- Make sure you have a plan to separate church and state. I purposely leave my home computer and phone in the other room to not be tempted or distracted while working my day job. I only look at orders mid-day at lunch and I fulfill and customer service at night. Fortunately, there are very few emergencies in the earring business.
- Plan for the best and then 10x it. I expected to sell one or two pairs in my first week. I’ve now sold 36 pairs! I did not plan my inventory well or believe it would sell that fast and had to do a weekend scramble to add more collections and re-stock.
- Don’t be afraid to ask people to spread the word. So many people have helped out and encouraged me. Family to friends from my childhood, colleagues from every single job I have ever had and all sorts of people in between have come out of nowhere to buy product and share the site. Most people want you to succeed. It’s been so amazing to feel all that love after a year like 2020.
- Turns out it is far easier to advise a big company or a celebrity on how to grow a social following than it is to grow a new handle yourself. It’s a slog! There are promotions and hashtags and micro-influencers to network with. Don't forget the fresh content that needs to be constantly created...But…0-200 followers in a few days and and growing strong! ;) P.S. #followme @oreandalloy on IG.
- Don’t be afraid to invest in yourself. That home computer in #1? I bought it in December to motivate me to build the site. For that night fulfillment I mentioned? I bought a thermal printer and a scale so I can print, package and mail from home. Efficiency. Both are near paid off at week one!
- Never, and I mean never, write copy at 3am and then ask your 10 year old to help proofread it the next day. So, so so many mistakes.
- Before you begin all these steps make sure you tell your boss and HR at your company. It would be really awkward if I hadn’t and then was posting that I had a new side gig. I recommend you do this as early as possible. Don’t make it weird, make it transparent. If for nothing else to ensure there is zero conflict of interest!
- Mark the small milestones so you can celebrate how far you have come later. I took a screen shot of my first order and my first hundred followers. When I blow up, I want to look back and say remember when?
- Be proud of yourself and know you are setting an example. For me I realized this on day one, when the orders started coming in, although my computer was in another room, I could hear my little boys coming in and out of the room to look at the order screen. They would shout “Profit” or “Whoa she is like Amazon” It dawned on me that they had seen how hard I had worked the last month and were celebrating with me and for me. In everything you do there is someone watching and rooting you on, even if you don’t know it, so make them proud!
- Get comfortable being your own EVERYTHING. Photographer, copywriter, model, errand runner, coder, bookkeeper, social media manager, picker packer...the list goes on. No job is beneath you and doing each one of those things has made me appreciate the colleagues in my day job tenfold.
- Ok Actually 11 reflections...anyone who knows me, knows there is ALWAYS an 11. I have no aspirations to become Amazon. I love what I get to do in my day job, so I’m going to keep this little creative outlet just that, small, inspiring and manageable. An evening and weekend respite, a place to take my own risks and reap the rewards or learn from the mistakes. A place to un-work.
Now seriously, follow me!
10 Reflections
Posted by Sheryl Maloney on
Comment
Transparency with your day job is key to share with about-to-be-entrepreneurs.
Thanks