Don’t wait for a mess. Declutter constantly.
It’s really just that simple. If I see a drawer or closet start to get out of hand, I don’t wait for “spring cleaning” or a day where I suddenly feel inspired to clean my entire house of its junk. I just do it. I’m constantly opening up cabinets, tossing a few things, and shutting it again. It makes my house feel so much lighter than letting the stuff I no longer have a want or need for weight it down.
I’m sure there’s a space in your home that could use a good reorganize. Give yourself 30 minutes today to tackle it. Even if it’s just getting rid of anything you have no use for anymore. Just doing that will bring about a world of difference before you even start to organize what you have left.
Sure I love a good spring clean, but I also love a good any-day-of-the-week clean. Give it a shot!
I have the pleasure of speaking at an upcoming planner conference in Chicago next month. Let’s ignore the fact that I’m nervous beyond belief and not quite sure why I thought this whole thing was a good idea in the first place. Introvert nerves already flaring. Alex and I have been working on the speech and it’s really had me thinking a lot about Oh, Hello.
Anyone in real life would tell you I’m not the most flexible of humans. I like things a certain way and often have trouble when my perfectly stickered plans go array. Yet when it’s come to my business, I’ve somehow managed to go with the flow. And I’m pretty positive that’s the only reason we’ve been remotely successful. That and my husband’s ridiculous ability to take changes, make mistakes, and get messy (I’m looking at you Ms. Frizzle).
Let’s talk facts. Literally day one Oh, Hello had to adapt. I started the business thinking I’d make greeting cards. Then the idea of making stickers came knocking and Alex eagerly answered. As for me, I just wanted more stickers so if I had to make them myself I was game. Barely days old and suddenly my little business became something else completely. If I didn’t go with the flow, Oh, Hello would have bed dead shortly after it’s creation.
Now I’m still not the most open to change, but nothing good that’s happened to me has happened because I stayed the same. And sure a lot of things haven’t worked out. We bought way too many Darice sticker books thinking the trend would last, and it most definitely has not. That’s a side-effect of taking risks.
Alex and I have learned to say yes a lot. Yes to new opportunities. Yes to new challenges. Yes to letting things go that didn’t work like we had hoped. Yes to new…anything. Alex said yes to businesses wanting their branding on some of our products and now Oh, Hello Promo exists. I could write countless blog posts bragging about that boy’s client list (IBM, Comcast!?!).
So I may not be the most flexible person in my every day life, but I try every day to be as flexible as possible in my work life. You never know what might happen, but you have to be open to the idea that it could end up terribly, or better yet, wonderful.
If starting up a blog is a goal for 2018 or you’ve had one for a while, it’s always interesting to see how other people create and maintain their blog. Although I’ve been blogging for ten years I still find myself eagerly clicking on any post that contains blogging advice. So I thought it time to share my not-so-complicated pretty-straight-forward blogging process.
Before doing anything I always hunt around for inspiration for blogging topics. Ten years is a long time and a lot of posts so inspiration is key to keep things going. My favorite way to find inspiration is to look in genres that aren’t related to what I like to blog about. It keeps things interesting, makes sure I’m not unintentionally copying, and always cultivates more exciting ideas. Instagram, Bloglovin’, and magazines are my usual resources, but I try to keep myself as open as possible to new ideas whenever they may strike.
When a new blog post idea does hit me, I write it down in a notebook if I’m out and about. Then I always make sure to write out my thoughts in a word document so I
don’t forget the premise of the blog post if I don’t write it for a few weeks. It’s definitely not glamorous, but it makes writing a post so much easier if I already have all the talking points written down when the ideas are fresh.
Google Calendar is my favorite tool for blog post content scheduling. Although I’m a tangible planner girl at heart, Google makes it so easy to switch things around if plans change. Any new blog post ideas get a tentative spot in Google so I have a rough idea of when each post is going live.
Next is photos. I talk about my photo taking process a lot on the blog so if you want more information check out these posts, but I always make sure to take vertical and horizontal photo options. I like to alternate my photographs to keep the front page of my blog more engaging and certain photos work better with certain orientations.
By the time I get to the writing part of my posts, I basically already have it done. With my notes and photos as a guide, it’s mostly just adding in links and making sure I’m not super boring! I’ll either publish the post right away or schedule it to go up later. Then it’s social media and post promotion to get as many people to see it as I can.
I’d love to hear your blogging process to see if there are any ideas I can adopt to make mine more efficient! Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Back near the end of 2017 I found myself suddenly a freelancer. It instantly became a change of pace I had never experienced before. New deadlines, tons of different responsibilities, and a juggling act I didn’t initially consider. Now, a solid six months after getting my first freelance job, I’m sharing some of my insights with you.
Although I found my two freelance jobs in photography and social media on Instagram of all places, there are a ton of other platforms like Upwork you can seek out if you’re looking for opportunities. However the best way I’ve found to get any business up and running is to talk to friends and family. Networking leads to more success in any field of work and it’s definitely true for freelance. Say yes to anything that comes your way when you start out. Do data entry here, transcription writing there, until you find the niche you like to work in or get clients in fields you’re interested in.
