Hey guys! I haven't written a "real" blog post in a while so I want to update you on whats been going on around here.
I am happy to report, I am very busy and thats mainly the reason I haven't blogged. Back in late November there was a lot of family stuff going on and with the holidays everyone wants their order ASAP. I was stressed out and a bit depressed about things. I was also contimplating whether I should get a part time job to provide more financial cushion. But struggling with whether that was a real option since my husband's work hours can be unpredictable, and if we had to pay for day care that would take away any cushion I earned. But Decemeber really surprised me and I ended the year with my highest grossing month ever. I probably could have done cartwheels.
I was excited for the new year and really optimistic for what it could mean. But truthfully I was also worried. I have been basing my product focus and assumptions about what months will be busy or not on the last two years of my party shop stats. But those last two years the shop was a "side thing" and some months I didn't do anything with my shops because I was too busy with my day job.
I noticed since summer ended that the what people are buying from me has changed and with the clipart shop thats a whole new set of customers that I'm still trying to figure out. So I have been spending a lot of time refocusing my attention and my products but I was worried it wasn't going to work out.
But so far January and these first 6 days of February has exceeded my expectations. I seriously have been having a squeal-fest with each and every order. I'm just so happy with where things are going. I do still know that every month is a different story. I do a lot of seasonal items, and I know sales change once the holiday is over. But I have put a lot of focus on non seasonal items as they have become more popular for me lately and up until my current Valentine surge, my non seasonal items where making up most of my orders which is awesome!
I am really working on staying positive and trying not get bogged down in what other shops are doing and just be happy with my successes and my path (easier said than down). But one of the great things about being busy is I don't have the time to worry about that stuff.
I will try to be better about recapping each weeks new products and doing a "real" post way more often.
