Shop Small – Make the Biggest Difference

Whether you have heard this term or not, there’s truth in the saying “Small Businesses are the Backbone of the Economy.”  But have you ever wondered why?

Big Numbers

For statistic purposes, a small business is considered to be an enterprise of 500 or less employees.  In 2016, reportedly there were 28.8 million small businesses, accounting for 99.7% of US Businesses, whereas companies are around 18,500.  As of 2014, 52% of small businesses were home-based.  The most important of these numbers is the fact that small businesses are providing 55% of jobs, and that’s since the 1970’s.

Why Shop Small?

Other than the fact that small businesses create jobs (2 out of 3 jobs to be precise) small business contributes to our economy.  Shopping small brings growth and innovation to your community.  Small business can also lend a hand to economic growth by offering jobs to those unlikely to be employed elsewhere, and attract and inspire others who are likely to, as Mariah Brown from smallbusiness.chron.com puts it, “invent new products or implement new solutions for existing ideas” (2017).  This simply creates opportunities everywhere in the community.

Small businesses are also more adaptable than the medium and large-cap companies.  In case of economic change or even economic crisis, it’s likely you will see a loyal following of customers.  Small-businesses have a different focus for this reason: the customer.  Do you think Wal-Mart cares about you?  Sorry to say, they don’t.  They don’t need to make you happy to survive and grow.  But small businesses do and they want you to be happy with your transaction, from start to finish.

Diversity.  This is incredibly important and to show you, here’s some more statistics.  In 2012, 14.6% of business owners were minorities.  This is up from 11.5% in 2007.  That’s only an increase of 0.62% a year.  That’s not much, but America is getting somewhere.  And to add, only around 36% of businesses are owned by women and 9% by veterans (Hecht, 2017).  This is another way that you can support small business with your purchases.

Please, Support the Little Guys (and Gals)

I know it’s seems more economical in a short-term perspective, but stop buying your cutesy $4 signs from Wal-Mart (sorry mom) or your decorations from Party City or your Halloween Costumes from Spirit.  Instead, find a local craft fair.  Buy that hand-knit scarf from your neighbors daughter.  Support that fresh new business trying to put their product out there for the first time.  Put your money into something that makes a real difference in your community!

I know from a personal standpoint, and why this is such a passion of mine to talk about, is that I’ve watched so many try to make their small business work.  It’s too easy to blame it on the economy.  It’s too easy to say “nobody has the money to spend.”  That’s not true or these big box stores wouldn’t be around.    It’s not the economy or a lack of money for spending.  It’s our neighbors and our friends.  Our sons and daughters.  We are the support we need to grow and thrive.  Even the smallest of purchases to a small business can make the biggest difference.  So think about that next time you are shopping.

Help Live Peculiar and other small businesses grow in your community on Small Business Saturday on Nov. 25th.  Visit http://www.livepeculiarshop.com to see what we can offer you.

Credit:

https://www.inc.com/jared-hecht/are-small-businesses-really-the-backbone-of-the-economy.html

https://www.forbes.com/forbes/welcome/?toURL=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/09/09/16-surprising-statistics-about-small-businesses/&refURL=https://www.google.com/&referrer=https://www.google.com/

https://fitsmallbusiness.com/small-business-statistics/

Things Need to Change Sometimes

Do you hate change?  Does change scare you?  Not me.  Not that much.  Maybe a little.

Change is only really an issue if you’re not prepared.  Actually, after a long time of doing the same thing over and over, you crave it.  Especially when you think doing the same thing repeatedly is somehow going to bring new results.  It’s frustrating to live that way.  So my advice: stop.  Stop going in circles.  Change your direction a little.  At least that’s what I’m trying to do.

Are you asking yourself yet, “what the hell is she talking about?” Well, simply put, I’m talking about me, myself, and my little business, Live Peculiar.  Remember me mentioning that a while back?  Yeah, it’s been moving and growing so. very. slow.  You see, I’ve been doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  So I’m gonna change direction here.

I have been trying to work and sell my silly little products for a while.  Every once in a while I get interest.  Glitter wineglasses are cute. Reverse canvases are interesting.  Decals?  Yeah I sell a few.

…

I know. It’s not that exciting and everyone else is doing it, too.  That’s my problem! I’m doing what everyone else is doing and selling.  So I decided to take a plunge.  I bought this adorable candle making kit.  100% all natural soy candles.  I gave it a go and I made some candles.  And do you know what happened?  I ordered more wax.  I tried different fragrances.  I fell in love.