My blog is how I got my two current freelance jobs. It shows dedication, consistency, and my photography and social media skills. So start one for whatever field you’re interested in freelancing in. That way you have a running portfolio of sorts of all your skills and talents. It shows initiative from day one long before the job even got on your radar. Plus blogs are basically the best things ever anyway. But I’m biased.
My blog paired with my portfolio made me a prime candidate for interviews. I made mine here for free and it puts a more professional spin on the photos I take for my blog. I also have a freelance specific resume ready for any jobs that may pop up.
Freelance jobs will rarely just land at your feet. You have to seek them out through a lot of talking with people, searching online, and putting yourself out there. You never know when an opportunity will show up. It could be on Instagram like both of mine were, or it could be waiting for you at your next neighborhood party.
If you have any specific freelance questions send them my way!
Today marks the third anniversary of Oh, Hello Stationery Co. What. How is that even possible. I still feel like I’m that same, unsure girl who opened her shop up back in 2014. But now the stakes are higher, the competition stiffer, and everything’s a whole lot more complicated.
But I’m not that same girl from three years ago despite sometimes feeling like I still don’t have a clue what I’m doing. So much has changed since then and it’s crazy to actually think how far we’ve come with our business.
This photo showcases the first shop we ever sold our stationery in. It was a crepe place in downtown Flint and we sold about five cards, but it gave me the confidence to try and do more. We’re now in two large retail stores and have craft shows booked up through the new year. We’re trying new things regardless of setbacks. I think that’s probably the biggest thing that’s changed over three years. We, I, don’t give up so easily.
A lot of thanks for our success goes to my always daring husband Alex. I’m basically one big chicken when it comes to trying new things and yet he’s constantly taking whatever crazy idea I have and making it a reality. From building the most amazing card stands I’ve ever seen to helping us break into the traveler’s notebook world (we’re expanding!), I’ve never met someone so courageous in the face of possible failure. I sincerely hope you all can find someone like him to have in your life. It’s world changing.
So here we are, three years in and still no clue what the next three years are going to be like. That’s the thing about small business. You never truly know if it’ll just stay small, grow, or shrink to nothing. I’ve learned so much about myself, about my relationship, and about who I want to become.
Now off I go to buy myself a celebratory cupcake and maybe a chai tea latte with pumpkin spice. You gotta celebrate the small victories, right?
This summer Alex and I decided to start taking our show on the road. We’ve done three craft shows so far that have taught us a lot about our business and each other. I’m sure we still have a lot left to learn and already have a bunch more shows on the calendar. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
Booth fees are more or less made up and don’t really reflect how well you’re going to do at a location. The higher the booth fee, the more profit they expect you to make, but that’s not always the case. The smaller shows we’ve done have made us quite a lot of profit too. So I try to look for reasonable booth fees or information that guarantees we’ll get our investment back in sales.
You really have to commit to your booth rather than just bringing out a table and throwing your products on it. I have to thank Alex for this one. As soon as I suggested craft shows to him, he hunted around to get us a really great deal on a tent and other supplies. Plus he built us our new card stands from scratch that have seriously made a huge difference. We could have easily kept to our first setup (photo below), but he’s constantly trying to showcase our products in the best way.
Craft show days are long and usually last all day. Our shows have been on average eight hours long so far. That’s a lot of staying in one place being on the ball, but it’s a whole lot better when you have someone there with you. Breaks are definitely needed to get up and wander around. And food is a must.
Having a partner makes all the difference. Alex is a fantastic salesman who can really do the marathon days. He has our “about us” pitch down perfectly, engages with customers, and doesn’t seem to ever get tired. Without him we wouldn’t nearly be as successful at shows. Have a partner to rely on is huge.
You get a routine with setting up and tearing down. We can be out of a location in around ten minutes after a show ends because we just know who does what. Plus we practiced it a few times before going to our first show so we wouldn’t get overwhelmed once we got there. Nothing is more stressful than a bunch of cars facing every which way trying to pack up their booths. Our first show we ended up carting our entire setup down a block to our vehicle rather than waiting another hour to get our truck in front of our booth.
Flexibility is a must because you never know what booth number you’re going to get, what the weather is going to be like, or how busy you’ll be. We’ve changed up our booth setup from what we originally planned for every single show. It’s important to not take things too seriously and be willing to change things up at a moment’s notice.
But the best thing I’ve learned from my first few craft shows is that it’s really cool to see people interact with your work in person. Since we have only ever been online before, I’ve never been able to see people laugh at our puns or enjoy Alex’s design work. It’s such an amazing experience to watch people share and relate to our cards. I don’t think that will ever get old no matter how many craft shows we do.
This photo was taken back in 2014 at the very first booth I threw together just month’s after Oh, Hello got started. It’s crazy to see just how far we’ve come. It’s also crazy that I still own both that sweater and jacket.
Are you interested in doing craft shows? What tips or advice would you like to have me write about next?
