My Path to Entrepreneurship

For quite some time I've had a dream of being an entrepreneur.  I think this dream goes all the way back to my junior high days.  Well in June of 2010, I became the official business name "Artistic Expressions by Elisabeth."  Part of the reason for taking the plunge so to speak was because I wanted to be able to participate in craft shows and events without wondering if someone was coming to get me for being unofficially a business.  Yeah, I'm one of those rule-follower types.

Little did I know that my full-time job would literally turn my life upside down and I wouldn't be able to invest in my personal dream of entrepreneurship in the way I had hoped until some time later.  Almost a year later.  But here are a few things that I did along the way:

1. I created a business name - a name that was broad enough to encompass what I love to do, but specific enough that I could establish some sort of presence.  This process took FOREVER!
2. I registered a domain for a future website, one that would match my new name.  (Yes, I checked godaddy.com to be sure.)
3. I began streamlining my online presence which meant a blog name change, then a blog move (ouch! lost some folks in the process, but it needed to be done).  I closed down my generic Etsy shop and set up a new one using my new name.  Deleted my old Facebook business page and created a new one.  You get the picture.  The final form of streamlining my online presence will be in my future website, when I'm done.  That way I can pull my online presence together under one roof.
4. Because life got a little crazy and because I needed time to think, I stepped back a bit.  This year I've focused less of selling online in the sense of keeping a shop full of things that may or may not sell, but that I enjoyed making, and focused more on better planning, finding my own niche in the craft world and in the meantime doing more vending events.  Vending allows me to meet people (which I love),  hear feedback, gather ideas, and network with fellow crafters.  As long as I can guarantee to make my booth fee back and more, I'm pleased.

This journey has been an interesting one, but one that I am enjoying.  There is so much more to learn, but I'm glad that I took the leap into entrepreneurship like I've always dreamed.  No more, What ifs!