This post is in collaboration with Twill, but all thoughts and experiences are my own. Cast your minds back to 2020. Lock-down was the time to explore new opportunities for ourselves. And that is exactly what I did when thrust in to the throes of isolation. I’d always dreamt of owning my own small business that could help people switch off and relax, so it was a great to time to start this when people were looking or new hobbies now they also had extra time on their hands. It was great fun as I discovered this new revenue stream! However, owning a small business doesn’t come with a manual, there isn’t a formula to overnight success. When I started building the Quietly Wild Store (a dried flower wreath making business) from the ground up, there were a lot of things I had to learn along the way. Here are 5 things I wish I had known when starting my small business.
I’m the first to admit that I was petrified of sending abroad, especially with having to deal with the customs clearance paperwork. So much so that I decided not to include sending internationally in my business plan at first (despite numerous people contacting me from overseas destinations requesting wreath kits to be sent to them.) Once I sat down and started to do a little bit of research on international shipping, it started to become a lot clearer to me.
If you saw me lugging a million and one boxes to the post office, mind your business. It seemed the easiest thing for me to do at the time but looking back it just wasn’t viable packing up my car with that many big boxes. Going backwards and forwards to the car to get more to send off. It’s a pretty great position to be in to have that many orders going out but in reality if you didn’t get that coveted spot outside the shop, it was a real chew.
I wish I’d know about the Twill “Go Global” Campaign when I was building the Quietly Wild Store. Renowned for their commitment to small and medium sized businesses, the #Twillforgood programme was set up to connect and empower entrepreneur women to international trade & doing so confidently.
Twill is the international logistics partner for companies that want to change the way business is done: forward-thinking organisations that embrace change to improve, grow, flourish and thrive. Perhaps had I have known about the programme from the get go I could have been better versed in overseas orders much earlier. Try factor this in when you start your own product based business right from the start!
Now I know about this fantastic service I have now opened myself up to even more opportunities for sales & can keep the operational and international side of things flowing a lot better!
I’m not quite sure I could have picked a more time consuming business to build. Each wreath kit is not only lovingly packed (Eco friendly to the best of my abilities) it also takes a heck of a lot of time to put together. For each kit, each set of stems that are required need to be counted out to make sure the right amount of flowers go with each pack. Those stems also need to be cut down to size to fit in the boxes they’d be shipped out in.
With various styles of kit being sold at any one time, there was no rhyme or reason to what products were being bought at any one time.
I eventually got smarter by tying the oats, wheat and grasses together in bundles that would always form the base of every kit. I do this ahead of time so I can just simply add the different stems to each bunch depending on which wreath kit is purchased.
I’d spend a day making up boxes, with all the extra bits in such as the twine, the metal wreaths, the floristry wire etc to ensure that I was always ready for an order to come in.
It took a while to work things out but eventually I got there in the end. It didn’t feel as time consuming anymore! That meant that I was spending less time eating in to my profit.
Not only are dried flowers expensive, the time that goes in to packing each kit is time consuming. Whilst wreath making isn’t the cheapest creative activity out there on the market, it sure is warranted by it’s labour of love! Luckily, most of my lovely clients recognise this.
I have always been that self-depreciating human that puts themselves down at any given opportunity. Shouting about my accomplishments or the good things I’ve achieved just don’t come naturally to me. So, I’ve had to really change that mindset block.
Starting a business, I knew I needed to build on my self-confidence, to share what I had to offer without shying away. Putting myself out there! Heck, I sold out 4 wreath making workshops, had a mega launch day with nearly 30 sales alone and I’ve just been nominated for a small business award and it was all down to little old me and my sheer determination to keep pushing through any blocks I came up against.
I truly believe in the product I sell and the service that comes with it which is where I think a business can sink or swim. I’ve always wanted to share something that can make people feel relaxed and switched off from everyday life, even for just a little while, and it’s been an absolute joy to see people do just that at workshops and get the feedback from others who bought at-home DIY kits, too. It makes it all worthwhile, knowing my mission is working!
Granted, things have slowed down a little bit since I fell pregnant but I’m itching to get back to it very soon. Being confident in what I offer definitely made things a lot easier for me.
Yep, you might be the social media team, the fulfillment team, the face of the business, the accountant, the customer service team, the photographer but you do have resources that can make it feel less alone. Joining local groups such as The Enterprise Collective can help you not only build a group of cheerleaders, but also help with pulling resources from other creatives who might be able to help (and vice versa!)
Running your own business can be lonely at times, so make sure you find your Business BFF like I did!
You don’t have to struggle on your own!
To have many highs would be unsustainable. We are all programmed to think that a business that’s thriving every single second of every single day is something to aspire to. But, truth be told as a small business you need that down time for so many reasons, away from the constant hustle.
You need down time to plan ahead. Little pockets of time to research new products. Chances to check that your shipping operations are working properly. And, most importantly, space to relax away from the chaos that owning a business brings with it.
It’s safe to assume that you will have quieter times in business and the sooner you lean in to that, I think the easier it will feel and seem less daunting when the sales aren’t constantly firing through.
