For every online business owner, there will be happy and exciting
milestones and well, stressful ones as well.
I wanted to make this video going through some of these milestones just so
you know you're not alone. This channel alone is proof that there is a whole
community of handmade business owners out there
going through exactly what you are going through.
And my hope is that instead of worrying,
which is kind of like a sport for us business owners,
let's give ourselves permission to get excited about our progress with our business.
Because at the end of the day,
all of these milestones have one thing in common.
They prove that we are here and we are making our dreams come true.
Hi my name is Mei Pak and I help makers, artists,
and designers make a living selling their handmade products online.
Now I have three online businesses myself.
I have Creative Hive, which is this channel.
I have Tiny Hands, which is my handmade jewelry business
and a brand new business that I just launched
with my husband. Through each of these businesses,
I have seen the patterns of the same milestones happening over and over again.
It's like deja vu or a rite of passage for every business it seems.
Now when you think of milestones for your business,
you might think of finances
or sales numbers, right? Hitting a certain profit margin or a specific number of sales.
Well, those milestones are super important
but they're not really what I'm going to talk about today. Instead
I'm going to focus on less tangible milestones in the everyday life of a business owner.
And really the point of this video is to show you that you're not alone
and that these things that happen are totally normal.
These milestones prove that we're doing what we need to to make this business happen.
And not all of these milestones will feel great in the moment.
But remember, everything we do is proof of the hard work
we're putting in - I cannot say that enough - and the progress that we're making,
right? Which sometimes is more important to acknowledge than a hard sales
milestone number. Okay, so these milestones are not going to
happen in any particular order. It varies
for everyone. But at some point or another,
your business will hit all of these.
Number one, you make your first sale to a friend
or family member. This first sale is always the hardest to get.
And it's amazing to have such supportive friends and family.
This is a proud moment for any business owner. Ironically,
though, I was more nervous to promote my work to my friends
so that was never something I personally did.
I guess I didn't want them to feel obligated to buy from me
but I've heard from people that it's the reverse
for them. Now after a while of making sale after sale to family and friends,
you start to think if they're just being nice to you.
And you wonder if your product really has legs out there in the real world.
It's that question that hopefully makes you start promoting your
shop in places outside of your immediate network,
and I know that feels so scary.
So, enter number two. The first time you make a sale to a complete stranger.
Whoa! This is an exhilarating moment.
This is when you really feel like you're onto something,
right? When all that hard work feels
so incredibly worth it because a total stranger doesn't know you and they don't owe you anything,
right? So at this point, you know that your product really is awesome.
And hey, maybe you could turn this business thing into something serious.
Now when a total stranger buys our product, try to take a moment to reflect.
Remember when you first had the idea for this business, when you designed your website,
made your product, refreshed your screen over
and over again to see if anyone was viewing your site or maybe buying what you had to sell.
It was all for this. And let me tell you,
it is surreal, when you think about a person, you've never met in some unknown corner of
the world using your product that you made with your hands,
such a powerful and motivating feeling.
Never forget that feeling
when one sale could make you
so happy because I guarantee you that when you're making your hundredth or thousandth sale,
we tend to lose a little bit of that joy unfortunately.
Don't say I didn't warn you. Number three.
When you get your first review.
I don't know about you, but for me, this is a scary time because what if they hated
my product? I know we are our own worst enemies and always thinking the worst of our own work.
But once you see that it's a positive review,
you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that, hey,
you did your job well, and you should feel so proud.
It feels so good, right? It's the best kind of validation and it will make you want to keep going.
This is proof that you are doing all the right things.
Number four, when your package goes missing for the first time.
I warned you that not all of these milestones were going to be celebratory moments,
right? I'm going to lay this all out there.
You will lose a package and no,
I'm not cursing. This is just the order of nature,
you just will and most of the time,
it won't be your fault. Things get lost in the mail all the time.
When this happens to you in life, you feel like a total disaster.
You might be quick to blame yourself, to fall down the guilt spiral,
or to become incredibly overwhelmed.
I want you to know that you are not the first person this has happened to and you won't be the last.
Take a deep breath. Give yourself a huge pat on the back for caring
so deeply about your business
and even take a moment to appreciate why you're in this position in the first place.
Because you're a freaking business owner and you've had sales and packages to ship. How cool is that?
Just a moment ago you weren't making any sales and it was amazing to make your first sale.
This is the kind of milestone you can plan ahead for, though.
Try to get tracking for your packages and have a plan or a policy in place
for if any packages get lost, like,
will you resend the product or will you offer a refund?
Most customers will appreciate any effort on your part to make up for it
even if it wasn't your fault.
And make sure you’re priced correctly from the
get-go so that you have more options
and flexibility on what solutions you offer to your customer. Number five.
When you get your first negative review or customer complaint.
I'll admit it's an awful feeling when someone doesn't like
or even hates the product that you made, that I made. After all,
that product is like your baby, right?