Don’t get me wrong.  I love doing and making all of my little crafts.  And I will continue to do them and make stupid little things nobody will every really want.  It brings me joy.  I love that I can do all of these different things, but I think I may have found something that speaks to me.

I enjoy the whole candle-making process.  The rising temperature of the melting wax, the constant stirring of the fragrances as it integrates with the wax, and even the waiting for the wax to cool to the perfect pouring temperature.  My candles are not perfect in look and they might not be the coolest product you’ll see out there, but candles are fabulous, delicious-smelling products.

I enjoy making candles so much that I decided to try out a different kit from the same company in hopes I’ll fall in love with that, too: soap making.  I also found a kit from another company that specializes in bath bombs.  Are you catching on here?

Personal Care! Yes!

As a “big” woman and probably on the lower spectrum of attractiveness based on popular culture (just being honest), my self-esteem is pretty low, and self care kind of falls by the wayside.  I don’t mean I am going to or have let myself go.  I still bathe and put my makeup on every morning and I generally try to look nice day to day.  What I mean, rather, is that I don’t do extras.  I don’t fill up the bathtub for a soak.  I don’t light candles just because.  And I sure as hell never buy or use fancy smelling soaps or bath bombs.

But I want to.

I want to be fancy and I want to treat myself to these things.  I want to deserve these luxuries and maybe even find a way to love myself the way I am, no matter how long that may be.  After all, we are always changing!

I know, I know.  Get to the point, already!

I don’t know if my products will be successful, but I want to try!  I want to try change out for a while.  Maybe I can make another woman that feels a similar way to how I feel about myself, or a man, child, or whoever is in the same boat, feel they can love themselves enough to light a candle and take a bath with some lovely fragrances.

This link to follow will show you my Etsy page with what I have available right now, primarily my delicious-smelling, Eco-friendly, sustainable soy candles.  There’s other stuff, too, but I’m mostly here about the candles!

https://www.Etsy.com/shop/livepeculiar

Take care!
Cassandra

I Promise, I’m Not Sleeping on the Job.

If it’s not clear yet, I love to complain.  It’s a very human thing to do and sometimes it’s refreshing to relate.  Can you relate to feeling totally exhausted at times?  I know you can.

I’m so tired.  Like, all the time.

When I really think about it, I don’t necessarily see a reason for my exhaustion and constant sleepiness.  I don’t do labor intensive work, I’m not all that physically active, and I have a 9-5 desk job.  However, I use my brain a lot and I think it needs a moment to slow down.

Like I said, I work a 9-5 desk job.  I run a debit and credit card program for a credit union and I’m the one they call when there’s a problem, whether it be a card not working, a card was misplaced, there was unauthorized activity, etc. etc.  And on top of that I handle the majority of marketing, other miscellaneous things, and I’m training for the book keeping position.  Still, just a 9-5 desk job.

When I get home after work, I change my focus to one of the regular items on my everyday list: dinner, cleaning, entertaining, and so on.  Don’t get me wrong, I have a husband that is very helpful at home, but nobody likes to do dishes everyday.  If and when I finish those items, it’s on to other projects.

I’m working on growing and expanding http://www.LivePeculiarShop.com and attempting to create new things each week.  I’m also a full-time student trying so hard to get a Master’s Degree in Accounting.  Have you ever heard of a class called Advanced Auditing and Data Mining Technologies?  Neither have I until now.  But it’s still not advanced personal tax.  That class was interesting, but no thanks.

In addition to my daily work, I also have a family.  I’ve mentioned my lovely husband.  He reduces a ton of my daily work-load but also comes with his own as he develops and grows his own business at http://www.facebook.com/SuitablyAwesome/.  We also have two beautiful boxers and a part-time boxer.  They are cute.  But they are tiresome.

I wish the two on the right were still that small.  They’re not.

All things considered, I can see where my exhaustion lies.  However, I also assume the holidays got me feeling extra tired on top of this cold that I can’t seem to shake.  I had a handful of orders for the holidays and a lot of hand-made things for family and friends, as well.  I think I just really need to put my feet up, but just as soon as we get ourselves into the new year and expectations are lower.  They’re lower, right?

Now, here’s some cool stuff I made for Christmas gifts and/or orders!

Really this is all just a humble brag.  But at least you get to look at pictures.

