How often have you heard the saying, “It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but in my experience, running a creative business is always personal. It seems like my emotions are always tied up in the success or failure of my business.
Take yesterday, for example. I was reading this post over at IttyBiz where Naomi was talking about how, regardless of how much research you do, you can never predict what people will buy until you make it available to them. And you can’t assume that just because something was successful before means something similar will be successful this time around. And that when you make those assumptions, you are setting yourself up for a possibly huge disappointment.
Well, way to knock me down a few notches, Naomi. Because I’m currently putting the finishing touches on a new jewelry collection. A collection that’s based on a prior collection. And this prior collection did well. So, for the last few weeks, I’ve been telling myself, “this has to sell.” And I’ve been mentally counting all the money I’m going to make at the gift fair next month.
But it’s very likely that by thinking this way I’m setting myself up for a huge disappointment. You’d think I’d learn by now – I’ve done the gift fair expectation, desperation, disappointment cycle in the past. Of course, I’ve also felt the rush of elation that comes with writing a big order or making a great new contact.
Sometimes it’s just impossible to separate my emotions from what’s going on in my business. So what do you do when it seems like you can’t help but take everything that happens in your business personally?
Acknowledge that it’s ok to get emotionally invested in your business. You are your business, and most likely, your business is your passion. If you take out all the emotion, your business won’t work. Instead, what you need to do is
Figure out which emotions help your business and which emotions hinder. Passion, joy, enthusiasm, confidence – these are all great for getting things going in your business. Panic and desperation – these make it hard to be creative. (And trust me, no one likes to buy from a desperate sales person.) When you feel those non-helpful emotions arrive, that’s the time to try to clear your head and think more objectively about your business.
For instance, instead of panicking about a slow sales month, why not try to look at it objectively? Is there a reason sales are slow? What can you do to improve them? Is this a natural lull in your business that you can plan for next year?
I’d love to know:
Do you take your business successes and failures personally?
Do you get emotional when it comes to your business?
And if you do, how do you handle the emotional roller coaster that comes from running your own business?
Amen, sister! Great strategy for dealing with the roller coaster!
I can get emotional about my biz. It’s something I am trying to stop doing. I run my ecomm business with my husband and he tends to be harder to upset. When I feel annoyed with a belligerent customer or something a quick vent to him usually makes me feel better. And if all else fails — vodka.
I AM emotional, so taking my business emotionally is just the ony way to deal with it. That said, I’ve learnt to focus on the objective side of my activity, and always make an effort to see everything through a rational point of view.
That’s the only way for me to learn from my mistakes and successes.
Also, my husband’s practical mind works like a charm when I can´t think clearly! 😀
AMEN! It is totally personal, but we have to remain rational. Balance is so tricky, especially for the klutzy. Physically AND emotionally klutzy that is 🙂
Hey there Megan
I think being in the creative arena, all our work is based on emotion. This is our outlet for expression.
I definitely take my successes & failures extremely personally. I put so much of myself in my work that I see it as a direct kudos or rejection of myself. Yes, I know – very unhealthy. But as you say, how can you not be emotionally tied to your efforts?
As far as handling the roller coaster goes… well, at least I’m on the ride and not just a spectator!…lol.
I think the only constant in this field is the admin. Being in the infant stages of my biz, everyday is filled with the two extremes of success and failure. People compliment the work, but haven’t made any sales yet. Just writing it off to ‘getting my name out there’. That’s how I’m rationalising it right now, and it seems to be helping me to maintain some semblance of sanity.
I try not to take things too personally.
If things don’t work out as I’d planned, I evaluate the situation and try to determine if it it actually had to do with my business (say, if I do a craft show where tons of people show up and buy things, just not my things), or if I just picked a bad show (not a lot of potential customers show up, most other crafters do poorly as well). Fortunately, the former hasn’t happened yet (I’m sure if it did, I’d take it at least a little personally!), but I sure have managed to sign up for a couple of duds…
Despite usually strong sales in person, my sales on Etsy have been sluggish. I never intended to approach Etsy as a primary means of selling my jewelry, so I haven’t taken it personally… though I know if I DO want to improve sales, I need to continue to improve my photography skills and develop more of a presence online, trying more actively to drive traffic to my shop instead of expecting people to find it on their own.
