comparisons

I don't know how other handmade/home based businesses feel, but lately I have found myself comparing my business to a pregnancy... post natal depression included!

Firstly we have "Conception" - The big idea of turning a hobby we are passionate about into a something more.

The "Trimesters" -We spend months nurturing the idea, researching how to make it happen, pouring all our hearts and souls into the big moment when we launch ourselves to the public.

The "Birth" - The moment when we place our business out there and lap up the "oooh's" and "ahhh's". Just like a new mama with her baby! When we look at our "baby" our hearts swell with pride and we smile to ourselves, thinking how awesome we are to have created such a perfect little biz.

Then the dreaded "Post Natal Depression" starts to sink in...

We go through "teething" problems, trying to learn things that never even occurred to us .. lets face it, we are crafters, artist... essentially butterflies in disguise lol. 

We suffer sleep deprivation trying to keep up with our gorgeous customers who all want to own one of our creations. Not that I am complaining at all. I am just making the comparison to having a new bub and the sleep deprivation we feel at that time of our lives lol.  Hmmm, I wonder... is it possible to get a business sitter just so we can catch up on some sleep??? lol  

We have bouts of self doubt. Have we made the right choice? Are our products really that great? How can we handle being everything to everyone that we need to be? Can we make our business grow and flourish? 

Then there is the loneliness... Just like a mum with a bub feels lonely, as a home business we are essentially by ourselves (or with young children) day in, day out. Some people seem to think we have it very easy. In some ways we do. We have the luxury of taking our kids to school and picking them up each day. We can drop everything to go on excursions for them and never have to worry if they are sick and need us home for the day. We could even go shopping and catch up with friends for coffee everyday if we felt like it. But then who would run the business? Who would create the items to sell? Who would source new supplies? Think up new designs? So, if we want to be successful we need to be at home. And that can be rather lonely at times ... 

All I can say is thank goodness for Facebook! I have formed some amazing friendships with some equally amazing business women in the 9 months that CottonBerry has been running. Talking with them is like taking my business to "playgroup"! We can discuss the "sleepless nights", the "teething problems", all the in's & out's of running a business at home, (we can even get an ego boost when needed lol) and know that someone understands exactly what we are saying!

So many comparison between starting a business and becoming a new mum!