Tipsy mermaid is a 15 oz stemless wineglass hand glittered and sealed with glittery scales and etched with inspiration from our favorite Disney Mermaid.

Hand-layered decal done with three colors of permanent adhesive vinyl, about 11″ long. This went on a 28 oz ceramic mug for secret Santa.

24″x24″ hand-painted and weathered scripture sign.

Back side of a custom requested Texas A&M shirt.

Custom-made shirt for my classy brother-in-law. Lettering and symbol is in gold heat transfer vinyl. The lighting is washing it out, but looked real nice on the BIL on Christmas Day.

A couple Etsy orders for personalized Galvanized tubs. I thickened the letters from what I usually do. It came out real nice.

Goose and Maverick, Top Gun inspired custom order. Father and son set.

Family tree done in a reverse canvas style. Frame is approximately 16″x20″. Frame was stained with an Ikea paint stain. This was done no a jersey blanket throw, as well.

Hand-painted scripture sign, approximately 7.5″ by 17″.

Custom-made Disney inspired shirts. Heat transfer vinyl on a cotton shirt.

Front side of a custom requested Texas A&M shirt.

Coloring shirt made for my niece. Heat transfer vinyl on cotton paired with ultra washable crayola markers. Color and wash, then color again!

Made a last minute shirt for my family Christmas party. Zentangle style deer with glitter ornaments hanging form his antlers. Heat transfer vinyl on cotton shirt.

Ladies version of the custom-made Disney inspired shirts. Heat transfer vinyl on a cotton shirt and glitter red for the bow.

Coloring shirt made for my niece. Heat transfer vinyl on cotton paired with ultra washable crayola markers. Color and wash, then color again!

Custom order for a family of ornaments. Inside is painted and names applied on the outside in glitter permanent vinyl.

Holographic permanent vinyl saying “baby it’s cold outside.” Where’d that pesky dot above the “i” go? This is on a 28 oz mug.

12×12 reverse canvas style wall art. Frame was stained using Ikea paint stain and the canvas is printed with glitter heat transfer vinyl.

Custom made t-shirt with purple heat transfer vinyl for the sister-in-law.

If you happened to make it to the very end, here, thank you.  I meant it when I said my brag is humble.  For every opportunity I have to hand-create something for another, it means a lot to me and to my little business.  I hope everybody’s Christmas or holiday season was wonderful and I wish everyone the happiest of New Year.

I Talk to Myself and That’s Okay

We all go through dark times and sometimes we don’t know why we are there or even how to turn the lights back on.  I’ve been in and out of the dark so much lately that I can’t help but wonder what’s wrong with me.

I Fall Down A Lot

I have always been a sensitive person.  I like to believe that I feel things more strongly than others and sometimes that’s more a curse than a blessing.  For example, I tend to over-empathize, so if you hurt, I’m probably hurting, too.  This is likely because I have had experience feeling down so much in my life that I know how much it can take a toll on you every day to feel that way.  I don’t want to feel that way and I certainly wouldn’t want you to, either.

Either way, I find myself in the pits frequently.  I’m never really sure why, but I don’t always have a reason to feel that way.  My life, now, isn’t bad.  Sure I have struggles like everyone else and I don’t always get the things I want, but I have a loving husband and equally loving Boxer Pups; I have a roof over my head, food on my plate, and place to rest my head at night.  For that I’m very thankful.  So why am I feeling so badly lately?

My Emotional State is a Virus

I’ve heard it too many times lately from my husband: “I just want you to be happy.”  I also want to be happy on a regular basis, if not for me, for him.  It’s quite clear that when somebody feels terribly, especially when it’s as visible as it is on me, you can’t truly be happy.  It doesn’t seem fair to be.  So how is it fair to those around me, especially the one person who unconditionally loves me every day?  It’s not, so something’s gotta give.

Hey, self.  What’s the deal?

This is the part where I start talking to myself.  This is the part where I try to understand myself and why I can’t seem to turn that light on some days.

Like I said, I have struggles just as everyone else.  It’s the Christmas season so money is tight and there’s a lot of pressure to be Jolly and full of Joy.  Believe me, I love Christmas time.  I love the spirit and jolliness of the season, but I’m not adequately reflecting that love and jolliness.  So what’s the big deal, self?  The only way I could think to figure that out is to actually ask myself.  So that’s what I’m going to do:

What makes you happy?

Other peoples’ happiness.  Like I said, emotional states rub off on others.  If you’re sad, I’m not going to smile rays of sunshine.  But if you’re genuinely happy, it’s more likely I’ll feel it, too.

