How do you cope? Just hanging in there when your business is quiet . . .

© Gabriella Buckingham (but you are welcome to Pin))

Things have been rather quiet on the order front this last couple of weeks, which is worrying (but possibly it's the calm before the storm). I am getting orders daily but easily staying on top of them. The good thing is it has given me time to take some new photos and start rebuilding moobaacluck.com which takes an age! The shop is open and I have had some orders direct which is great.

Mainly it worries me because funds are very low - no let's be honest they've gone and thank goodness for overdraft facilities! I allowed myself a holiday in the summer and to go for the possibly crazy dream of going to Surtex next year (which means paying a lot of money in stages before Christmas). 

I have so much to prove and sometimes I think I must be insane to be trying this. It's not too late to pull out but I don't want to give up yet. I just need time to devote to designing. I've made lists and a start. It's not that I think I can't do it , it's just whether I can do it in the time I will have. If Moobaacluck orders increase by 400% like they did from end of October last year until December then I won't have any time for new designing. Yet I need them to increase that much to pay for New York and life in general. Chicken. Eggs.

As I got breakfast ready for my two children this morning I found myself unconsciously singing :


Happy talk, keep talking happy talk
talk about things you like to do...

...if you don't have a dream
if you don't have a dream

how you gonna make a dream come true !

My daughter had been watching South Pacific last night while I worked and unconsciously it had gone in; we had a great time singing it over and over again over our cereal, her doing the actions.

I listened to what I was singing and I know it's simplistic but it is true - we have this one life on earth and it's up to us to create our dreams. Despite being hard up I am so lucky to be just about earning a living doing what I love to do and this could be another thing that takes off... couldn't it?!

I really hope that in February I will look back at this post and be glad I hung in there and had faith in myself. That is if I don't delete it before anyone reads it.

Update: weirdly I had a little flurry of orders shortly after posting this blog! 



Comments

  1. don't delete anything! keep going forward. :) i am in awe of your pluck and persistence and you are doing great!!! i am in the saaaaaaaaammmmeeee place you are with the chicken and the eggs. gotta work, but then, no time to make...it's just hard. but your dreams are important!!! and you will be so glad you did surtex once it's all over! :)

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  2. Jan I am really touched you wrote to me. I know what you're going through right now and send you lots of love - you're right. It just is hard. I'm going to try.

    I am so looking forward to seeing the fabrics you're doing for that great customer (not sure if it's entirely public yet)) - that's a fantastic commission. I'd love you to be one of my Friday Finds when you have time; just shout when you're ready xx

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  3. I agree with Jan!! Don't delete it. We all have our ups and downs--but it helps to read about what others are going through. Money has been an issue as of late in my household as well. I would LOVE to go to Surtex this year, but I don't know that I have the money or the time to do the necessary work beforehand with two littles underfoot. You are going to do awesome. Just keep going. You are so right--we only have this one life to make it happen. You've got this Gabs!

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    1. I will keep going Kelly - thanks so much for the encouragement! I feel just like you do which is why I am a bit scared at this point but the worst that can happen ( apart from a plane crash!:/) is that nothing changes... and at least I'll have given it a shot and I will make sure I have a very good time over there! x

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  4. I know it's easy for me to say, but I'd enjoy the calm before the storm if I were you. Unlike myself, who has to Christmas shop months too early, most people don't get to it until closer to the day. Maybe, right now is the time to be making sure your shop is noticed - people might be "window shopping" right now, ready to actually shop in November onwards. I'm in that process right now. I've bookmarked things ready to look at again end October. Possibly some cute looking wrapping paper I've noticed..... Best wishes.

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    1. Thanks Theresa :) Funnily enough I had six orders in the evening after I'd posted this... I do think you are right about the calm before the storm - which is why I am anxious as if I haven't managed to do much design work now then it's going to be impossible in Nov/Dec. I've been busy doing accounting and will be working on that today too, but once it's done I'll start building up stock and doing some simple daily sketching in ink that I can convert to pattern designs when I do have free time! I'm just going through a scary mental process feeling like I am taking a risk with next year because of my financial situation. But the latter should improve then I'm just going to have to be incredibly disciplined with my time.
      p.s. if you happen to order some cute looking wrap from me be sure to let me know it's you and I'll put another sheet in;) x

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  5. Big hugs, G, and much kudos for being honest about things. I loved your analogy about Happy Talk. You're RIGHT! Keep dreaming and hang in there :) xx

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  6. Keep going Gabriella! You will conquer all, and I can't wait to meet you at Surtex next May!!

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