My week one post for t he 2013 31 Days of Blogging Challenge was becoming unwieldy, so I am beginning a new one that includes the remaining days (four through seven) of posts for week one.
DAY FOUR
Writing Prompt: What’s important to you as a business owner? Ethically and philosophically? Write a 3 Things Every Crochet Business Owner Should Know post featuring your non-negotiable.
I am a big fan of Wallace Wattles’ The Science of Getting Rich in which he outlines a spiritual way of doing business. Even though the book was written early in the 20th century, I’ve always felt his principles for doing business are still valid today.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
One of the most important of those principles for me is this:
To be successful in business, give more in USE value than you receive in CASH value.
This might seem counter-intuitive at first, but think about it. The more you, as a business owner, give superior service which exceeds how much you are paid for it, the more people are going to want to do business with you, and the more money you’ll make in the long run. It’s a win-win situation for the customers and business owner. I think I’ll go back and read The Science of Getting Rich (aff) as a reminder of how I want to conduct my crochet business.
Another business principle that must be a non-negotiable one for me is to listen to and follow my inner guidance above anything that comes to me from the outside. I get so much information each day via the Internet, particularly offers to do this or try that for my business. And in the past, I’ve often jumped on these offers primarily because of the excitement of the offerer, only to realize days or weeks later that it really wasn’t something I wanted to do. I now wait a couple of days for the excitement to wear off, then check in with my inner guidance, to determine if this is something I should do.
My third business non-negotiable, which could be seen as a corollary of the first one, is to stop chasing money. Put another way, service to my customers is my number one goal. If I provide a valuable service that my customers want/need and that will benefit them, and if I’m passionate about doing it, then I trust that the money will come.
DAY FIVE
Writing Prompt: Whom will you market to? Online? Offline? Businesses? Write a post to your ideal customer.
This is a question that I need to give serious thought to. When I first started this blog over eight years ago, it was mainly a “hobby blog,” a way for me to write about crochet as a hobby and share the projects I was working on. It’s always been “monetized” to some extent, either with Google Adsense ads or Amazon affiliate offers. But I was never serious about it as a business, and therefore never really focused on who my readers were.
Now that I’m blogging as a business, I need to hone in on who my readers and customers are and what crochet information they’re looking for. This will be a work in progress as I become clearer about who my market is, but I can say initially that I am gearing my blog posts to beginning and intermediate crocheters who want to improve their crochet skills. Even when I’m writing about a project I’ve completed, I am always teaching and like to provide information on things like:
- What I found easy about the pattern,
- How to make yarn substitutions (which I almost always do), and
- What areas of the pattern might be problematic.
This desire to teach will hold true for my blog readers, my crochet students, and the crocheters who purchase my patterns. I’m also working on how to market to this group, so that will unfold as well as the year progresses.
DAY SIX
Writing Prompt: What specific qualities will help you succeed in business? Write a post about your strengths and skills as a crocheter and business owner.
My two greatest strengths are organization and attention to detail. If I wasn’t organized, I’d be a basket case, so it’s critical to my business success. The time-honored “to do” list is one of the main tools I use to remind me of the things I need to do. But I will probably also need an editorial calendar if I intend to be blogging more and some way to organize my social media marketing.
Attention to detail is one of the reasons my blog posts are so long. More importantly, it ensures that my blog posts and patterns are as free of grammatical and typographical errors as I can make them. It also comes in handy when I’m teaching because I can deconstruct a crochet instruction into minute steps, making it easier for students to understand and duplicate whatever it is I’m teaching.
I also have education (MS degree in linguistics) and experience (33 years in human resource training and development) that I have been able to draw upon as a writer, blogger, and teacher. I also worked for 21 years as an independent contractor which has given me some great business skills (okay, this is starting to sound like a resume :-)).
Last, but certainly not least, I’ve been crocheting (and knitting) for over 40 years. I grew up in a generation that included a mother (taught me how to knit and sew) and an aunt (taught me how to crochet) who were steeped in fiber arts and passed that tradition to me as a child and teenager respectively.
DAY SEVEN
Writing Prompt: I filed my business license and have an EIN. My next step is to ______. Share your next goal with your readers. How can they help you move forward?
My first step is to get a business license, something I’ve been putting off for far too long. It’s on my January “to do” list and should be checked off as completed by the end of the month.
After that, I really need to get cracking on redesigning my blog’s appearance and functionality so that it’s more in line with my 2013 goals. Completing my Crochet By Numbers certification is also critical because I want to start teaching it soon.
Okay, on to Week Two.
17 comments On 2013 31 Days of Crochet Business Blogging: Week One, Part Two
Loved reading this. Now I must read the Science of Getting Rich. I too stopped chasing money. This year I decided that my God is big and doesn’t need me stepping in to ‘fix things’. I’m going to concentrate on my faith, family and passion of helping others and I too believe the money will come.
Looking forward to see you shine in 2013.
Hey Sara, it’s called surrender. A hard lesson for me to learn, but circumstances forced me to learn it in 2010. Thanks as always for your confidence and support.