My husband.  He makes me happy, not just because he’s my husband and he loves me, but because he means everything to me.  As much as he drives me nuts most days and despite the fact that he has socks everywhere, I couldn’t ask for a better life partner.  He saved me from a much darker place and I can never thank him enough.

Being successful.  To be more clear, personal success has always been such a big thing for me.  I haven’t had the best role models and I haven’t always had people cheering me on.  For personal reasons, I hold myself to such high standards.  Perhaps this is why I’m feeling so off lately.  I have been trying to start a little business, with the help of my wonderful husband and his business, and I can’t seem to get anywhere.  If you’re reading, you can check it out here: http://www.livepeculiarshop.com.  You will see that it isn’t very expanded and doesn’t have a lot to offer just yet, but I also haven’t had much response and can’t seem to figure out how to market (without spending a butt load of money on advertising).  This could certainly be an answer I’m looking for.

What motivates you?

Happiness.  I know, this again?  But I meant it when I said I feel more strongly than others.  If I can do something to make a person happy, you better believe I will do that thing more often.

Money.  I know this is so stupid to say, but I think it’s better to just be honest.  I am talking to myself after all.  Money really is the root of all evil and it can certainly get you places you can’t get if you’re penniless.

Check this bad boy out at http://www.livepeculiarshop.com/product-p/6840.htm

Being able to sell the things I make and make money to make more things is incredibly motivational.  Plus I really want people to be able to see this adorable wine glass I was commissioned to make by a friend.

That way, if people purchase this, I can continue to make them, sell more, and make even more.  Turns out I absolutely love making them.  (Hey another thing that makes me happy!)

I really don’t think it’s so bad to admit that money is a motivational factor.  I’m not alone in this, and if you’re constantly thinking about money and where you’re going to get it just so you can give it to someone else, you’re not going to be all grins and giggles and go about your day shooting rainbows from your butt.  Just saying.

My husband.  Yeah, that guy, again.  He really does motivate me.  He is absolutely incredible and makes things with his hands I could never do.  Check him out, too on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/suitablyawesome.  His level of talent is motivation enough, even just so I can understand what he’s doing and what he’s talking about.

Praise.  Now I’m not asking for a following of adoring fans, but I primarily am motivated to “wow” people with what I do.  To hear my family or my in-laws express that they’re impressed or to think something I made is “cool,” it motivates me to do bigger and better things.  Truly, it makes sense to me.

What are you afraid of?

Failure.  I’m also afraid of spiders and tight spaces, but failure and the possibility of it keeps me pretty scared all the time.  I think I just assume I will fail so I just feel bad about myself to begin.

How full is your glass?

Half-empty.  I got myself, there.  I am a pessimist and I certainly will be caught with a half-empty glass a lot of the time.  Believe me, it’s hard to change that thinking.

Have I Learned Anything from Talking to Myself?

Simply put, yes.  I actually suggest you also talk to yourself.  Get a better understanding of you and why you feel the way you do.  I hope by recognizing these things about myself will help me to change my perspective and really persevere thourgh the dark and finally switch on that pesky light.

 

 

 

Ellipsis: What it is and how it’s used.

A huge pet-peeve of mine is the overuse of Ellipsis.  Especially because most of those that use it are not aware of what it is and how it’s used. 

Ellipsis…

With the following definition, no wonder so many don’t understand what it is and how to use it.

el·lip·sis
/əˈlipsis/
noun
noun: ellipsis; plural noun: ellipses
the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues.
a set of dots indicating an ellipsis

For the purpose of this post, we will be talking about the punctuation.  Believe it or not, Wikipedia defines this in a much more understandable way:

An ellipsis (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, “omission” or “falling short“) is a series of dots (typically three, such as “…”) that usually indicates an intentional omission of a word, sentence, or whole section from a text without altering its original meaning.

This is how I best know the purpose of ellipsis.  In fact, I often use this when I’m writing academic papers and I knowingly omit words or a section from text.  For example, say I am quoting an author directly from their work and the original text read:

“Of the traits considered in sugarcane, sucrose content, fiber content, sugar yield, fiber yield and total biomass yield along with other important desirable morphological traits have received more attention,”

I may choose to omit parts of that very dense sentence and write:

“Of the traits considered in sugarcane, sucrose content…along with other important desirable morphological traits have received more attention.”

