When I was in middle school, there was a teacher who did an award for handwriting. No matter how many times I submitted my sample for assessment, I never passed; never even made it through the first stage.
This started me on the journey to try and find the perfect pen; one more suitable for a lefty like me. Perhaps a pen that had a barrel that was easier for me to grip, or a different nib so the ink flowed better.
Did it make any difference – No. I just ended up with a vast collection of pens.
Unfortunately, this almost obsession with perfection has controlled a lot of my life; I often felt because I wasn’t perfect physically, that I had to make up for it in everything else I did, which has led to me missing out on a lot; afraid of making a mistake, or what others may think.
I am much better than I used to be, but instead of a tub full of pens, I now have a couple of tubs full of items I’ve made, but not listed for sale.
There’s the “what if I sell it, and the buyer isn’t happy with the quality”. Though being very fussy myself, I’m not the sort of person who would sell anything I wasn’t completely happy with; that I wouldn’t buy myself.
And, it happens to everyone, large and small businesses – you just have to deal with it as best you can, if it happens.
Then there’s “but what if no one wants to buy it”. Well, no one ever will if it’s not available for them to purchase.
So, I have started to go through my stock, and am planning to open my 2nd Etsy store in April; even if I just list a few of my items to start with.
I am feeling more confident lately, and hopefully, all the research I’ve done recently on marketing and branding will help to bring traffic to my store. My notes are a little disorganised, so I need to go through them and pull out all the main bits. I prefer to write things down, rather than digital notes, find it sinks in better. And, I got new pack of pens yesterday, perfect for the task – I guess old habits are hard to break
Penguin and the Bee 