Today I have been busy finishing orders & working on some fun new things to add to my shop! The thought of Fall right around the corner has me inspired & I can't wait to share some of the new products!
Running your own small business is exhausting. It's a 7 day a week, most hours of your day (minus sleeping & eating, if your lucky) job. I am in charge of it all - the creating, knitting, shipping, customer service, photographing & listing of items, etc (the list is long).
When people ask me what I do & I tell them, I usually get a positive response but I sometimes get the "ohhhh, so you stay at home all day & craft" look, the clueless ones usually follow up with a "must be nice." I sometimes feel the need to defend myself but usually I let it roll off my back, because Yes! It is nice, in fact it's incredible. I do get to stay home all day & "craft" & it's awesome! Not to mention rewarding. I learned early on in my life, that my fire - my desire in life was to create & make things with my hands. It exists in every aspect of my being & it has always overpowered any other career path I've tried. I'm happiest & most complete when I am making things & I made the decision a few years back to follow that desire. & while I have gone back & forth with other part-time jobs (I still work one day a week outside of the home), Pleasantly Plump [Knits.] has been my full time passion & job since making the leap. I am so very proud of this fact. While the perks are huge - making my own schedule, working for myself & creating all day, following this type of dream comes with consequences. The main one being, I don't make nearly as much income as I would in a corporate job. I have slow months & good months & the amount of work I put into my shop directly affects the outcome. I'm lucky enough to have a husband that supports my dream, unconditionally, but we do make sacrifices. In the end, it's sacrifices we are both willing to make for our happiness. We only have this one life & I intend to spend it doing what I love!
I am so grateful that my Friday work days can be filled with knitting & photographing new products. I am so grateful that instead of getting the feeling of dread for the upcoming work week on Sunday nights, I feel excited about the chance of a new week ahead. I am also (most importantly) grateful for the people that decide to buy handmade &/or from a small business. I hope you know how much this means to the handmade/small business community, how it helps to determine whether or not people like me can follow our dreams. Thank you.
When people ask me what I do & I tell them, I usually get a positive response but I sometimes get the "ohhhh, so you stay at home all day & craft" look, the clueless ones usually follow up with a "must be nice." I sometimes feel the need to defend myself but usually I let it roll off my back, because Yes! It is nice, in fact it's incredible. I do get to stay home all day & "craft" & it's awesome! Not to mention rewarding. I learned early on in my life, that my fire - my desire in life was to create & make things with my hands. It exists in every aspect of my being & it has always overpowered any other career path I've tried. I'm happiest & most complete when I am making things & I made the decision a few years back to follow that desire. & while I have gone back & forth with other part-time jobs (I still work one day a week outside of the home), Pleasantly Plump [Knits.] has been my full time passion & job since making the leap. I am so very proud of this fact. While the perks are huge - making my own schedule, working for myself & creating all day, following this type of dream comes with consequences. The main one being, I don't make nearly as much income as I would in a corporate job. I have slow months & good months & the amount of work I put into my shop directly affects the outcome. I'm lucky enough to have a husband that supports my dream, unconditionally, but we do make sacrifices. In the end, it's sacrifices we are both willing to make for our happiness. We only have this one life & I intend to spend it doing what I love!
I am so grateful that my Friday work days can be filled with knitting & photographing new products. I am so grateful that instead of getting the feeling of dread for the upcoming work week on Sunday nights, I feel excited about the chance of a new week ahead. I am also (most importantly) grateful for the people that decide to buy handmade &/or from a small business. I hope you know how much this means to the handmade/small business community, how it helps to determine whether or not people like me can follow our dreams. Thank you.
I have a busy weekend planned! I have some new prototypes to knit up so I can share! I'll also squeeze in some relaxation time, too. For starters, we are about to go on a little bike ride. The weather is already starting to change & the evenings are getting cooler! Can't wait until the leaves start changing!
xo. Meghan