That […] stands in for that chunk of sentence that I intentionally removed from the sentence.  Notice how it does not remove the meaning from the sentence.  That’s a very correct use of the ellipsis.

According to Grammarly, there is a much more common, non-formal and non-academic way to use ellipsis.  It can be used to show pause or a trailing off from a sentence.  Grammarly provides the following examples:

Andrew, can you, um . . . never mind, I forgot what I was saying. So, do you think we should . . . ?

This, again, is also a correct use.

How are you using it?

First of all, let me apologize to those that are very guilty of this.  Know that I mean not to offend, but to educate.  The more we learn, the smarter we’ll become.  So with that said, how are you using those three little dots?  And what do others think when you use it?

I ask because this is a particular issue when having a conversation through writing, whether it be in a chat, an email, or texting.

Punctuation replacement

Possibly one of the worst abuses of ellipsis is as a punctuation replacement.  This means rather than periods or commas, you are using […] to indicate a stop or pause.  It looks something like the following:

Hey…how are you today…I need to go to the grocery store…I’m hungry for something sweet

It’s all wrong.  But it’s amazing how often I get messages formatted this way, casual or not.  The other frequently abusive use of ellipsis is simply as a way to end a sentence.  So assume I text my husband: I Love You!  Then he responds with: I Love You Too…  Tell me that you won’t look at that and wonder what he is implying or what he isn’t saying.  I know it’s not a big deal, but it drives me absolutely crazy!

Credit

https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/maturity-classification-of-sugarcane-emsaccharum-officinarumem-l-genotypes-grown-under-different-production-environments-of-ethiop-2329-8863-1000304-95334.html

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/ellipsis/

Five Star Ratings and Why I Truly Hate Them

If you’re like me, you work hard for peoples’ happiness and satisfaction – not just in business, but also in life.  So what does that mean for you when you get any less than a full five stars?

Sheer Panic

Honestly, I’m a people-pleaser and when my efforts aren’t appropriately reflected in my star rating, whether it be Etsy, Facebook, or what-have-you, I panic.  A million questions fill my mind: What did I do wrong?  Was I not polite enough?  Should I lower my prices?  As I panic and ponder, my vision begins to fade and all I can see is the bright swirling of stars in my face.  Why did I lose a star!?!

This is an exact quote from my Etsy page.  Sounds like a five-star review, right?  Wrong.

SELLER was terrific…you can tell customer service is important to her! The personalized bags were nicely done and are just a unique and perfect way to ‘wrap’ jewelry/gift cards/and other ‘smaller’ gift items for gift giving!

I sold this very kind lady three 4×6″ organza bags with personalized, heat-pressed vinyl lettering for a total of $1.35 plus shipping.  I was very excited for her because she wanted to use them to hold Holiday gift cards.  I thought it was such a fabulous idea!  The whole transaction went smoothly.  She asked questions, I answered promptly, and she seemed so pleased.  When she received the product, she again contacted me with questions.  She wanted to know why this name, , appeared to have an “e” between the “r” and the “a.”  I understood where she was coming from and politely informed her it was the font.  Without argument or judgment, I offered to completely redo the one, sent her alternate font options, and told her it would be in the mail next day.  She seemed so pleased with my offer and politely declined.  She said she’d happily use the bag and now saw how the font added the little loop.  Yet, I got this:

I’m still cringing at the rating.  There was no reasonable explanation as to why I lost a whole star.  Especially because my Etsy account is fresh, this could make or break my start-out.  As silly as it sounds, it hurts all around and I will think about this for quite some time.

Does Anybody Really Care?

Well, do you care?  About the star rating, that is.  I want to say that I don’t care, but it means more than you or I think, and frankly, it’s stupid.

As you can see in this image, there is a vague understanding of the five-star rating system.  Pretty much if you have anything below four stars, you’re crap.  For online stores like Etsy, you only get full stars.  So right now I think I only have 4 reviews.  That’s how new I am at selling.  I do have an “average” rating of five stars, but if those that don’t understand what only four stars or three stars mean, I could lose my “Excellent” average and be royally screwed at selling on Etsy again.  Facebook is a little different because you have the option to hide your reviews.

So is the above correct or is the below correct?  Why is the star system so complicated!  Do you like it or not?!  Maybe the below is more likely.  At least at three stars the person “liked it.”  Also, why do you even have to give a star?  If you hate something, why does that review deserve any stars?

