you want to make money, right? isn’t that why you started your business?
you paid to learn your trade;
you spend hours to create your items;
you list and renew constantly (and spend on listing fees);
you think, breath, and live working on your shop.
so you’d think you would make money hand over fist, now that your business is in full swing, right?
but instead, your sales are dismal.
and when you do sell, you don’t know where all the profits are going.
why?
because your relationship with money is murky. what i mean is that you don’t know how serious you are about making money.
of course everyone loves making money – lots of it. but before you click off, think honestly about this. how do you feel about making money, really.
do you dread it? do you enjoy working to make money? are you enslaved to the process? or is money just a product of creative process that you enjoy?
you see, if you don’t know how you feel about money, your approach to making money will be uncommitted, unsure, and undefined.
you have to decide, putting creativity and artistry aside, how badly you NEED to make money with your shop. if your primary source of income (that pays the bills) is NOT your shop, you won’t take your shop seriously. on the other hand, if your shop IS the primary income, then, you have no excuse BUT to make money with your shop.
and how about this?
do you feel guilty about putting money before creativity? do you feel bad about charging people for your creative work? do you value your work as much as you want your buyers to value it? and finally, do you find yourself being defensive about your price?
if you can answer these questions h.o.n.e.s.t.l.y., then, you are ready to make money. serious money.
until then, your shop, your business, your career will not reward you with financial security. you will continue to make excuses – “oh, the economy is slow… oh, my last advertising campaign sucked…oh, my items never end up on the front page…oh, buyers can’t find my items on ‘search’.”
stop making excuses
determine how you feel about making money and only when you know that, then, you will start making money.
do me a favor, write down on a piece of paper and answer following questions.
1. how would i pay the bills if my primary source of income is gone – whether it’s your spouse or your job.
2. how much money do i need to feel safe?
3. when do i want to stop working, not retire, but stop working. there is a difference.
4. do i want to own my shop as a part timer or as a full timer?
5.do i want to quit my ‘day job’ so i can work full time managing my business?
then, share in the comment below, some of the answers you feel comfortable sharing.
Image by Philip Taylor PT via Flickr
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