Taking the Leap of Faith: Etsy 101

You love to craft. Whether it's fiber arts, pottery, painting--- whatever it is, you have a passion for creating beautiful things out of simple materials. And that passion has led you to the point of wanting to share it with others. Your family and friends are asking when you are going to start selling your work. And you've given it thought, but there's something holding you back.

Maybe you're not sure how or where to sell your art. You're not sure how to charge for it. You're not sure if anyone will even buy it. Trust me-- I had every one of these thoughts when I started. I still have these thoughts 5 years into the game. They're completely normal. But don't let these thoughts stop you from following your passion.

Ask 100 people, and I guarantee at least 80 of them, if not more, will say they've not done something they wanted to because they were scared. Whether it's being scared of what other people will think or scared that we will fail, most of us have given up on something because of fear. Don't let fear keep you from following your passions.

Here's the thing-- starting your own business is scary. There are a lot of things that can and will go wrong, or at least not-so-perfectly. And that's okay. If it was easy and perfect every time, everyone would be doing it. But not everyone will. You have to face the fear of the unknown and take that leap of faith that it will all work out in the end. You can't have a successful business if you never start it to begin with.

There are some things to keep in the back of your mind as you begin this journey. Know that it's okay to fail. Everyone has done it. Ev.er.y.one. You think Starbucks opened its doors for the first time and it was immediately the coffee shop it is now? Think Apple had all their *ish together back in 1976? No. They've both had failures and stumbling blocks along the way. And you will too. And that's okay. Learn from these hurdles to become a better business.

I like to share a little story that I feel is a good business and life metaphor. A few years ago my boyfriend was really into biking. I was not so enthusiastic about it because it didn't come as effortlessly to me as it did to him. I didn't have the same kind of bike he did, so it wasn't as easy. His was a nice, new, streamlined high end road bike. Mine was a clunky second hand mountain bike with rusted gears. As a challenge, we decided that we would go out and try to do a 15 mile ride on some of the local bike trails around town. An easy task for him-- a daunting one for me. The day we decided to go out ended up being one of the windiest days we could have picked. We were riding headlong into 25mph wind gusts. It felt like trying to ride a bike in a pool. It was agonizingly slow and I wanted so badly to give up because it was so hard it almost hurt. But I was determined. This was my challenge now. My boyfriend was well ahead of me, so I was on my own. For those first 7.5 miles before we turned around to come back for the roundtrip, I peddled as hard as I could, barely making headway for all the effort I was expending. My body was getting tired, so it was up to my brain to keep it going. 7.5 miles seemed so far away. So I started telling myself, "just get to that next fence post." As I made it to my small goal, I'd celebrate for a second and then set my sights on the next landmark. I rode 7 miles one fence post and tree at a time. But I made it. And I was ever grateful to have my back to the wind on the second half.

There will be times in your business where you're riding straight into the wind. It's going to be hard and it's going to suck. You can choose to turn around and go home, giving up, or you can peddle as hard as you can. It'll be slow and difficult, but eventually you'll make it to your goal. Give yourself small landmarks to stay on track, and celebrate those wins when you get there. Running a business is hard, but setting realistic goals for yourself and your shop makes it much more manageable along the way. And what seems like an impossibly daunting task will be the next landmark before you know it.

Don't let fear talk you out of following your passions. Take that leap of faith and start creating your art to share with the world!