What Really Matters When You Shop

I only partly take Amazon star ratings into account when I’m shopping.  What I actually do when I’m deciding on Amazon purchases is to read the reviews.  Star ratings with no words mean nothing to me.  I start with the one-star reviews.  I read why they chose a one star.  Then I move on to two stars.  Why did they choose only two?  Then I move on to three stars and so on.

The things people have to say about a product is what makes the difference.  I will use the Kitchenaid Classic stand mixer on Amazon as an example.  The product has a 4.5-star rating.  So by the chart above, it is “Excellent.”  This does not mean there are no reviews at one single star.

In case you cannot see the words, it is titled “Don’t wast your money.”  It then reads:

“Mixer is 6 months old.  Used once weekly for light duty mixing (cake batter).  Mixer started making strange noises.  Kitchen Aid support said it sounded normal.  Then squeaking started.  Opened machine to find screw loose.  Apparently, this is a common problem.  I am unable to open the housing to get to the screw to tighten.  The product is junk.”

So when I read this, I like to take into account major points.  It’s six months old, it was used for light duty, called support before the squeaking started, found a loose screw, couldn’t tighten it.  Junk.

First of all, I have a Kitchenaid Mixer and I absolutely love it, so it probably wasn’t the best example.  So, in this case, I will be objective. Simply, I do not believe based on the issue it is immediately to be considered “junk.”  Therefore, I wouldn’t stop at this single review.  I would keep reading and reading and would basically end up deciding yes or no based on these types of key points.

Here’s another great example why the star rating is stupid.  This review had four stars and the author of the review had to start out and explain exactly why.

The reason my Kitchenaid did not get Five stars is not because it didn’t do a good job, but because of incomplete instructions. On my first usage so far, after washing the bowl and beaters. I proceeded to mix homemade yeast bread. Upon removing dough from bowl there was some gray streaks in the dough. At their web site after trouble shooting it stated that a polishing material is used on stainless steel and prevents no danger but to rub this material wash bowl with salt and lemon or scrub with baking soda. It would really have been nice if that had been stated in the instruction booklet.

Thank you to the author for clarifying, but, with such precious meaning to each level of star power, I would not take a star off for the included instructions being vague.  Thank goodness we are in the day and age with the internet and this shouldn’t be a real complaint anymore.  But it is.  And I do respect that.  I will, however, continue to love my espresso professional level Kitchenaid stand mixer and love it forever.  Becuase that thing will live forever.

Take Away the Stars!

I honestly would be happy not seeing stars.  I like when I go to take a survey and there’s the 1-10 and it tells you what each means.  It’s still not that great, but I like it.  In fact, I would give it four stars.  My point is, I want the stars to go away and to replace it with honesty.  Write reviews for days!  Make lazy people read for once to find out what others thought of a product.  Stop ruining good peoples’ days for stupid star averages.

I Think I Can, I Think I Can – The Little Business that Could

How many people jump right into something with full confidence and just succeed right away?  Probably not all that many, but it happens.

The worst thing you can ever tell yourself is “I can’t.”  “I can’t make that deadline.”  “I can’t impress my colleagues.”  “I can’t do it.”  But why can’t you?

Shoo Away the Negativity

Seriously, escort that crap right out the door!  There are so many driving factors in our lives that keep us up and going or that drag us right under.  For me lately, it’s the latter.  In yesterday’s post, “Time Management and Small Businesses: What’s that mean?,” I briefly discuss all the ways that I stay busy: my full-time job, my education, home life, small business, etc.  Each of these activities I “accomplish” every day come with a lot of “behind the scenes” struggles.  For example, at my full-time job, I’m due for a promotion.  Not because anybody sees the exceptional job I do or because I’ve studied the last five years with degree in hand to qualify for the position, but because I’m here and they know I am not going anywhere.  Even so, this should be exciting.  I’m getting a promotion!

It’s not that exciting, I promise.  See, at my place of work, there are driving forces that want to see me drown in my own misery.  There are hateful people that make sure I can never feel confident about the good things.  Therefore, this promotion remains “hush hush” because nobody wants to “step on toes.”  This happens because one person will be livid at the fact that I would get something that they will not.  This person is a snake, poisoning the minds of those that control my career and my position.  The point is, something like this can really cut deep and make you feel undervalued and not all that important.

Instead, stop feeling undervalued and know your worth!  You are getting the promotion, you are more than qualified, and you are good at what you do!  That person that dictates your feelings and the way others treat you, shoo them out the door.  Remove the poison from your life and move on to great things.

