one-girl band- the fun stuff and the not-so fun stuff of being self-employed

the fun stuff

• Unlimited food 
• No one telling you to stop eating all that food
• Working your own set hours 
• That lovely feeling of satisfaction when you've succeeded at something, any little thing. It was you who did that, all by yourself. 
• Getting to know other self-employed people, and knowing someone out there understands why you can't just have a lie-in or stay in your pajamas's all day just because you work from home.  
• You can carry on for hours when inspiration strikes. You don't have to go home at 5pm, you can stay up all night working, if you want to.
• The ability to work from anywhere. Coffee shop, the park, wherever. 
• Having the freedom to go outside for a walk if the not-so-fun stuff takes over.

the not-so-fun stuff

• There's most probably, definitely not unlimited food. You rely heavily on orders and booking jobs to get money, which goes straight back into the business anyway. 
• And on that note, it can get incredibly scary when you're working constantly, yet no orders are coming in. It's all down to you to get that food.
• That overwhelming, all-consuming feeling of guilt for slightly slacking, or when you're sick. You're probably not even slacking and you're definitely ill and need rest, but because you're at home and because it's your business, you feel like all hours of the day must be productive.
• Being alone all day until your partner/roommate/cat comes home from their work.
• Feeling all cooped up and starting to go a little bit insane, so you go out for a coffee with money you can't afford to spend.
• People are constantly asking if you're looking for another job. This is my job! I don't need another! 

As any job, self-employment can have its perks and its downfalls. But, at the end of the day, this is all you, and that in itself is so bloody brave. If you feel like the not-so-fun stuff is piling up on you, just remember that. The hardest step is being brave and starting your business, and you've done it, so work hard and it'll fall into place eventually!

Part of the one-girl band series- a series looking at being the one-girl-band behind your small business, plus the trails and tribulations that come with being self-employed.

one-girl-band // marketing hours plus a free printable

When I first started selling these little paper goods, and created social media accounts to link to the etsy shop, a pal at my then-current job (who also sold crafty things and had a wealth of knowledge up her sleeve) gave me a piece of paper with days and times on, accompanied by many, many hashtags. They were all the marketing hours she suggested I'd use to gain more followers and get the business out there.

Personally, I had always hated using hashtags. I had only known them as things you used to gets likes on Instagram/be annoying in general, and I hated that, so to begin with I was sceptical of using them for my business. I didn't want to seem fake. However, I soon discovered that this little piece of paper was incredibly valuable, and I had to get over my aversion of hashtags to grow this little business.

The many marketing hours that go down on Twitter every evening are a great way of showing your latest work, introducing yourself and your business to fellow sellers, and getting that all-important promotion. I can't tell you how much these marketing hours have helped me, and whenever I'm at a craft fair and I'm chatting with the fellow stall-holders, I give them a piece of paper with them all written down, just like my pal did, to hopefully help them with their start of their journey on social media. If you are brand new to Twitter, they are a brilliant way of gaining some followers (and even friends) who are more than happy to retweet and support you. Just remember to do the same for them, and support one another.

Here you'll find a little download of the times I use. There are many more for different types of makers and for different countries, but I stick with these ones for my type of products, so it may be different for you!
Save it, print it and put it by your workspace as a way to remind you. I find putting alarms on my phone for the important ones also helps. 

Let me know if you download it and whether it's helped you!

Also, thank you to that colleague, you know who are and I owe you so much.

P.S- This is a brand new series I'll be working on over the next few months. I'm fairly new to self-employment, so I don't have a world of advice much like others who blog about this, but I wanted to mark it all down for myself, so I can look back and see all that I've learned, and hopefully it'll help someone out there who is just starting out. 

part of the one-girl band series- a series looking at being the one-girl-band behind your small business, plus the trails and tribulations that come with being self-employed.