How I Kept Myself From Being Successful

I was asked by someone local, "Are you still crocheting?" Eek...The fact that someone asked that question is a problem. I crochet all the time. So, why would a local person have to ask me if I'm still crocheting?

I had to search myself and realized that I am keeping success away by hiding my pieces from the world. It sent me on a search to figure out what misconceptions do I have that are keeping me from being successful? And, in the end, it resulted in the fact that I am neglecting the platforms I have on which to promote my finished pieces to the world of people who may end up buying them.

I have neglected my blog

June was a difficult month for me personally. It leads up to the time of my sister's death, which my husband will assure you is a difficult time for me every year. I also encountered a very brutal personal attack after I unwisely confronted an unjust situation. Oy. So, I completely lacked motivation to expose anything of myself to the world and that included the beautiful things I created in June. I attempted to make up for that by posting a June wrap-up on July 1st.

I have neglected Facebook

Facebook algorithms change faster than anyone can keep up and the changes they have made over the past 18 months have made it nearly impossible for small business owners like me to continue reaching our fan base. It has actually caused on blogger to consider preparing for the fall of Facebook.

When my posts got to the point of reaching less than 10% of my fans, I stopped posting. Very few people were seeing the posts anyway (although I can always count on a few family members and faithful friends to like my posts). Stopping entirely was not the right way to approach the problem. So, I will start posting my projects on Facebook with diligence.

I have neglected my Etsy Shop

I pour my heart and soul into every piece I make. I treasure them and I don't want to throw it out to the Etsy wolves who feast on the beauties before their eyes. Let's face it. Most of the moms who sit around browsing Etsy are buying from Etsy. I would say there are very few shops on Etsy that have established their shop to become the preferred supplier of the item they make (the term supplier comes from my day job...forgive me for that). They aren't buying it from Niccupp Crochet or any other shop name out there. I wish there were a magic formula that would trigger the mom's memory of who she bought the item from. Or photographers for that matter.

Do the consumers of a crocheted piece really care who made it? As long as the quality is excellent and it arrives quickly and in perfect condition, the mom will be happy. Do they remember who they bought it from? Probably not. If you sell on Etsy, I would love if you could leave a comment and tell me how many return customers do you have? This is in regards to completed items only (not pattern sales).

What can we do to interact with our buyers more so that they see us for who we are and not just see our single item the fit their keyword search on Etsy?

Where are my items going and Who gets to see them?

The simple answer is my items are going nowhere. My finished objects get flashed around on Ravelry and I share them in a few Facebook groups with friends who crochet. All I want is for them to be loved and these groups of people are always happy to congratulate one another on our recent accomplishments. My items receive love and my heart is happy. 

I also flash my items around at work where I have a faithful group of friends who adore that this geek can also get her craft on.

Because of my view toward Etsy and my dislike for Facebook, my finished items are not selling. 

The Number One reason my items are not selling is because I am not posting them for sale!

My collection of finished pieces is growing and growing. I have actually started giving quite a few pieces away this year because it makes me feel better when I select their homes than when someone selects my item for their home. That's the wrong way of thinking for a business owner, isn't it?

Where do I go from here?

The obvious answer is that if I truly want Niccupp Crochet to be a business, then I have to be willing to sell my items. That seems obvious right? 

I have to be willing to let my items go to people I don't know.

I have to be willing to accept money in exchange for the pieces I work so hard to create. This includes accepting the fact that there will be moms who buy from Etsy and never remember my name. The thing is, I'm not just out there trying to make a buck. My goal first and foremost is to expose the world to the beauty of the fiber arts and make them want what I make.

So, yeah, I'm not really out there trying to make a buck, but making a little money seems to be required for not only maintaining a business, but running a successful one.

Do your personal opinions hinder you from becoming the business you could be or ought to be?

In response to the question which started this post, "Are you still crocheting?"

The answer is yes. The four images that you see in this blog post are things that I have made in the past 5 days. FOUR finished items in 5 days is pretty good. And this doesn't include the Yoda hat that is in progress nor does it include the mystery amigurumi animal I am working on where I have crocheted 19 pieces out of what I think will be a total of 20, but could be 21.

I definitely stay busy crocheting. I do it because I enjoy it and it helps me relax. I hope that it also makes YOU smile and appreciate the artform known as crochet.