Very good article! I now have a new book on my reading list! You are so right when you say to listen to your inner guidance. It is the still small voice of God letting you know which direction to take and I’m learning to listen to it more and more every day.
Yes, Sedie, I agree 100%. Sometimes I forget to heed that voice, but I just intend to do better next time :-). Let me know how you like The Science of Getting Rich, and thanks for commenting.
Hi Patrice, I loved your post! I have had a copy of the Science of Getting Rich since 2005 and I am ashamed to say I haven’t read it yet. You have made me want to dive into it right now!! Thanks foe sharing Patrice!
Hey Tangela, glad I could be the spark that re-ignited your interest in The Science of Getting Rich. I’m looking forward to reading it again. There’s some good stuff in that book :-). Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
You are definitely a teacher Patrice and I believe you have chosen your target well. Your students will be introduced to crocheting through you but may move on to writing their own patterns which is also something else you teach well.
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Surrender is definitely the keyword for my life lately. The more I fight for my “own way” the more difficult things get. The more I move out of God’s way the more I see the blessings he pours down on my life.
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p.s. funny thing – I have always been scared to share my ‘faith’ side until this year. It’s when God told me to put him first in my business that I just let go of ‘hiding it’. He’s led me to some very awesome people online who put a priority on faith in business as well. – you being one.
Thanks, Sara. My target isn’t as well defined as it could be, but it does give me a place to start. And yes, I hope readers/students/customers will go on to create their own patterns if that’s what they’re wanting to do. Lots of ways to go with this teaching thing :-).
I learned the lesson of surrender “big time” in 2010 when my life circumstances changed drastically. Nothing I could do but trust that things would eventually turn around, which they did.
I am not a “go to church on Sunday, Bible reading” Christian, but I am “spiritual” as many people say and trying to incorporate spirituality more into my everyday life, including this business. I think corporate America has gotten way off track in its pursuit of profit over people, but it’s slowly starting to turn around as more and more businesses incorporate what I call a “double bottom line” which is service, then profit.
Your education background is impressive and I can see it expressed in your writing and your detailed crochet patterns. (bought one of your patterns on kindle the other day)
Both of those qualities will come into play in your crochet business. Being able to deconstruct something like a crochet pattern into easy to digest bites for beginners is a skill to cherish.
Yeah, I’m not a church on Sunday/Wednesday type of Christian but I used to be. So blessed I’m not so rigid any more. 🙂
Double Bottom Line – service then profit – sounds like at least some people understand that service is also important. I’m enjoying this resurgence into handmade – customer focused business.
I was a “professional student” early in life, Sara. Loved college, but also wasn’t all that eager to leave that nest for the real world of full time J.O.B.’s and all that came with it. And I enjoy the attention to detail; it’s one of those innate abilities that can be either a blessing or a curse depending on the circumstances :-/.
Hey, thanks for purchasing the pattern. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Patrice, go do it. Get that business license and make it official. It really does help you see yourself as ‘real’. I answered this on my blog but as far as name – I use my own name because no matter which ‘hat’ I wear, ultimately I’m a contractor. I use my own name.
If I was actually trying to brand myself i.e. Momwithahook, than I might register that as well if it is available. My fil told me that I should at least register it as a DBA – doing business as – so I can use my personal name and my user name interchangeably.
Go get that license, make it official and then let us know about it. Hmm, I blog post would be nice. 🙂
I’m definitely going to do it, Sara. Hawaii makes it easy so I have no excuse. I’ll probably use my name as well and I’ll let everyone know when I have. Thanks for the push.
I’m glad I discovered you on Twitter. From there I visited your YT, Your Squidoo, Your Gplus and now here. You’re so inspiring. I read Wattles book a long time ago and think I’ll put it back out again. I’m reading Think and Grow Rich(which is more than about money) and I see that you have found the secret of being persistent with your idea and you definitely seem to know your purpose. Your presentation is inspiring; I plan to pick up some yarn and needle and learn how to crochet. (That is one of my goals for this year) Thank you so much for sharing who you are.
Hi Sandra, glad you are enjoying the blog. Actually, I’m not on Squidoo, but I am on HubPages where I’ve written about Wattles and the law of attraction. Yes, Think and Grow Rich is an excellent book, too. Hope you become as enthusiastic about crochet as I am. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
I really am enjoying your blog posts, Patrice. I think two further audiences you have, besides people who are crocheters, are those who are wanting to write or blog and those wanting to have a craft business. You are a great teacher in these areas too. Like the others commenting on this post, you have piqued my interest in the book The Science of Growing Rich. I have not read it, but definitely agree with the philosophies you have mentioned in your blog and show up in your articles. I am going to put that book on my reading list. 🙂
Hey Karen, yes, I will probably be writing more about the business of blogging and writing. I even thought of having a separate blog devoted exclusively to writing, but I need to get this one up and running before I start something else. Don’t want too many WIPs on my hands :-).
You will enjoy The Science of Getting Rich. The language is a bit stilted since it was written back in the early 1900s, but the principles are timeless.
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