How I’m staying positive in the storm – and how you can too.
It’s mid August, the school summer holidays are in full swing and I, like many other parents, am juggling my little one (although she’s taller than me now) whilst attempting to work. There’s a subtle guilt that comes with it, the feeling that I should be working when I’m parenting and vice versa…
School holidays can play havoc with creativity and esteem as can low social media engagement, the over juggling and the feeling of lost control.
It’s been a tough few months of business navigation with instagram algorithm changes having massive effects on small businesses, Insta bots favouring TikTok style videos over the traditional photograph have seen massive drops in views.
Etsy fees have been on the rise since the platform went public, we’re talking from 6% to close to 20%. There was a CEO switch out back in 2017 when we said goodbye to the awesome Chad Dickerson who had championed community over money to the now Josh Silverman – a former CEO of an Ebay owned company. There are shareholders to keep happy now and makers are taking a financial hit.
Too much uphill battling will inevitably see small businesses hit the proverbial wall, it’s a tough one for a creative to bounce over alone. RockCakes is more than just a job to me it’s a massive part of my life but I have found it extremely hard to know what direction to take when you can’t see the wood for the trees and are surrounded by fires…
Over the years I have grown an inner circle of like-minded friends, awesome Etsy shop owners, my jewellery sidekick from uni days and a few close business minded friends who I can bounce my RockCakes troubles off. I listen to a lot of business podcasts, The Diary of a CEO being my fave, I have begun reaching out to get answers to the questions that loop over in my brain. I was pointed in the direction of a marketer who offers professional coaching and support. I scheduled in an initial discussion and we talked about my business for an hour.
The main concern I am battling with is that Insta likes have dropped off from the hundreds to the tens and in turn has crushed my momentum. I already know that I should be evolving my content, keeping things zingy and learning video but getting that momentum back is key. It was immediately pointed out to me that instagram likes are nothing to do with the bigger picture so we took things back to basics.
Having had a good look at my online presence my business was mirrored back to me and it was a real eye-opener and a reminder of why I do what I do.
To be told that the positive messages I try to share were coming through and people were obviously finding joy in my work is something that had passed me by. I explained that I never really read any positive feedback and I just look for lost stars in reviews so that I can fight the little fires and put any problems right. This must be true of all small business owners and makers, I know it affects some of my creative friends. It was pointed out to me that I never share any of the positive feedback that and that I should be nurturing the love that I already have…. Doh, so simple but like I said… wood and trees.
We are working on solutions to overcome the current challenges but a good place to start is with the why…. and then I can tackle the how with a fresh and renewed sense of reason and excitement.
So here I am actually reading some positive reviews which I am going to begin to share across my social platforms, respond to and nurture – see which pieces of jewellery really resinate with people and take inspiration from that.
If you have a small business maybe you should take a look at the good things others say about you… Share some of those positive things out in the world and stop focusing the negative – it’s too easily done! It’s all a fine balance though right? Gotta keep that wondering ego in check 😉
19/08/2022
Posted in: Jewellery Edit