You're proud of it. I burst it out of my own hands.
Remember, though, that a negative review does not mean your product is bad.
It just means that this one particular person wasn't a fan
and that’s bound to happen from time to time. It actually
happens quite infrequently. So the fact that you've even gotten a negative review
means that you've made a ton of sales and focus more on all the other reviews that you've gotten
that were positive. I know it's easier said than done
because humans have this thing that's called negative
bias and we tend to focus more on the negative things.
That's just how we're wired. Even
when we do everything in our power to ensure positive reviews, from you know,
going out of your own way to make sure your customers are happy, to shipping the product right away
so it's to its destination on time. Negative reviews are bound to happen,
okay? They just are, and it's normal.
So when you get your first negative review,
instead of wasting energy feeling angry or bitter,
see how you can fix the situation with the customer and just move on.
That review will get buried by positive reviews soon enough.
And at some point, you will even forget it
even existed. Number six,
the first time someone wants to feature your product.
This is another fun one, right? Let me tell you,
there is nothing like seeing an influencer unboxing
your product to make you feel like a total celebrity.
Or to see your product in a glossy magazine or even on TV.
It feels amazing. And when done right,
it should get you more sales. This is one milestone
that might seem far away to new business owners.
But rest assured, it will happen for you as long as you keep putting your products out there.
And then again, take a moment to acknowledge how cool it is that your product
is so good that other people want to tell their audience about you
and your work because it's one thing to be good
but it's another to be so good that people can't help but to talk to you -
no - can't help but to talk about you
and recommend you. Check out my video on pitching strategies up here to learn the steps
it takes to get featured. Number 7,
burnout. Yeah, this is something
we will all go through from time to time. Running our own online shops
is hard work. Relying on our own business for income is extremely stressful.
It might feel like you're up to your neck in work and that you can never take a break. Cue burn out.
If you find that you're feeling exhausted all the time,
you're highly irritable, losing focus,
you never taking any breaks, you're probably facing burnout.
It's not a fun feeling and I actually think it's a terrible place to get to.
So avoid it at all costs. It can be really hard
and take a long time to get out of burn out
and worst yet, it can make you feel like you don't love your business anymore
and want to throw in the towel.
That's why it is so important to delegate
whenever you possibly can, take breaks every day, and make time for yourself.
This isn't an easy job but we can make it a little bit easier
when we are kind and patient with ourselves.
Self-care is truly so important for a business owner.
Don't forget we're all only human.
So if you're anything like me, powering through because we were taught that that's what
a strong work ethic means, that's only going to lead to burnout.
We need nutrition, sleep, rest and fun.
So make sure you're getting plenty of each. Number 8.
When you make your first hire.
Remember, what I said about delegating? Hiring someone
for the first time should feel like a major accomplishment and hopefully a relief.
It means that your business is growing
and that you don't have to do everything all by yourself anymore.
Heck, you can’t even do everything by yourself anymore.
That's why you have help. This is definitely a moment to celebrate though,
because your business has reached new sales levels to be able to justify and support a small team.
Of course, I know some of you guys don't ever want to get to a size in
your business where you have to hire help.
But I wonder how much of that
is because you don't want to deal with the trouble of managing other people. Hiring
and managing a team
definitely involves a little bit of a learning curve,
but it can also be the ticket to total freedom for you from the daily minutia
in your business. Number nine,
drama, and copycats, and drama brought on by copycats.
So let's say you're scrolling through Instagram one day and you notice wait,
what? Here's a post from another shop with a product that looks a whole lot like your product
and then you zoom in and you click on the link
and you visit the website and everything looks very much like yours.
But it's just different enough that there's nothing you can really do
about it. Congratulations.
Your first copycat. I say that tongue-in-cheek because this is a sign that you've made it,
but I know it really sucks too. Copy
cats are a sign of success. When your product starts trending,
other people notice that and they want in. The biggest two tips
I can share with you here is to not get sucked into the negative drama
that seems so alluring, to protect your intellectual property,
because it's just not worth the energy, time,
and money. Take it from someone who has been through this multiple times.
And also know that because you are the artist with a vision,
copycats will never ever do better than you because you will always be ten steps ahead of them.
So focus on doing what you can do to keep your products relevant.
Keep innovating, focus on your own work, and trust that you are doing all the right things.
Focus on the things you can control. After all your successful business
is what caused this drama on the first place.
That's pretty cool. Even if it doesn't feel that way.
And I know it's easier said than done,
but try to take a moment to be proud that other people admire you
so much and that you inspire them. Every new business owner
will reach some or all of these milestones
and more and they're all worth celebrating in their own way.
Because at the end of the day, they prove that we're on the right track,
we're putting in the work and we're making this happen for ourselves.
So today, no matter which milestone you're celebrating,
even if it's falling asleep on the couch in the middle of your day
designing your website, take a moment to celebrate you.
You've got this