And of course, being new to making jewelry, I know I have TON of room for improvement as far as my product goes. I can’t expect it to happen overnight, it’ll take time and time and effort, and it IS personal… but I see it as a challenge, not a reason to be discouraged.
Do you take your business successes and failures personally?
More than anyone else I know.
Do you get emotional when it comes to your business?
If I’m not crying three times a week, it’s because I’m on vacation. And that’s in good times AND bad ones. Jesus, even the fan mail makes me cry.
And if you do, how do you handle the emotional roller coaster that comes from running your own business?
Very, very badly. In all honesty, it would be fairer to say that I don’t handle it.
Thanks for the shoutout and good luck at the fair, sweetie.
Of course it’s personal… WHen you’re in a creative business, those are all your babies, and it’s hard to see your babies being criticized. I haven’t learned how to handle that criticism yet, but I’m sure I’ll have to as I expand my business.
I wouldn’t say I get emotional per se, but whenever I visit craft or e-commerce forums, I get annoyed whenever someone is posting seeking legitimate advise, and they get some kind of Horatio Alger generality that is no help at all, like “you have to work hard.” This implies that the poster wasn’t working hard and thus their struggle must be due to laziness or something when it could be a myriad of factors with concrete solutions (or maybe not!). I guess the “Algerites” can’t fathom that difficulties in business could be for several reasons other than flaws on the part of the business owner’s work ethic. So I tend to get quasi-emotional when I see that happening to new crafters and want to step in to help.
A little off subject but wanted to let you know that I commented over on Lateral Action’s 10 best blogs for Creatives that you were a small but practical blog on starting a craft business. Hope you get some hits from it.
I am very emotional when it comes to my business. And it’s very personal. I have major highs and lows and am constantly trying to improve my techniques and re-doing my pictures to sell online (which is admitedly by biggest struggle). I want so much to expand into wholesaling, but I just don’t know where to begin. And same goes for advertising. I’ve done quite a bit, but had very little success. Time and money are both my enemy, with a 4 year old at home over the summer it has been quite hard to get everything accomplished I would like to. I often times wonder if I should even continue with my business. But I remind myself I’m not a quitter and I do have something to offer. I just need to find that special uniqueness that other’s don’t have. I do love reading your blog Megan, it’s very inspiring!
Do you take your business successes and failures personally?
There are certain vulnerable situations for me–like a craft show with a long stretch of no buyers–but I’d like to take the successes *more* personally, rather than talking about it as if suddenly the successes appeared from an alien planet and I had nothing to do with it!
Do you get emotional when it comes to your business?
My business is a vehicle for my creative expression through mosaics, and I love sharing my work with others, so there’s definitely emotional involvement.
And if you do, how do you handle the emotional roller coaster that comes from running your own business?
I am working on accepting that the roller coaster will be there, and just letting it be there while I go do the practical stuff that moves my business forward. Jon Kabat-Zinn’s books on mindfulness have been particularly helpful.
Oh gosh, this post sang to me! In fact, my husband and I had a long conversation about this very subject last night, talking specifically about friends and how they do or don’t support your business and how you really can’t allow it to eat you up inside. It’s like you can get 10 great comments about how terrific what you’re doing is…but you find yourself hanging on to the one negative comment someone makes. Focusing on the positive is truly an artform and I have to remind myself to look at the world that way regularly! I love the expression “Don’t sweat the small stuff, because it’s all small stuff.” Life is too short to get too wrapped up emotionally in your business because it will wear your entire life out!
I get very emotionally attached to my work. It hurts when people are negative (and usually its really really bitchy on forums and the like) but in the years of doing this Ive learned to actually not frequent certain places, and if people have a problem it is usually stemming from their own feelings of inadequacy, not my work really ;).
I have had to ‘come into it’ at times, just to calm it down!
Having said that, it really is not a big part of it – I make things for babies and parents and it brings such joy to know that I am helping make families bond stronger (or at least parents lives easier!). I love seeing my wares in action, and I love the attachment folks feel toward their handcrafted goods.
I couldnt do it if I felt negative even 1/3 of the time 😀
Oh.. it’s so nice to know that I’m not the only one who feels rejected when sells or low. My husband says I take it too personally. Can’t get him to understand that I agonize over each little collage that I create. I do need to get more “zen” about it though!
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