Build Your Confidence and Succeed

But how?  I’m asking for a friend.

Building confidence for success will, of course, start with the above discussion: remove the negative from your life and replace it with positivity.  Even if you don’t feel it, force a smile and make them believe it.  Staying in a pool of negative feelings will drown you.  Your motivation is reduced and it drags you down to lows you didn’t know you could get to.  Surround yourself with positive energy; surround yourself with positive people and let them be your positive influence and your push when you’re feeling sluggish.

This is an especially important concept when you’re running your own business.  Consider your customers.  How are they supposed to be confident in your business if you aren’t?  Like I said, force a smile, make them believe you have the confidence to make you unstoppable.

Educate Yourself

Learn until you can learn no more.

Whatever it is that you sell or whatever business you are running, become an expert.  Read books, attend seminars, ask questions; do what you have to do to succeed in your industry.  You can never know too much.

Establish Objectives

What are you trying to accomplish?

Establish objectives that you want for your business.  Create a clear and concise vision of what your business is to become and work toward it.  Make sure it’s a narrow scope.  Don’t make your objective so broad that your only goal is to “make tons of cash.”  Instead, narrow it and think more along the lines of “I’m going to make 10 extra sales next month.”  Don’t forget to reevaluate those objectives from time to time.  Make sure you’re always pushing yourself to new heights.  But be sure it’s more of a gradual climb and not a leap.

Risky Business

You dance in your underwear and socks, but I’m not talking Tom Cruise’s Risky Business.

When I say risky business, I don’t mean put your business at risk of failure, but rather take risks that will in turn benefit your business.  For example, doing the same old boring thing all the time gets, well, boring.  Spice it up and do something with your business you’ve never done.  Get out of your comfort zone and create a fresh environment for your business.  Run a contest, reach out to your followers, ask their advice, put your business out there!

No More Doubt

I think I can, I think I can – and I will.

I’m no little engine, but I have a little business that could.  And with the right steps, I just might have a little business that did and will.  The first thing I need to do, though, is stop saying “can’t.”  It’s a nasty word and just needs removed from my vocabulary.  Nobody likes to be told they can’t do something.  I’m willing to bet that you don’t like it much when other people tell you that you can’t do something.  Then why do you do it to yourself?  By believing in yourself and your work – by removing the incessant doubt, you can.  You can and you will.  Stick it to the doubt and just do it.

You Better Recognize

*Insert sass here.*

All those many little victories need to be recognized.  I can’t say it enough.  If you only focus on what went wrong or what you didn’t do well enough, you’re creating an opening for doubt and negativity to slip back into your life, and you don’t want that.  So what if you only made a $3 sale?  You made a $3 sale!  And for all you know, that customer will tell their friends and before you know it, you’ll be making ten $3 sales or twenty $3 sales and on and on it will go.  Despite what Green Day says in their song “Nice Guys Finish Last,” just give yourself a pat on the back once in a while.  I promise, it won’t break your spine.

 

As always, I’m not saying my advice means anything, but as I write this, I keep myself in mind.  In a way, I’m trying to give myself a pep talk.  My little store, Live Peculiar at http://www.livepeculiarshop.com, is my newest baby and I just want to see that baby grow into a big kid one day and take the world by storm.

Credit

https://www.inc.com/murray-newlands/6-tips-to-build-self-confidence-for-business-success.html

Time Management and Small Businesses: What’s that mean?

24 hours.  That’s all we get each day.  Therefore, we need to make the very most of our time and somehow accomplish day-to-day tasks efficiently. 

What is “Time Management?”

The standard definition is “the ability to use one’s time effectively or productively, especially at work.”  However, and more appropriately, time management can be described best as “the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities” (Mindtools.com).  What it really comes down to is the process of organizing and planning the way that you manage each activity you do in a day.  You can learn more at this link: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm.

Why I Need Time Management Skills

I personally can say that I need to develop my time management skills.  I pile responsibilities on top of responsibilities.  While I prefer it that way, busy does not necessarily mean productive.  I’m a full-time student in an Accounting Master’s Program, I run a card program for a small credit union, I’m a wife, I’m a “dog mom,” and I’m trying to grow a business of hand-made items (that I make with my hands) at http://www.livepeculiarshop.com.  Oh, and I write this blog, as well.  Yet, I still only have 24 hours in a day, and I still love to sleep.  So how do I do it?  Simply put: just barely.  I’ve been surviving on a planner that I misplace four times a week, which is not efficient at all.  This is how I know developing time management skills is a must. 

