3/8/11
"Success Comes In Cans, Not Cannots...
-Author Unknown
So, what CAN you do today? CAN you make a "wish list" of where you'd like to be this time next year with your passion whatever it might be? CAN you make a few phone calls about how to get set-up with your own business tax number? CAN you get on line and find out where the craft shows will be held this Spring? Hmmm...my guess is that you CAN do all these things. Why haven't you?
If you are like me, for years you have wanted to get out there and show your crafts and just live in bliss creating every day of the week. However, the CANNOTS have have kept you from your goals. Here is the list of things that kept me ( or so I chose to believe kept me) from "living my passion" for so many years...
1) I'd really like to start up my own on line quilt business, but I CANNOT afford it.
Yes, I could. There are many free web sites now. Start there!
2) I CANNOT afford my own shop.
What? Who needs their own shop? Where have you been quilting all these years? Your home! Start there!
3) I CANNOT get enough customers to support my business.
Contact your local small business bureau or SCORE organization.They have people willing to help you get started. If you are a woman, there are all kinds of grants, loans and assistance help out there. You need to ask for it.
4) I CANNOT afford to buy a lot of start-up inventory.
Right. You are a quilter, are you not? Look around you. Start with fabrics from your stash to start. Create some one of a kind beautiful scrap quilts, table runners or wall hangings!
5) I don't know what to charge for my work.
This is a huge problem among "cottage crafters". We tend to undersell our worth, thus creating a "why buy the cow when you can get the milk even cheaper next door?" mentality. (Yeah, I played with the wording there.) I once was taken advantage of by a very wealthy orthodontist. He asked me to create a beautiful quilt for his cabin. King-sized, naturally. He asked what I charged and I told him. $250. Complete. I was just starting out and was afraid I would lose the business if I told him what I really wanted to charge him! By the time I was done with the quilt, I ended up in the hole $450! He insisted on custom-ordered fabrics, batting and matching backing AND pillowcases to match!! That, my friends was the biggest lesson I ever learned when pricing out my work!
I am an artist. If someone wants me to do a quilt for them, they will pay me as they would any artist. Yes, I have walked away plenty of times since the $250 quilt. Sometimes, people have actually argued with me about my costs. One lady recently asked about a twin-sized quilt. I told her and she looked amazed. I gave her my card, smiled and told her she could call me and politely walked away.
YOU CAN Live Your Passion! Stick to your guns and believe in yourself and your talents!
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