams aren’t coming true

I've been thinking (and plotting!) a lot for my own crafty business this week and I've been talking to others about what they want (and what they aren't getting) with theirs.

And I'm sad to say that lots of us aren't getting everything we want from our business.
We have this sinking feeling that it should be more.
That we should be more.

First of all, you're doing the best you can.
You shouldn't be different or better or work harder.

There are just some (pretty simple to move) obstacles in your way that you're not seeing.

1. You don't know what you want.

Yeah, you may have a general overview (quit my dayjob! Be happy! Spend my time crafting!), but you don't know specifically what you want. How much do you want to make a year? A month? A week? How much time do you spend crafting? How much time writing, photographing, bookkeeping, shipping? What would your day look like if your CraftyBiz was wildly succesful?

The truth is: we can't get what we want until we know what we want.

2. You don't prioritize.

Once you have a clear vision of what you want from your business, what comes first? Growing a list? Creating new products? Creating content? Fixing your pricing?

3. You don't have support and accountability.

Even the most driven amongst us (and I was raised by two Marines, so yeah, I'm a bit obsessively driven), can't keep up the sort of sustained, long-term work (and play!) in a vacuum. Especially in the beginning, when you're not getting any feedback from customers (because you don't have them yet!) or your community (because you haven't found them yet!).

From the outside, this problem shows itself as lack of focus, or lack of commitment, but the more CraftyBiz-ers I talk to, the more I'm convinced that beating yourself up is NOT the answer.

A much saner (and sustainable!) solution is to find a support network.

People to who will check in (kindly!) with you.
People who will give you honest (gentle) feedback.
People who will brainstorm awesome ideas with you.

The good news

You can fix this!

• You can spend the time figuring out what you want with your notebook + a few hours.
• You can list your prioritize in a few minutes of focused attention.
  (That is, if you know what you want (see #1!) and the business basics of how to get there.
  You can learn that via classes or through reading everything you can get your hands on and trial and error.)
• You can form your own accountability circle on Twitter, Facebook or just your email buddies.

Or.

You can join the CraftyBiz Kitchen.
We'll spend the first class working on our goals + dreams + plans + getting specific about what we want.
We spend one-on-one IdeaStorming sessions prioritizing the what-to-do-next after we've had classes that cover the how-to-do-it.
We have accountability and brainstorming and a general fun time during the chats.

Either way, don't let these things get in between you and what you want.
Don't let your business feel like a weight when it could feel like a joy.

Ask for help.
Seek answers.

And no matter what, don't treat yourself like a Marine drill sergeant would, ok?

——

Ah yes, I keep forgetting to say: the CraftyBiz Kitchen closes next Wednesday, 1/12, because that's the day of our first class and I don't want anyone to miss it.
Please get all the details and sign up here.