How Should I Manage My Time?

We are all different in our daily habits and we all have fluctuating energy levels, so it won’t be the same for everybody.  But, the following are a few steps that I think would help myself, and therefore might help you, as well:

1. Build your schedule around your most productive times.  For example, on working days, my most productive seems to be as soon as I sit down at my desk for the day.  I have all of my daily work in a pile in front of me so I sort it and get to work.  The second I finish my daily work, I’m ready to go back to bed.  This seems to restart itself again after lunch.  This is when I like to dive into tougher, more time-consuming work.  By the time that’s done, I’m ready to go home and put my feet up.  Although, I have to be mindful of the fact that my day doesn’t end after 5pm.  I also have to make the most of the time I have between cooking dinner, eating, and quality time with my husband.
2. Limit Distractions.  Nobody is more distracted than I am.  Just ask my husband a.k.a. the greatest distraction.  I’ve found that when I sit down to get something done, I need complete focus.  I might open up a web browser to search something, leave it open, then next thing I find myself opening Facebook.com/livepeculiar to see if I have any new likes.  So if I don’t need a web browser open, I close it.  I’ve also found I like to watch TV shows while I work.  I had to stop that, too.  I shut the TV off and I’ll turn on some music.  It has to be instrumental, though, because I’ll lose myself in the lyrics and I’m back to square one.  There’s a really great study station on Pandora I like that plays popular songs covered by string instruments and it’s beautiful.
3. Limit Priorities.  What does this actually mean, though?  If they’re priorities, how can you limit them?  As Patrick M Lencioni, writer of books on business management, said: “If everything is important, then nothing is.”  That makes total sense.  So your best bet is to put the most important tasks at the top and give them priority.  Hone your focus.  Avoid “task paralysis.”  It might be wise once in a while to ask for help.  For example, I have some orders to accomplish tonight, and they are a priority.  Therefore, my husband is in charge of dinner.  Love you, Nathan!
4. Delegate.  This directly follows the new list of limited priorities.  Now that you have those defined, delegate when they’re done, who does them, etc.  For example, I work 9-5 so it’s hard for me to get to the post office.  Therefore, I complete my orders in the evening and then my dear husband ships them for me during the day.  We all need help, and while most of us in my position can’t afford an assistant, it’s okay to delegate some tasks if that helps keep you on track.
5. Be Positive.  This is something I’m all too familiar with: self-judgment.  I fixate on mistakes and things that I’m not doing well enough.  I am rarely looking “on the bright side of life.”  This is a huge problem.  So if you’re like me, turn that attitude around.  Stop looking at what you did not accomplish and start looking at what you did.  Small wins are still wins and they deserve to be celebrated or at least recognized.  Otherwise, you are likely to “damage your confidence and make [yourself] less productive” (Myers, 2017).  Seriously, if you’re in need of time management, then you’re most likely already awesome.  You just need a way to organize all the ways you do a great job.

I’m not saying the five steps above are the ultimate solution to all time management issues, but I am saying that identifying and studying ways that can help you personally is a solution.  These steps can simply be a starting point.

Credit :

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm

https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/time-management-tips-for-productive-small-business-owners/

The Beginning of Something Great

Direction has been tough for me for as long as I can remember.  I never could settle on a specific path to take in life, and quite frankly I want to do everything.  But I met a man that was into movies and special effects and crafts of all sorts.  His craftiness spoke to my craftiness and together we make things.  Although he may be on a much higher level than I, he makes me want to reach higher and be a better crafter.

I always wanted to run a business of my own; I always wanted to be my own boss.  I used to be very into baking and thought about one day having my own bakery called “Crazy Cupcakes.”  I practically built and designed it for a college course, but the costs were substantial and I wouldn’t be able to have a 9-5 in the field I studied for: Accounting.  I still love baking but I wanted something with less mess.  So now I make a smaller mess with glitter!

I can’t possibly express what joy I got from my few sales I made through Etsy, but there are so many people on Etsy and it’s costly to pay for advertising just to get someone to fall upon your products.  I can’t imagine it will be easier, but at least some of these costs can go back into material for beautiful hand-made products and this website belongs to Live Peculiar.  That’s incredible!  So here’s to the most well-defined path I’ve taken in life and to my husband for supporting that path and his incredible capabilities as my crafting partner!

To check out this fabulous website, visit http://www.livepeculiarshop.com.